Derbyshire farm shop Croots to be visited by the Sausage King

Award-winning Croots Farm Shop is hosting a visit by the Sausage King as part of his nationwide quest to drop in on some of the UK’s finest sausage producers.

Stephen Plume, who runs a website dedicated to sausages, is one of the UK’s leading sausage experts and has been dubbed the Sausage King for his efforts to promote tasty British bangers.

Sausage King: Steve Plume

A teacher by profession, Stephen has undertaken a pledge to visit all the high-quality butchers listed on his sausagefans.co.uk website – and Croots Farm Shop near Duffield in Derbyshire is the latest that he’ll be dropping in on.

“We were chuffed when the Sausage King added Croots Farm Shop to his directory of great sausage-makers, and even more delighted when we heard he wanted to visit us,” said Croots Farm Shop owner Steve Croot. “Stephen is an absolute authority on the best British bangers, and we are looking forward to showing him our range of sausages at Croots and letting him try some of them for himself.”

Croots Farm Shop, based at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, has won scores of awards for its home-produced sausages, including Great Taste Awards, which are the ‘oscars’ of the fine food industry. The farm shop is renowned for creating unusual and original flavours, as well as more traditional bangers. Croots’ butchers enjoy creating new sausages to mark occasions, such as the Olympics or the World Cup, with a percentage of sales going to charity.

The pork used in Croots sausages comes from Packington Free Range Pork, in Staffordshire, while the beef hails from R & M Heath (Richard & Margaret) at Hazelwood Hall Farm, Hazelwood, Derbyshire. 

The Sausage King, who is based in East Anglia, will be visiting Croots Farm Shop from 11.15am on Thursday February 19^th. 

“The visits I’ve done so far have had a huge impact and hopefully helped to encourage people back to buying local,” said Stephen. “The sausage makers on sausagefans.co.uk are the finest from around the country as recommended for inclusion by readers of the website. 

“So far I’ve been to destinations including Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Cheshire, and I am very much looking forward to visiting Croots in Derbyshire, as I’ve heard excellent reports about the quality of the shop’s sausages.”

The shop employs three full-time butchers and two assistant part-time butchers, as part of a 28-strong workforce employed in the shop and the restaurant, Shires Eatery.

Launched in 2008, Croots Farm Shop is open daily from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm). Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 10am and 4pm on Thursdays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk

Crown at East Midlands fbe Awards given to King Richard III Visitor Centre

The King Richard III Visitor Centre in Leicester has been crowned the overall winner at the East Midlands fbe (Forum for the Built Environment) Awards.
  

The £4 million scheme, developed by Leicester City Council, built by Morgan Sindall plc and designed by architects Maber, had earlier won the best Non-Residential Award at the ceremony, held at the City Rooms in Leicester.  

Other members of the winning scheme and team were structural engineer Elliott Wood and exhibition designers Studio MB.

Best Refurbishment and Regeneration Award went to Castleward in Derby, which is being developed by Compendium Living. The project involves the redevelopment of 30 acres of mixed-use brownfield land on the south east edge of Derby city centre into a brand new community of sustainable homes and businesses. Other members of the winning scheme and team are contractor Lovell, clients Derby City Council and the Homes & Communities Agency (HCA), architect HTA, civil and structural engineers BSP Consulting and commercial estate agency and estate manager Innes England.  

St James Gate, Anstey, in Leicestershire, received the Best Residential Award. The 165-home development from Ibstock-based housebuilder Davidsons Homes occupies a sentinel position on the gateway to the picturesque Charnwood Forest. Other members of the team were M-EC Consulting Development Engineers.  

Around 120 professionals from the construction, development and property sector in the East Midlands attended the East Midlands fbe’s fifth annual awards ceremony and dinner.   East Midlands fbe regional chairman Jef Todd said: “On behalf of the committee of the East Midlands fbe, I’d like to congratulate our very worthy winners and all those who were shortlisted in the awards.  

“Each year it becomes more difficult for the judges to choose the winners, which illustrates the very high standard of development in schemes over many sectors in the East Midlands.”  

The awards, sponsored by civil and structural engineering company BSP Consulting, construction firm North Midland Construction, civil engineering firm M-EC Consulting Development Engineers, and accountants Duncan & Toplis, reward the whole team on the project – as this reflects what fbe is all about … working with like-minded professionals.  

During the evening, £2,000 was donated to the East Midlands NSPCC 'now I know' Appeal, the event’s chosen charity.  

The fbe is a national organisation, with branches across the UK and is the longest established networking group for the property, development and construction industries. Initially established in the East Midlands, as well as running the annual awards scheme, the organisation also organises a number of social and other events. It covers Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire.

For more information about the fbe and the branch visit www.fbeonline.co.uk.

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

The (Pop up) Smokehouse @ The Obar in Leicester returns

Leicester diners will get the chance to sample authentic, highly acclaimed Southern American inspired smoked dishes once more when The (Pop up) Smokehouse @ The Obar re-opens later this month.

The exciting culinary concept arrived in Leicester as a pop up restaurant at The Obar in Braunstone Gate for four weeks towards the end of last year.

Now it’s back by popular demand, and will re-open on February 27^th….once again as a pop-up concept.

As before, the restaurant will serve up a range of smoked food, created using an authentic grill imported from the States, with some meats smoked for up to 14 hours.

Chef Liam Watson has developed a menu unique to Leicester – with the Obar serving up a selection of craft beers to complement the dishes. 

“Feedback from The (Pop up) Smokehouse @ The Obar when we opened for four weeks in November and December was great,” said Liam. “Diners loved the concept, the food, the beers and the atmosphere. Reviews were really positive.

“We know that many of them wanted to return and we also realised that many who would have liked to give it a try weren’t able to do so in the four weeks that it was available, so we’re re-opening on February 27^th to bring another flavour to the Leicester dining scene once more.”

The (Pop Up) Smokehouse @ The Obar is housed in the upstairs room at The Obar, which has been transformed into a cosy dining space. It will serve up authentic dishes inspired by southern state American soul foods with an Orange Tree twist.

The menu will feature dishes such as St Louis cut pork ribs with BBQ glaze, 12 hour smoked brisket of beef served in a brioche bun with pickled red cabbage and crispy onions, and stuffed butter nut squash topped with smoky tomato and chipotle sauce.

Lauren Pepper, general manager at The Obar, said: “We felt the pop up restaurant was a great addition to the Braunstone Gate area, as well as to the dining experience on offer in the city as a whole, so we’re delighted to see it back. It’s a case of diners voting with their feet, and if the demand is there we will keep it rolling.

“Both smoked food and pop up dining experiences are very much on trend at the moment, and we believe that what we’re offering at The (Pop up) Smokehouse is unique in Leicester.”

The (Pop up) Smokehouse @ The Obar received a string of rave reviews when it opened first time round.

Leicester food blogger Tim Burke said: “Here was very good, down-to-earth flavour-led food at fair prices...You should try it while it’s here. I’m certainly going back.”

Customer Emma Rees said: “Outstanding food and brilliant service - tastiest food we've eaten in ages.”

Customer Emily Horwill said: “The food was AWESOME! Really good value for money.”

Customer Karen Cheesman said: “Had a meal here last night, one word FANTASTIC!!”

The Obar is part of the independent Orange Tree Group of pubs and bars in Leicester, which also runs The Orange Tree in High Street, The Lansdowne in London Road, and The Basement in Wellington Street. Chef Liam has experience of working in rosette standard kitchens, and is usually based at The Lansdowne.

The (Pop up) Smokehouse @ The Obar will be open from 6pm Tuesday to Saturday. For bookings, telephone 0116 255 8223 or email obar@orangetree.co.uk

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

Croots Farm Shop raises cash for charity

Generous customers and staff at Croots Farm Shop have raised almost £300 for Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre.

The money was collected via a range of fund-raising efforts, including selling special reindeer food in the run up to Christmas Eve and a festive raffle. Cash was also collected for the charity through carrier bag sales during 2013.

Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre is one of two charities regularly supported by Croots Farm Shop, based at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, Duffield. The other is the Shire Horse Society.

“Once again our customers and staff have dug deep and have helped us to raise much-needed funds for a local charity,” said Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop. “We’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has donated in some way.”

Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre was established in 1891 to give disadvantaged Derbyshire children holidays in Skegness, Lincolnshire, and currently provides 450 holiday places per season for boys and girls aged from eight to 14.

The centre needs to raise more than £150,000 every year, and generous customers and staff at Croots have already raised several hundred pounds for the charity since adopting it two years ago.

Croots Farm Shop is open Sundays from 10am to 4pm (Shires Eatery until 3.45pm), and from Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm). It is closed on Mondays.

For more information visit www.croots.co.uk

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

East Midlands food and drink firms prepare for flagship event

Organisers are planning one of the East Midlands’ key food and drink sector trade events of the calendar.

Business support organisation The Food and Drink Forum will stage its annual general meeting and members’ supper at Kelham Hall near Newark on Tuesday 25th June 2013.

The event attracts members and associates from across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, and is the ideal place for those in the sector to network, renew acquaintances and make new contacts.

The Food and Drink Forum, which was founded in 1998, is working with DNCC to raise awareness about the event, and DNCC plans to invite more than 200 of its members who are buyers within the food and drink industry.

This year’s supper is being sponsored and supported by Campden BRI, the UK's largest independent membership-based organisation carrying out research and development and providing technical support for the food and drinks industry worldwide, Clegg Food Projects, a market leader in providing practical design, engineering and construction solutions for major food and drink operations, and the Food and Drink iNet, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and run by a consortium led by the Food and Drink Forum.

“This is our flagship event of the year, and is highly anticipated by members and associates who work in the food and drink sector in the East Midlands,” said Food and Drink Forum managing director Fiona Anderson.

“We are delighted that this year we are working with DNCC to promote the event, and as a result we expect to see many new faces joining us.”

This year’s speakers include James Pogson, director of Chesterfield-based Northern Tea Merchants, Kamal Dhutia, director at Leicester-based condiments portion control supplier B I (Europe) Limited, and Phil Ellis, from Attimo – an online sales and distribution project.

Members of The Food and Drink Forum are eligible for free tickets to the event, with the number dependent on their membership level. Additional tickets cost £75 plus vat, with membership discount also available.

Sponsorship and exhibiting opportunities are also available, offering an ideal showcase for any company that works within the food and drink sector. These include the chance for producers to run sampling sessions and for consultants to promote their services.

A networking, buffet supper rounds off the event – featuring some of the region’s finest food and drink products.

Campden BRI business development manager Daphne Llewellyn Davies said: “Campden BRI is delighted to have been given the opportunity to support local food and drink manufacturing in this region. As an organisation, we have taken part in the event for several years and we look forward to an exciting future of continuing to take a key role in the sector in the East Midlands.”

John Moxon, business development director at Clegg Food Projects, said: “This is an event I always look forward to attending. It provides a great opportunity to meet interesting people directly involved at the sharp end of food and drink manufacture and sale.“

The Food and Drink Forum, which operates across the East Midlands and beyond, is based at Southglade Food Park, Nottingham. It is a not-for-profit, membership-led organisation which aims to stimulate and support the sustainable growth and development of the food and drink industry in the region.

It provides a range of support for firms working in the sector in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland, including technical services, accreditation, compliance, packaging and shelf-life advice, and marketing.

The Forum is also the lead partner in the Food and Drink iNet, a project part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) which encourages innovation in the region’s food and drink industry.

For information about joining The Food and Drink Forum, tickets to the AGM and members’ supper or exhibiting and sponsorship opportunities, please call 0115 9758810.

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk