Christmas events announced for Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire

Santa and Croots elves 

Derbyshire-based farm shop Croots has unveiled a Christmas cracker of events leading up to the festive period.

Throughout November and December, Croots Farm Shop near Duffield is set to host a number of festive events, kicking off on Thursday 9^th November with a Taste of Christmas Event. This will be the perfect chance to preview Croots new Christmas range with the opportunity to enjoy mulled wine and mince pies, and to sample the wares of local suppliers.

Singer Neil White will be providing entertainment by singing seasonal songs.

Running from 5.30pm to 8.00pm, the event is free to attend and visitors will be treated to 10% off their shopping.

Festivities continue throughout December with the Holly Jolly Breakfast or Tea with Santa – held on a range of dates. For just £13.50, children can spend time with elves, enjoy festive gingerbread making and a chance to meet Santa and receive a gift. Further details and dates are on the Croots website. Booking is essential and early booking is advised by calling 01332 843032.

Looking to once again bring festive cheer to the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, the farm shop will be stocking reindeer food in the run up to Christmas. All proceeds from the sale of the reindeer food will be donated to the charity, which has been supported by Croots Farm Shop for several years.

A Christmas hamper raffle will also be staged in aid of the charity, which was established in 1891 to provide Derbyshire children having troubles in their home lives with a holiday in Skegness, Lincolnshire. It currently provides 660 holiday places per season.

Croots, which is based at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm) and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.

For more information, visit www.croots.co.uk Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-Shop

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Charity sausages boost donation from Croots Farm Shop to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre

Croots Farm Shop

Generous customers of Croots Farm Shop have raised around £500 for Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre following a range of fundraising efforts.

The donation includes a percentage from the sales of the farm shop’s Rio sausages – designed especially for the Rio Olympics.

Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, which provides local children experiencing difficult times at home with a week-long holiday in Skegness, Lincolnshire, has been the farm shop’s adopted charity for some time. This year, the charity is celebrating 125 years and has organised a string of special fundraising events to help it increase the number of holidays it provides every year from 450 to 700.

Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, Duffield, with wife Kay, said: “We’re delighted to be able to hand over another donation to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre following the sale of our Rio Olympics sausages and our other fundraising efforts over the past few months, which have included raffles.

“Our customers and staff have a reputation for being very generous when it comes to good causes, and I’d like to thank them for their support.” 

The butchers at Croots are renowned for designing sausages and regularly create special bangers to mark sporting occasions. The Rio Olympic sausage featured chicken and salsa.

Croots Farm Shop is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm) and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.

For more information, visit www.croots.co.uk Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-Shop

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk 

Derbyshire farm shop Croots offers Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties as part of Afternoon Tea Week

Derbyshire farm shop Croots is celebrating Afternoon Tea Week by launching something special for children, which will have them grinning like a Cheshire cat.

The farm shop near Duffield is offering Mad Hatter’s tea party-themed afternoon teas for youngsters and will be donating £1 from each tea purchased to its adopted charity, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.

During Afternoon Tea Week, which runs from 8^th to 14^th August, Croots has an offer on its adult teas – two for £20. On Wednesday 10^th August it will offer special teas for children from 3pm which are themed around the famous Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter’s tea party.

The children’s teas, which will also be available on Thursday 11^th and Friday 12^th August, and on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays for the rest of August to coincide with the children’s craft activities being run at Croots, feature a tasty range of ‘eat me’ and ‘drink me’ items.

Youngsters are being invited to take along their favourite teddy or doll and enjoy a cream tea in a special area of Shires Eatery at Croots which is being decorated with an Alice in Wonderland theme.

“As it’s Afternoon Tea Week, we thought it would be great fun to do something special for the children and at the same time raise some money for Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, which provides holidays for local youngsters who are going through tough times,” said Kay Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, with husband Steve.

“The Mad Hatter’s tea party-themed afternoon teas will begin on Wednesday 10^th August during Afternoon Tea Week but we’ll carry on serving them Mondays to Wednesdays for the rest of August to coincide with the children’s craft activities that we’ve got planned. We imagine that our younger visitors will take part in the craft activities, have a bit of a play in our play area and will be keen to tuck into the delicious afternoon teas that our team in Shires Eatery have created.”

The children’s afternoon tea features a selection of sandwiches, crudités, fruit kebabs dipped in chocolate, ice cream cupcakes, Bakewell tart, lemon sponge and milkshake. For each £10.95 tea sold, £1 will be donated to the Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre charity.

Croots Farm Shop is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm) and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.

For more information, visit www.croots.co.uk Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-Shop-127012538821/

Press release issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Charity sausages from Croots Farm Shop to mark the Rio Olympics

Simon Hollis, butcher at Croots Farm Shop with the Rio Sausage

Sausage champions at Derbyshire farm shop Croots have created a special Rio Sausage in recognition of the upcoming Summer Olympic Games and to raise money for charity.

Some 10% from the sale of the chicken and salsa sausages will be donated to Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre – the adopted charity of the farm shop, which is based in Wirksworth Road, near Duffield.

Croots is renowned for designing special sausages to mark sporting occasions and has previously raised money for charity with its ‘Olympig’ sausages. It has also won numerous awards for its bangers, including Great Taste Awards, which are regarded as the Oscars of the fine food industry.

“Our butchers love designing new and interesting flavours for sausages, and decided to opt for a chicken and salsa flavoured one to celebrate the Rio Summer Olympic Games. It’s got quite a kick to it,” said Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop with wife Kay.

“If our past experiences are anything to go by, our customers will really get behind this latest fund-raising effort and support our adopted charity, which is this year celebrating 125 years of helping the children of Derbyshire.”

The holiday centre, which provides Derbyshire children experiencing difficult times at home with a week-long holiday in Skegness, Lincolnshire, has been the adopted charity of Croots Farm Shop for a number of years now.

Priced £8.99 a kilo, the charity sausages will be on sale at Croots throughout the Olympic Games in Rio, which has its opening ceremony on Friday August 5^th.

Croots Farm Shop was opened more than eight years ago and is run by Steve and Kay Croot at Farnah House Farm, the farm owned by Kay’s parents Jim and Sue Yates.

It is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm) and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.

For more information, visit www.croots.co.uk Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-Shop

Press release issued by Nottingham based PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk 

Makeover for Croots Farm Shop as former Boots director joins family firm

Kay Croot of Croots farm shop in Derbyshire

A former director with big retail brands Boots and Asda is bringing her expertise to the family business after joining her husband full-time at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire.

Kay Croot is now working alongside husband Steve at the farm shop near Duffield in a move which coincides with a makeover at the award-winning shop.

The outlet opened in 2008 at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road – the farm where Kay grew up and where her parents Jim and Sue Yates still live.

Now Kay has joined Steve full-time at the helm as they launch a new era for Croots Farm Shop with updated displays and fixtures, new lighting and a revamped product range to include a wider selection of gifts alongside the food and drink products that the store is well known for.

“I’ve had more than 25 years of experience in the retail sector, working with some really famous brands like Boots, Asda and Aldi, but I’m really excited to be working with Steve full-time in the family business now,” said Kay.

“Croots Farm Shop launched in 2008 and since that time we’ve become a popular store, recognised for the high quality meat, cheeses and other products we sell. In response to demand, we’ve previously expanded the store and the coffee shop, which is now known as Shires Eatery, and we have long-term plans in the pipeline which will hopefully develop the shop further.

“In the meantime, we’ve just given the shop a really stylish makeover which we hope our existing customers, and those new customers who haven’t yet found us, will welcome and enjoy.”

As part of the revamp, the 400 metre driveway from Wirksworth Road to the farm has been resurfaced – giving customers a smoother journey passed the fields of Shire horses and sheep as they drive to Croots Farm Shop.

Kay, who has been a buyer for Aldi, a central merchandising director as Asda, and more recently has held several senior roles at Boots including commercial director for various departments, was brought up at Farnah House Farm, where her parents farm and also breed Shire horses.

“We’ve got lots of plans to develop Croots Farm Shop by holding more events and organising different themed restaurant nights, building on the great reputation that we’ve built up over the past few years,” she explained. “Steve continues to be in charge of the day-to-day running of Croots and my role is more of a strategic overview, with the focus on events and longer term development. We make a good team and it’s great to be working together full-time.”

Croots has won scores of awards for its meat and meat products, its pies and for numerous other items that it produces in-house, including Great Taste Awards, which are the Oscars of the fine food industry. Last year, Croots Bakewell Tart was crowned the best sweet bake in a national award run by Great British Food magazine.

In previous years it has been named in The Independent’s top 50 best food shops and was runner-up in the Best UK Independent Food Retailer 2010 category of the Observer Food Monthly Awards.

Employing 30 staff, the farm shop stocks products from around 40 different producers from within a 50-mile radius of the shop, and regularly holds tasting sessions to introduce customers to the producers and their food and drink.

Croots is a keen supporter of Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre, which provides disadvantaged Derbyshire children with holidays in Skegness and is this year celebrating its 125 birthday. With the help of customers and staff, the farm shop has raised thousands of pounds for charity since it first opened.

Croots Farm Shop is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm) and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 9am and 1pm on Thursdays.

For more information, visit www.croots.co.uk

Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-shop

Press release issued by Nottingham based pr company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk