Broom House Farm

Let's start with breakfast – it's brilliant, and it's just 6 miles and a 15-minute drive from Durham city centre. The farm coffee shop is open every day and we are talking saddleback pork sausages from their own butchery, free-range eggs, organic bread and local Durham dairy products. Bring the papers and get a spot near the wood-burner and you'll be glad you made the effort. Sunday lunch is pretty whizz too – their own beef, pork and lamb on the menu, naturally. Red-check gingham curtains, and plenty of pine and beechwood, set the tone in the cafe, because Broom House is basically a Famous-Five-style day out for children and adults alike. It's a working, organic livestock farm in the high country above Durham, and they've diversified to offer a family-friendly taste of the countryside to anyone prepared to leave the city lights. There's a butchery and farm shop, trails, play areas and picnic field, and all sorts of activities, including a forest adventure course that should keep everyone occupied for a while. We love the ethos – there's no calculation here, but muck in the farmyard, home-raised produce, handwritten signs, and a genuine desire to share their bit of the Durham countryside with visitors.