We know, we know, you can get a Christmas tree almost anywhere these days, but we’re all for making the experience a bit more special. And yes, some people will just grab the nearest tree at the last minute and others will have got on it early and booked their trees already. But if you’re like us and somewhere in the middle, then you might appreciate this mini-guide to our favourite local Christmas tree farms and suppliers, some of whom make the whole tree-choosing shebang a super-festive experience…
Ben GC’s Christmas Trees (our top pick)
Ben’s trees are great. Ben is great. He’ll deliver straight to your door for free (probably wearing a classic Crimbo jumper and dungaree combo for no extra charge). And the tree comes pre-prepped, so it’s good to pop straight in a stand. What’s not to like, right? And no, we weren’t paid for this. You can get a classic (and yes, cheaper) Norway spruce or a beautiful premium non-drop Nordmann fir, both lovingly sourced and cut fresh from Kent’s Hole Park Estate, where they’ve been growing stunners for over 60 years. And he’s got all sizes available, from petite four-footers to giant 10-foot beauties. Oh, for ceilings to accommodate one of those. Deliveries start on 24th November and tree prices start at £37. He’ll also pick your tree up after Christmas for recycling (from 2nd January) for £11. Get on it quickly if you want one of these as he sells out every year. And look out for a very exciting competition, coming soon!
bengc.co.uk
Xmas Tree Boys
Another good super-local choice is Brighton’s own Xmas Tree Boys (aka Will, Henry and Georgia). The friendly team have been selling their hand-selected Sussex-grown trees for the last five years. You can choose one of their five-to-10-foot Nordmann firs online and get your choice delivered straight to your door for £10 (between 26th November and 14th December). And, if you want to make your life even easier, they’ll install it for you for an extra tenner (well worth it, we reckon, we’ve never nailed the non-skew-whiff look) and even pick it up after it’s all done and dusted. Or, if you’d rather pick your own à la every-American-film-at-Christmas, you can head down to Concorde 2 from 26th November until 19th December (Wednesdays to Sundays) to find The One. Trees start at £55 for a five-footer.
thexmastreeboys.net
Sussex Trees
Have you got your heart set on a monster of a tree and want to choose it yourself from around 120,000 specimens? Then you need to head over to one of Sussex Christmas Trees’ two sites – Northdown Plantation, not too far from Uckfield, and their family farm, Goddenwick Farm, just outside Haywards Heath. Both sites are around a 35-minute drive from Brighton. You can pick your own – they’ve got six different tree varieties at Goddenwick and four at Northdown – and staff will chop your fave down for you on the spot or you can grab a ready-chopped one from the barn. Fancy yourself a bit of a tree surgeon? Well, borrow one of their saws and have at the tree of your choice yourself!
Animal-lovers may prefer the Goddenwick Farm site, which is home to four pick-your-own fields plus a whole herd of friendly reindeer, alpaca, and Pygmy goats to visit. You may have already been there before Halloween for their pumpkin-picking field.
Oh, and both sites have a Christmas shop (open every day), stocking their own pine needle gin and plenty of other festive goodies. Goddenwick also has mulled wine on sale (at weekends) to keep you toasty, plus a festive woodland walk and a Santa’s grotto. Cut-tree prices (as opposed to pot-grown ones) start at £29 for a four-footer Norway Spruce, going up to an eye-watering £914 for a towering 24-foot Nordmann Fir. We’re big fans of the soft-needled, slightly orange-scented Sussex Fir. And if you haven’t got a car, you can also order online and they’ll deliver for free. Easy.
Both sites are open every day from Saturday 22nd November until Sunday 21st December, 9am – 5pm; dogs on a lead welcome
sussextrees.co.uk
Fox Hill Christmas Tree Farm
We also love the Fox Hill experience if you like to spend hours browsing the trees to pick one out that has *just* the right amount of sass. This family-run business in Haywards Heath has four different tree varieties, including everyone’s favourite, the Nordmann Fir. Looking for minimum hassle? They also sell freshly dug potted trees, container-grown trees, homemade wreaths and firewood. Prices start at £26 for a four-foot Norway spruce, going up to £165 for a whopping 14-foot Nordmann. They do deliver locally, but Brighton is, sadly, not quite local enough to qualify. You can also make an appointment to get in early (before they officially) and tag your favourite so no-one else can nab it.
Open daily from Saturday 22nd November; 8am – 5pm (closes at 4.30pm on Sundays)
foxhillchristmastrees.co.uk
The Sussex Christmas Barn
About a 30-minute drive from Brighton, and with expansive views over the South Downs, you’ll find the wonder that is the Sussex Christmas Barn, a converted 18th century barn in Barcombe. They’ve been selling trees (five varieties and pot-grown trees) sourced from the UK’s Infinity Christmas Trees since 2017 and they have some real beauties. They pay attention to the symmetry here and each tree is graded for height and quality to make the decision-making process easier. And they’re doing their bit to ensure sustainability, too, also planting their own trees to harvest and sell in around seven years’ time. Pot-grown trees are available from 1st November and cut trees from 21st November with prices starting at £27 for a Norway spruce. They also have a cafe in a covered barn serving up festive hot and cold food, and they sell a huge variety of decorations, felt toys, lights and local produce, too. You can order trees online, but you’ll need to collect from the barn; unfortunately, they don’t deliver.
Open seven days a week until Sunday 21st December at 4pm; Monday to Friday, 9am – 5.30pm, Saturday 10am – 5.30pm and Sunday 10am – 4pm; dogs on a lead welcome
Sussexchristmasbarn.co.uk
Don’t forget the baubles
And if you’re looking for some extra decorations to hang on your new tree, check out the gorgeous Three Angels Christmas Brocante in Hove (they usually have trees too). The Stanley Road Department Store is a great stop for their excellent array of indie-made beauties and Blackout Brighton always has a joyous selection of kitsch bauble joy. For all things foodie, check out the glass ones at Cook Book Bake (they start at £4.50 – message them on Instagram to order or pop to their shop in Hove). The watermelon and the garlic have got our names on. Velvet in Hove also have a great line-up of sassy sparklers. If you’re after something more Brighton-y, head to the Royal Pavilion shop, the i360 gift shop or check out Martha Mitchell Design’s baubles. And last, but by no means least, are these hand-painted bauble-y works of art from Eat Pray Pedal and these personalised beauties from the Amyverse.
We’re getting our full festive on at BOTI Towers, so keep an eye out for more Christmassy content coming soon!
