Trot along to the Shire Horse pub to find out about Staffordshire’s spectacular Shire horse show

Photo courtesy of Paul Milgate-Scarrott

The world’s largest gathering of Shire horses will be welcomed to Staffordshire in a pre-event ‘meet and greet’ at the appropriately named Shire Horse pub in Stafford on 4^th March.

The Shire Horse Society will be staging its national show at Staffordshire Showground from 17^th to 19^th March, when around 250 pedigree Shires will be shown in all their glory. Open to the public, the event is widely regarded as the largest gathering anywhere in the world of these magnificent animals.

But on Saturday 4^th March at the Shire Horse pub in Hurricane Close, the charity will be staging a ‘meet and greet’ for the public, giving them the chance to find out more about Shire horses and the up-coming three-day show.

It will be attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Stafford, Councillor Geoff and Mrs Cathy Collier, and runs from 11.30am to 1.30pm.

On display will be Shire horse Queenie, who is owned by Mick Anson, who lives near Uttoxeter, and who is partial to a pint of ale.

“Shire horses traditionally love beer, and I’m sure that Queenie will enjoy her time at the Shire Horse pub meeting people and helping to raise awareness about our big show,” said Victoria Clayton, Shire Horse Society secretary. 

“Last year was the first time we held the world’s largest gathering of Shires in Staffordshire and it went really well, so we are delighted to be returning to the county and look forward to welcoming lots of visitors. Ticket sales are flying, and it looks like it will be a great event where we can raise the profile of these beautiful horses, which are still regarded as an ‘at risk’ breed.

“We’re expecting around 250 horses and we have almost double the number of trade stands than last year, as well as some entertainment for children, so it should be a good day out.”

During the ‘meet and greet’ Shire Horse Society members Chris and Jayne Malkin, from near Market Drayton in Shropshire, will be chatting about the gentle giants of the horse world and handing out flyers about the big show.

The national show is the flagship event of the Shire Horse Society - the only charity dedicated to the protection, promotion and improvement of the Shire horse.

This year the charity has secured Great British Bake Off star Val Stones as the after-dinner speaker at the show dinner, which is held at Bingley Hall, Staffordshire Showground, on 17^th March. Tickets for the dinner cost £30 and are available by contacting the Shire Horse Society on 01536 771611.

Tickets for the show are on sale via www.shire-horse.org.uk – discounted if bought in advance. Adult tickets on the gate are £12, or £10 online in advance, while tickets for children aged five to 13 years on the gate are £10, and £8 online in advance.

Children aged 14 years and over are charged at the adult price, while under fives enter free. Entry for Shire Horse Society members is free.

Gates open on Friday 17^th March at 8.30am and at 7am on Saturday 18^th and Sunday 19^th March.

For more details and ticket information about the show, visit www.shire-horse.org.uk or follow @saveourshires on Twitter or at www.facebook.com/shirehorsesociety

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

Put a smile on a child’s face with a Croots Farm Shop Christmas tree

Derbyshire farm shop Croots is raising money for local children’s charity Treats through the sale of Christmas trees.

The Duffield farm shop is donating £1 for every tree sold to the charity, which is its nominated good cause for the year.

The fir trees are grown locally and fit in with Croots’ policy of selling local and regional produce where possible.

As part of its festive selection, Croots is also creating a range of Christmas sausages, featuring mulled wine sausages and fig-flavoured sausages.

The store at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, is also adding a seasonal twist to its own-brand farmyard range of beers, with a Rudolph ale – a dark ale brewed by Nutbrook Brewery.

Croots, run by Steve Croot, is currently taking orders for turkeys and other Christmas meats.

“We have supported Treats Children’s Charity for the past year and are hoping to raise a little extra from the sale of Christmas trees, which is something we are doing for the first time this year,” said Steve.

Croots is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm.

Visit http://www.croots.co.uk/ for more information.

 http://www.perfect10pr.co.uk/

Vintage car day and beer festival at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire on bank holiday Saturday

Derbyshire farm shop Croots will be staging its first vintage car day and beer festival on Saturday 28th August 2010.

The free event is being held at the Duffield farm shop as part of bank holiday weekend celebrations.

West Hallam-based Nutbrook Brewery, which produces Croots’ farmyard range of beers, will be running the beer tent. A number of Croots’ beers will be available on tap, including the award-winning Cow Juice ale which recently scooped a one star gold award in the 2010 Great Taste Awards.

Around 25 vintage cars are expected to be on display at the event, which starts at 11am and runs throughout the day.

“We’ve got such a lot of space here that we thought it would be a great idea to run an event over the bank holiday weekend,” said Steve Croot, who runs Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, Duffield. “It’s already generated quite a bit of interest. It’s a great opportunity to try our Croots beers on tap and also to see a few local vintage cars from the area.”

The vintage car day and beer festival will also feature a BBQ serving up some of Croots award-winning sausages and other meat.

The farm shop has recently opened a play area which has a real tractor as its centrepiece.

http://www.croots.co.uk/

Great Moos! Cow Juice Beer wins Gold Star Great Taste Award for Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire

Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire has scooped a One Star Gold Great Taste Award for its Cow Juice Beer.


The awards run by the Guild of Fine Food, are regarded as the Oscars of the food and drink industry.

Cow Juice is one of four farmyard beers designed by Steve Croot, who runs the farm shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, Duffield.

It is the first accolade won by the ale, which is produced for Croots Farm Shop by Derbyshire brewery Nutbrook.

“We created our farmyard range of beers last year as part of our regional ale section, and they’ve all been very popular,” said Steve Croot. “It’s fantastic news that the Cow Juice Beer has won such a prestigious award as a one star gold Great Taste Award. It’s a lovely ale and goes down well with our customers.”

The Great Taste Awards are regarded as the benchmark in speciality fine food and drink, and have been running since 1993.

Last year Croots won a Gold Star Great Taste Award for its Black Pudding Sausage.

The Cow Juice Beer was one of only 23 bottled beers to receive a gold star rating in the 2010 Great Taste Awards.

Cow Juice (6%) is brewed in a traditional way using sugars also found in milk, which gives a full-bodied, thicker taste. With familiar roasted stout flavours, it has a warm soothing flavour.

The other beers in the Croots farmyard range are Pig in a Bottle, a ‘hoppy beer’ at 4.5%, Ewe Drink, a sweet beer with a rich golden colour at 3.6% and Croots Shire Ale, a strong brew at 6.2%, which pays tribute to the Shire horses that graze at Farnah House Farm, and features a 50-year-old photo on its label that shows Tom Yates – the grandfather of Steve’s wife Kay – and two Shire horses that lived at the farm in 1959.

A fifth beer in the range, which will be given a rooster theme, is currently being developed by Croots in conjunction with West Hallam-based Nutbrook Brewery. Croots sells around 1,200 bottles of Nutbrook beer every month.

The farmyard beers cost £2.45 per bottle.

Visit http://www.croots.co.uk/

Sheep and cow-inspired beers join the farmyard of ales at Croots Farm Shop

A farmyard of beers is now on sale at Croots Farm Shop & Kitchen after the addition of Ewe Drink and Cow Juice.


The Derbyshire farm shop introduced two of its own branded ales earlier this year after teaming up with Nutbrook Brewery.

Pig in a Bottle and Croots Shire Ale have become best sellers at the farm shop in Duffield, which offers a selection of regional beers.

Now owner Steve Croot has designed and commissioned two more farmyard-related ales to add to the collection, which have just gone on sale.

“I’m a real ale fan myself and it was great to create these beers especially for the farm shop,” said Steve. “Customers are really keen on the Pig in a Bottle and Croots Shire Ale, so I decided to add to the collection and create two more beers that are named after farmyard characters.”

The Ewe Drink (3.6%) is a full and surprisingly sweet beer with a rich golden colour. Its crisp taste and slightly floral aroma makes it a different, refreshing beer. Cow Juice (6%) is brewed in a traditional way using sugars also found in milk, which gives a full-bodied, thicker taste. With familiar roasted stout flavours, it has a warm soothing flavour.

The farmyard beers brewed by West Hallam-based Nutbrook Brewery cost £2.45 per bottle.

Croots is a supporter of local producers and sells items from more than 30 suppliers across the region, including regional breweries.

For more information about Croots visit http://www.croots.co.uk/