Confetti fields: a new way to make farming pay

An arable farm is growing a more colourful crop of wedding confetti flowers, to draw in the public and make extra cash.

Hatter’s Farm on the Essex / Hertfordshire border has been welcoming children and adults to play and take photographs among the flowers.

Farmer Ross McGowan said he was "always looking at trying to grow other revenue streams" since farming became more challenging after Brexit.

After harvesting the flowers to sell as wedding confetti, local charities will be invited to gather the remaining bunches from Monday.

With the plants due to finish flowering in the coming week, Sunday will be the last day visitors can walk among the landscape with its five types of flowers, including larkspur and cornflower.

"I saw it on Instagram and it just looked so pretty," said one mum who visited on Friday.

"It's just a nice place for the children to run free".

The farm said growing confetti flowers was much more difficult than they had envisaged, but it gives them more control over the farm’s income.

Mr McGowan, a third generation farmer, said: "Particularly with moving outside of the EU, a lot of things got worse for farming. They removed our subsidy payments, or are in the process of removing them.

"With global prices at the moment, you’re out of control with how much money you make from farming, so we’re always looking at trying to grow other revenue streams."

Events manager Grace Martin said it was "massively important" for the public to be able to access farms like theirs.

"It’s so lovely to see people of all different ages enjoying it, kids experiencing the flowers, playing in the bale maze. It is much better than sitting at home behind a computer screen all day.

"It gives the farm that revenue which we can rely on when the weather isn’t so good in other seasons."

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.