Yesterday, Simon, John and I tried again with our trip to Sheppy’s Farm in Taunton; a journey we originally attempted to make in May, but due to getting held up for almost 4 hours in a traffic jam on the M5, were unable to make. There were no holdups this time and the trip to south Somerset was a success.

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a donkey, some sheep and chickens. Hungry after the drive, we were tempted to start a barbecue and dine upon with lamb chops, drumsticks and whatever edible parts of a donkey we could salvage. With a shotgun equipped farmer no doubt watching from the bushes, we thought it best not to slaughter the animals, but go to the cafe for coffee and cake.

After the cafe, we took a tour of the farm and cider museum, learning all about how cider gets from the trees in the orchard to the chavs on the street corners. I was a little surprised to hear that some of the more popular brands of cider sold at the farm are said to be enjoyed by “all the family” and “at any time of the day”. I hardly think giving your children a pint of scrumpy with their Ready-brek constitutes good parenting, but if the old farmer says so…

The museum also allowed us to look at various farming equipment. As you can see, both Simon and me behaved ourselves and acted like responsible adults around the dangerous equipment and heavy machinery. For legal reasons, I would like to stress, despite being on a cider farm, we hadn’t been drinking the produce, so were always in control… kind of.

Then, after a visit to the farm shop, we made our way home. However, somehow on the way back, we found ourselves at Longwell Green. As we were there, we thought it would be rude to at least not pop into Nandos for some PeriPeri chicken.

A good day out, albeit 3 months later than originally planned.