Mother hits out at ‘scam’ pumpkin patches where families pay £50 to walk through muddy fields for an hour – when you can buy a squash for £2 at Aldi

DAILYMAIL.COM • 1h ago

By JOWENA RILEY, LIFESTYLE REPORTER Updated: 16:28 19 Oct 2026

A mother-of-three has hit out at the autumnal tradition of pumpkin picking, calling the experience an overpriced ‘scam’ that leaves parents paying steep entry fees to walk through muddy fields for ‘less than an hour’.

Kay Hill, who has amassed a following of nearly 10,000 people on Facebook, took to the platform over the weekend to rant about the seasonal activity, which she claims can put a single family up to £50 out of pocket.

After six years of taking her children – now aged 10, 12 and 16 – to pumpkin patches, the mother joked that, this year, she will be visiting Aldi with her family, chucking a few pumpkins around the garden and ‘charging £5 admission’.

In the post, which has since amassed over 5,000 comments, she wrote: ‘Can we talk about the absolute SCAM that is pumpkin picking in the UK?!

‘Since when did walking around a muddy field, picking up a vegetable, become a luxury day out? Pay to get INTO a field, just for the privilege of paying again for a pumpkin?

‘And don’t even get me started on the price of pumpkins themselves. You’re telling me I can get one from Aldi for £2 but because I’ve stuck it in a wheelbarrow, and pushed it out of a field myself, it’s suddenly worth £12?!’

Disregarding the idea of pumpkin picking being a ‘magical’ autumnal activity, the mother further highlighted the so-called high costs and mundanity of the experience.

She continued: ‘No, Kay. You’ve just paid £50 for the family to stand in a field, get muddy, take 37 pictures of a pumpkin and be in and out in less than an hour.

‘Please tell me I’m not the only one who thinks pumpkin picking has become ridiculously overpriced?!’

Kay appeared to have divided opinion in the comments, with some accusing farmers and organisers of ‘massively profiteering’, while others branded the mother ‘entitled’ and unsupportive of local businesses.

One user who agreed with the content creator shared: ‘I was mugged into this once after rave reviews and it was absolutely not worth the money to get in.

‘Didn’t buy any pumpkins either as they were taking the absolute p*** with the price. Went back to using a local farm that charges £3 per pumpkin whatever the size. And that’s only a recent price increase. It was previously £2.’

Another wrote: ‘Do you think farmers need to ask £15 per visit plus 10x the cost of a supermarket pumpkin? Because I don’t mind paying but I expect something in return and some places are just profiteering massively.’

A third shared: ‘My only gripe is paying just to get into the field in the first place and the price then charged isn’t redeemable against the pumpkin. I have no problem paying more for the pumpkins.’

But others were left less-than-impressed by Kay’s comments, with one arguing: ‘Wow, people are so entitled these days, it’s unbelievable. Do you think farmers go to the magic money tree & line up all the pumpkins for fun for everyone to come buy for peanuts?’

‘No, it’s expensive with climate change & they need to make a living. It’s not a supermarket, it’s a working farm & an experience to go ‘pumpkin picking’ – hence the name.’

Another added: ‘We don’t need to hear your moaning and we don’t care. If you want to support local businesses then do so, if not then don’t moan.’

A third wrote: ‘Wah wah wah. As someone else has said, surely it’s better to get your kids off Xboxes and into nature…’

A fourth advised: ‘Or maybe you can come to Lincolnshire and actually pick the pumpkins from the growing field, not laid out a grass patch like the photo.

‘Have your face painted, pick your own pumpkin, bounce on straw bales, go on a tractor ride, carve your pumpkin, practice circus skills, do the maze, or start your Christmas shopping at the makers market. Don’t write them all off as being the same.’

In a follow-up post directed at her critics, Kay clarified that she maintains the same view after spending years paying steep fees for an experience the family has ‘never managed to spend a full day’ doing.

She added: ‘Usually we’re in, pumpkins picked, obligatory photos taken and back in the car within an hour – sometimes 45 minutes. No farm animals, no mazes, no where really to sit and take it in. Maybe we’re just going to the wrong places?’

The mother ended her post with encouraging families to continue taking pictures and making memories if they’re all for pumpkin picking, but showed equal support for those ‘giving it a miss this year’ too.

She concluded: ‘My opinion is that the [organisers] who throw pumpkins across a field and charge a fortune are a sham. If that upsets you, I really don’t know what to tell you. Perhaps go and pick a pumpkin to cheer yourself up. As for me, I’ve officially RETIRED from pumpkin picking.’

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