Hat trick of awards for Croots Farm Shop's steak

Published On Wednesday 22 Apr 2015 by Sticky Beak
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Derbyshire farm shop Croots has scored success with its steak once more after winning two new awards.

Earlier this year the farm shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, Duffield, scooped a silver in England’s Best Sirloin Steak 2015 competition.

Now the team of butchers at the farm shop have gone one better and won a gold medal for the Croots Rib Eye on the Bone in the Innovative Butchery Category of the awards.

The farm shop also heard it had scooped a silver in England’s Best Steak Pie category run as part of the competition organised by EBLEX, the trade organisation for the English beef and sheep industry.

All three awards were part of the first ever Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards, which were developed to recognise and reward quality, innovation and excellence in beef and lamb production.

Hugh Judd, of EBLEX, said of the Croots rib eye on the bone: “The standard of innovative entries was incredibly high ….I do hope you take pride in the fact that your innovative steak product achieved a Gold Award.”

Store owner Steve Croot, who is the current Derbyshire Food Hero, said: “We are incredibly proud to have won these awards for our steaks and for our luxury steak pies, which are prepared on the premises by our team of butchers. We get great feedback from our customers and are delighted that the judges in the EBLEX Quality Standard Mark Excellence Awards felt the same way. One gold and two silver awards in these inaugural awards is a tremendous achievement.”

Croots launched in June 2008 and is renowned for its extensive and award-winning meat counter, which has doubled in size due to demand since the shop first opened. The store has won numerous awards for its sausages, pies and meat products, but these are the first awards that have been dedicated solely to the steak.

Beef sold at Croots is reared by farmers Richard and Margaret Heath at Hazelwood Hall Farm, Hazelwood, near Belper in Derbyshire.

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, which has also doubled in size since opening.

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

@crootsfarm_shop