Sweet taste of success for Croots Farm Shop in national food awards

Steve Croot ahead of the Great British Food Awards 2017

Popular Derbyshire farm shop Croots has received national recognition for two of its home-made products after being named a finalist in two categories of the Great British Food Awards 2017.

Two years ago, the farm shop won top bake for its Derbyshire Bakewell Tart in the awards run by Great British Food magazine. And last year its home-made Derbyshire Pasty was highly commended in the same awards.

Now another of the tasty bakes from Croots has been singled out for success, with Croots Lemon Tart selected as a finalist in this year’s sweet baked category. Also named as a finalist in the awards is Croots Lemon Rapeseed Oil.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to hear that the Croots Lemon Tart and the Croots Rapeseed Oil have been shortlisted in the national awards organised by Great British Food magazine,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop and Café at Wirksworth Road, Duffield, with his wife Kay.

“Our home-baked and home-made products are a really popular part of the range of food and drink that we offer, and both the Lemon Tart and the Lemon Rapeseed Oil are big favourites with our customers. It was great news for us when our Derbyshire Bakewell Tart won the title of best sweet bake in the magazine’s award two years ago and we are so happy that other products have now hit the spot in the initial round of judging and made it onto the shortlist for this year’s awards.”

Croots Farm Shop, which opened nine years ago, at Farnah House Farm, has won scores of awards for its products, including sausages, meat products, and bakery items. Earlier this month (June), it picked up the People’s Choice Award for Family Business of the Year in the Midlands, at an awards ceremony run by Family Business United.

“We have a very talented team at Croots, some of whom have been with us since the start of our journey, and our success in the awards we enter is very much down to them,” added Steve.

Editor of Great British Food, Natasha Lovell-Smith, said in a note to Croots: “We had a lot of great entries this year, so you should be very proud!” 

Judges for the national magazine, a monthly magazine dedicated to celebrating the wonderful quality and diversity of British produce, are now busy picking the winners of the competition, which will be announced later this summer.

Croots Farm Shop, 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 http://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

Bake Off star Val extends range of bakes at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire

Croots Farm Shop head baker with Val's range

Derbyshire farm shop Croots has added to its range of bakes created by Great British Bake Off star Val Stones.

Val’s brother Steve Croot runs the farm shop near Duffield, with wife Kay, and last year they teamed up to launch a tasty selection of bakes under the Val at Croots……made with love brand.

Now two new bakes – banana and pecan loaf and spelt cookies - have been added to the range.

“Val’s bakes have gone down so well with our customers that we’re delighted to now be launching two additional products,” said Steve Croot. “She was an absolute star on Bake Off last year and won many fans. She’s remained popular with the public and has thousands of followers on social media, who enjoy watching her baking.

“We are proud to sell Val’s bakes in Croots – items that she’s specially created in conjunction with our bakers at the farm shop to sell on our shelves.”

Other products in the range include Virtuous Cake (fat free and sugar free), cherry shortbread and a selection of cookies. The Virtuous Cake and the cherry shortbread have been best-sellers, added Steve.

Val, a retired head teacher who lives in Somerset, said: “I’ve had a hand in helping Steve with recipes and ideas for Croots Farm Shop products for several years now, and I was so pleased when my range Val at Croots……made with love launched in the shop. I’ve now developed two more products in conjunction with Margaret, the chief baker at Croots, and her team, which I hope will prove to be popular with customers.”

Val shot to fame in last year’s Great British Bake Off and became one of the most favourite characters on the BBC TV show.

A regular visitor to Croots, she was cheered on by staff and customers as she took part in the programme. In December, she held baking workshops at the farm shop for customers, which attracted many of her fans.

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 

Bake Off star Val teams up with Croots Farm Shop to launch tasty range of bakes

Steve Croot and Val Stones

Great British Bake Off star Val Stones has teamed up with the bakers at her brother’s Derbyshire farm shop, Croots, to create a new range of bakes.

The selection, named Val at Croots……made with love, features Virtuous Cake (fat free and sugar free), a three-pack cherry shortbread, and two-pack cookies in three different flavours - ginger, M&M and orange & raisin.

They were launched at Croots Farm Shop, near Duffield, during the shop’s Taste of Christmas event, where Val gave a series of popular demonstrations. The farm shop on Wirksworth Road is run by Val’s brother Steve Croot and his wife Kay, and she has been a regular visitor over the years.

“Val has had a hand in our bakes, quite literally, for some time – helping us out with ideas and suggestions from family recipes and favourites, including our Croots Christmas cake,” said Steve. “More recently, she has been working with our chief baker Margaret and her team in our kitchens to get the recipes just right for the Val at Croots……made with love range. We’re very excited to be launching these new products.

“Val’s a great baker, and I’ve enjoyed eating her cakes for more than 50 years now. We were delighted when she said she’d be happy to help us create a new range of bakes and to also do some baking demonstrations at Croots for our annual Taste of Christmas event.” 

Retired head teacher Val, who lives in Somerset, became one of the public’s favourite contestants in the most recent Great British Bake Off series.

She said: “I love visiting my brother Steve and his family in Derbyshire, and I’ve enjoyed helping out with ideas and recipes for Croots Farm Shop for several years. I always bake with love and I hope that comes across in the Val at Croots range.” 

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