It’s beyond the farmhouse, though, that the very best of it is found. Here glamping guests can amble through long grass into their rustic-chic, safari tent abodes. Aptly described as ‘Canvas Lodges’ the tents sit at the end of a long, green field surrounded by ginormous oaks that have clearly been around for years. Partly tucked beneath their bows but with their fronts sticking out into the open space, the tents are kitted out inside with everything you could need for a self-catered getaway. There’s a master room, twin bedroom and large open-plan kitchen and living area, while some of the tents have plush en-suite facilities and an outside cooker out front on the wide, covered veranda.
While these masterfully furnished lodges offer the highest spec of glamping, they’re still overshadowed by the joys of Malting Farm itself. Fourth generation owners Will and Sammy are friendly and helpful – providing a hands on tour of the farm where you can help move the cows and new-born calfs – and if you’d like to try your hand at pottery they’ll happily let you spin the wheel on courses they run in the studio. The real treasures, though, are the ones you find yourselves. Follow the clues dotted around that lead kids around the farms intriguing nature trail or borrow a net to try pond dipping, in a small, algae-speckled pool beyond the trees. If your luck dries up it’s just a couple of miles to the coast where you can try crabbing instead!
However you chose to while away the hours, retreating back into the agricultural escape of Malting Farm is the perfect end to every day. Stock up on the farm’s own pork and beef in their honesty shop, fresh to slap on the barbeque, and sit out in the sun sipping a bottle of Adnam’s finest ale. Malting got its name from supplying the local breweries and still grows barley today – so really, it would just be rude not to!
It's an easy drive to the Essex coast, home to some excellent beaches but more renowned for its fertile marshland. Hamford Water National Nature Reserve, near Walton-on-the-Naze is an excellent spot for wildlife watching, including a colony of seals that frequent the area, or drive north to the river Stour where RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden (01206 391153) is well worth a visit. Flatford (01206 298260) itself is also host to a whole load of National Trust owned properties. The charming hamlet was the inspiration for some of John Constable's most famous pictures, for example, the Hay Wain or Boatbuilding near Flatford Mill among many others. Wander beside the River Stour or discover Flatford Mill and Willy Lotts House, quaint, old and as English as they come.