Taking family fun back to its roots, The Lidl Neep Patch is putting the humble turnip on a pedestal to revive the dwindling Scottish tradition of carving tumshie lanterns at Halloween.
Longstanding Lidl supplier, Stewarts of Tayside, grows a momentous 50 million neeps every year and is harvesting a special crop for Lidl’s pop-up turnip patch at Chatelherault Country Park.
At the Lidl turnip patch there will be an on-site ‘Tumshie Tent’ with an expert team on hand to hollow out guests’ lanterns alongside an arty area for kids to get crafty before venturing out on the ‘Tattie Bogle Trail’.
The ‘Lidl Neepers’ play area will offer good old-fashioned games including a Neep Shy, Neeps and Crosses and Bowling with Neeps as well as a straw bale chute.
Turnip pickers can then warm up at the ‘Stovies Stop’ while listening to toe-tapping tunes of Scottish folk musicians.
Marco Ivone, Lidl’s regional director for Scotland, said: “Lidl has long been a champion of great quality Scottish produce and neeps are no different - in fact, we’ve worked with our long standing supplier, Stewarts of Tayside, for over 25 years.
“This year, we’ll give the humble neep the stage it so deserves and celebrate the fading art of tumshie lantern carving, while giving Scots a one-of-a-kind day out that’s rooted in tradition.”
Tickets are £5 and available to buy now, with kids under 11 able to go for free.
Sessions will run in the morning and afternoon from Saturday 12 to Monday 14 October.
Tickets can be purchased online, with all proceeds donated to STV Children’s Appeal.
Turnips or tumshie lanterns were popular throughout Scotland at Halloween for years, before the American pumpkin took over in the last decade.
The tumshie lantern fell out of favour given how difficult they are to carve, but some pick your own sites such as Arnprior in Stirlingshire, still offer a pick your own turnip as well as pumpkins, in the lead up to Halloween.
If you’d rather pick a pumpkin, here’s our pick of the best places to do so in Scotland this autumn.
