Founded in 2006 by Brendan Maye, who previously worked in the luxury fragrance industry for Wella UK and Procter & Gamble, Mayfield Lavender is a 25-acre organic farm planted on a Victorian site used when the local area was home to a booming lavender industry in the nineteenth century.
The business grows two varieties of iridescent blue English lavender on the chalky soil, with flowers harvested and distilled to produce lavender oil, which is sold at the farm alongside culinary products, toilets and other aromatic gifts made using it.
The farm is open to visitors during the summer season each year, from around mid-June to mid-August. Visitors are welcome to wander the field, enjoy its scent and take photos (although it should be noted that visitors using professional cameras are required to pay a fee). There’s an alfresco teashop on site where visitors can enjoy breakfasts and lavender cream teas, and the farm hosts a variety of events over the summer, from craft workshops to alfresco yoga among the flowers.
Keen to visit during the off-season? The farm also runs a gift shop and cafe at its plant nursery just down the road in Epsom, where you’ll also find a small apple and plum tree orchard and a 250-seat outdoor auditorium used for outdoor theatre performances over the summer.
Those arriving by public transport are advised to take the 166 bus from Epsom.