NEW HOUSE FARM, HORSHAM

New House Farm is one of the most popular destinations in Horsham, thanks to its farm shop, Strawberry Fields Tea Room, fruit picking and sunflower fields. 

Much of the farm on Old Crawley Road remains dedicated to arable crops, with Max Walton, a fourth-generation farmer, growing wheat and oats. His wife Lucie leads the team in the farm shop, set within a beautiful timber-framed barn. The Strawberry Fields Tea Room was added in 2010, with further extensions built since to meet demand, while function rooms for private hire have been added too. Now, Max and Lucie’s daughter, Sarah Atkinson, is developing another aspect of the business. Working with new Events Manager Myfanwy Conti, the farm hosted its first event, Schools Out For The Summer, on 22 July. 

Myfanwy said: ‘The event coincided with the start of the holidays, with families coming down in the afternoon and early evening to enjoy inflatables, pizzas and a pop-up bar. We were lucky with the weather and there was a great atmosphere, as children were excited ahead of the holidays.

‘This comparatively small event helped us prepare for Eats & Beats on 26 September. This event will offer fun for all the family, with live music, food vendors, children’s entertainment, and hopefully sunshine! We have music from covers band Super8 and Joy-Bop – a dance act from Brighton renowned for getting the children dancing. There will also be free circus workshops, stilt walkers, face-painting and plenty of food and drink. We have a real passion for events and hope they will add an exciting new element to the farm.’

SANTA’S COMING

This Christmas, the farm will have a Santa’s Grotto for the first time too. Sarah – who studied Events Management at university – hopes to capture the magic of the season. 

‘We will be transforming the function room into a grotto, and children can see real reindeer before meeting Santa. Next spring, we plan to host a wellness day too, with healthy living stalls and demonstrations alongside Yoga, Pilates and Meditative workshops. We have talked about organising events for a long time, but it has been difficult as the shop and tea rooms keep us so busy. Since Myfanwy joined the team, we’ve finally been able to bring some ideas to fruition. I’m sure some events will work better than others, but that’s part of the journey. We’re confident they will add another dynamic to the farm.’

The function room can also be booked for private events. It has hosted baby showers, birthday parties, anniversaries and other special occasions, and even Yoga classes. Sarah adds: ‘With capacity for 40 people, it’s a space where people can relax, spend time with family and friends, and use the farm as an escape. Bi-fold doors open up to the outdoor area where children can run around, and there’s plenty of free parking. For those reasons, it has become popular for business meetings too. We work with an outside caterer for functions, although people are welcome to arrange a hog-roast or street food vendor if they prefer.’ 

New House Farm has diversified not only for economic reasons, but also to provide employment for the family, outside of arable farming. Wheat and oats are grown on the farm and other fields have previously been used for oilseed rape and linseed production. Due to changes in government funding, the family withdrew from some of its contract farming commitments (where crops are grown on other farms). Instead, parts of New House Farm are now supported by the Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI). Under the scheme, land is left alone, allowing the soil to improve in preparation for the planting of new crops. Although such support is welcome, Max believes more should be done to encourage food production.

He said: ‘If this farm is ever sold, it’s unlikely it will ever be used to grow food crops again. It’s the same story for many small farms, as arable farming is not a reliable source of income. Eventually, the government will have to provide more support to farms growing food, unless it wants to import even more from overseas. I’ve many farming friends with sons forced to seek work in other industries, as they don’t have the opportunity to take on their own farm. However, as difficult as farming can be, it does get into your blood. I’ve been doing it for 30 years and still enjoy it.’

This year has been particularly challenging due to the drought. However, as well as arable crops, New House grows sunflowers and strawberries, attracting families with young children, who can pick them when the fruit ripens or the flowers bloom. Sunflowers were initially planted in support of Ukraine, a major producer of sunflower seeds. The Waltons planted Ukrainian seeds and donated a share of the proceeds to good causes in the country. 

When Ukraine struggled to export food produce due to the war, New House had to source sunflower seeds from elsewhere, but these didn’t adapt to the soil. This year’s seeds were once again brought in from Ukraine, but the long, dry summer meant that their peak was brief and the flowers quickly wilted. However, the strawberries have fared better, says Lucie. ‘The strawberries did well, as they benefited from the rainfall in early June and the thick leaves help to protect the fruit from the sun. We grow Symphony, Florence and Malwina varieties, which ripen at slightly different times, allowing us to extend our picking season. Pick-Your-Own attract families from across Horsham and Crawley, but also further afield, as Roundstone Pick-Your-Own in Angmering sadly closed this year.’

LOCAL PRODUCE

Whatever the weather, New House Farm can always rely on the success of its farm shop and Strawberry Fields Tea Room. The Tea Rooms, managed by Sue Bates, has expanded several times to meet growing demand. Despite the changes, it has continued to use local produce across its menu.

Sue said: ‘We work with small batch producers wherever possible. When you use gammon from a local butcher and award-winning sausages from Horsham-based Bangers Galore, it’s not easy to keep the costs down. However, we have many loyal customers and are popular with older people and young families, which shows we have a good balance between quality and pricing. 

‘All the ingredients we use in the Tea Room can be bought in the shop. Customers often remark on our cheese and chutneys or cheese, and we can point them straight to a jar on the shelf or the Deli counter, so they can take some home. For me personally, it has been great working at the farm for the past 14 years. I’ve come to know many people, while the family have been wonderful people to work with.’

The farm shop has long supported local food and drink producers, including Bee Cosmetics, House Coren (Boco wine) and KimmyB candles. Recent introductions have included olive oils by Foli, Wild Kite Wines, Batts Hill Gin (including a strawberry and peppercorn gin, made with fruit from New House Farm) and Little Fish (sushi). This helps ensure all aspects of the shop work together…

Lucie said: ‘The Tea Rooms couldn’t survive without the farm shop, while the shop needs the footfall the Tea Rooms provide. They complement one another, and now we are pushing forward with events too. Although we’ve evolved, we’ve maintained the essence of a family-run farm. You can sit outside and look out to fields of wildflowers, strawberries and sunflowers, or see tractors at harvest time. It’s a rural escape, yet still close to home.’

Not ones to rest on their laurels, the Waltons are hoping to introduce another crop in 2027. They should be ready for Halloween…

Further information: www.newhousefarmshop.co.uk

Photos: Alan Wright Photography/Words: Ben Morris. Published on 1st September 2026.