Ashlyns

‘It ain’t easy being green’, said Kermit the Frog, but perhaps he had yet to find Ashlyns Farm Shop. It’s a beacon of organic food and groceries, the shelves groaning with everything from fennel toothpaste to Ashlyns’ own honey; the deli counter sells homemade scotch eggs and sausage rolls, and you can get your fruit and veg fix at the juice and smoothie bar. Much of what you see at Ashlyns is organic; if not, it’s ethically sourced.

In the restaurant – open for breakfast, lunch and sometimes dinner – beautifully lettered signboards tempt you with plates to suit all appetites and pockets, from hearty servings of sausage and mash to a more modest smoked salmon salad. Children can tuck into tasty food from their own menu, before burning off some energy in the soft play area or farm park outside. Mum or dad can then raid the wine shop or indulge in a massage in the beauty salon. The chirrup of birds is all you’re likely to hear on the garden deck if you want a quieter stop, and the Farm Park trail will point out all the local Essex wildlife