We went to Mini Meadows for their Christmas experience and now we see why so many people rave about it

And we were not disappointed when we got to go to Mini Meadows Farm near Welford for their Christmas experience.

With a five-year-old and a three-year-old, we’ve visited a few Santas before but never been to Mini Meadows, although we have heard good things about it and lots of people rave about how the kids will love it.

So we had high hopes and even with Storm Bert lashing around outside, luckily our visit was almost completely indoors and not affected by the weather unlike lots of other Christmas events taking place that weekend.

This is the sixth year of Mini Meadows’ immersive walk-through Christmas experience and it is clearly popular as tickets for peak days sell out immediately upon release in June.

And given that they have sold 82 per cent of tickets for this year’s festivities, it shows just how much people love it and obviously return year after year.

The whimsical walkthrough starts with a warm welcome from some of the farm’s four-legged residents, showing you where to go for the start of your Christmas adventure.

First stop is the ice-room with a winter wishing well and some snow to play with before moving onto the Elf Village where you can hunt for elf pictures before collecting some sweet treats for the younger visitors and a mince pie and glass of warm fruit punch for the adults.

Next up is the post room where children can write their letters to Santa as well as make reindeer food in preparation for Rudolph and his friends on Christmas Eve.

This room also has a lovely red sleigh in it - the perfect spot for a festive family picture.

Before making your way to Santa’s workshop, visitors get to take a ‘ride’ in the Christmas lift and then it’s time to meet the Big Man himself.

Without giving too many spoilers away, Santa makes the perfect entrance and has some very special messages for every one of the children visiting him.

These personal touches really do set this Christmas experience aside from others we’ve been to and make it so lovely for both the children and their parents watching on.

And despite being a very busy man in the run-up to Christmas, Santa was more than happy to have pictures with the children!

The one-hour walk-through adventure ends with each child being given a token to exchange for a Christmas present of their choice.

Our two struggled to pick their gift as there was such a wide range of toys and games for all ages, but they were very excited to come away with a military base and a pink unicorn.

We headed home with two very happy children and two equally happy parents, making it feel like a really wholesome festive family treat with a sprinkling of Christmas magic – we definitely came away with the warm feeling inside that we had hoped for.

So it seems that all those people who told us the Mini Meadows Christmas experience was really good were completely on the money with it and we should have listened to them sooner.

The ticket price includes access to the Christmas adventure experience and all-day entry to the farm park, outdoor play areas, sandpit and cafe.

For more details visit the Mini Meadows Farm website.