The farm shop near Duffield also won a silver award in the dessert pie category for its rhubarb and cherry pie, and bronze awards for its pork pie and its little mutton pie.
The awards, organised and hosted by the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, featured 619 pies produced by bakers and butchers from across the UK. Judges included food writers, authors and chefs.
“It was the first time we’d entered the British Pie Awards and the whole team at Croots is absolutely chuffed to win four awards, including a gold,” said Steve Croot, who runs the shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road.
“We were up against some really top quality competition, so to come away with a gold, a silver and two bronze awards is brilliant.”
The awards are the latest to be won by the farm shop, which opened three years ago. Less than a month ago, Croots took three golds and a silver award for its sausages and pies at the 17th Robin Hood Championship. And in February Croots won 16 awards for its sausages and pies at the BPEX regional roadshow at Newark Showground in Nottinghamshire.
“We won a gold award for our mutton sausages last month, and this month we’ve won an award for our mutton pie at the British Pie Awards, which is great because mutton is undergoing a real revival at the moment,” added Steve.
The award-winning pies are hand made at Croots by Margaret Robinson, who is deputy manager of the shop.
Last year Croots was a runner-up in the Best UK Independent Food Retailer 2010 category of the Observer Food Monthly Awards. The year before, it was named in The Independent’s top 50 best food shops.
Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (café until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (café until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.
For more information visit www.croots.co.uk
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