Croots Farm Shop's sausages hailed as "a stunning array of sausage perfection" by the Sausage King
Published On Saturday 21 Feb 2015 by Sticky Beak
See Recent News Articles
Expert sausage taster the Sausage King has described the bangers produced at Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire as “a stunning array of sausage perfection”.
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.
He visited Croots Farm Shop near Duffield in Derbyshire as part of an on-going pledge to visit some of the nation’s finest sausage producers.
A teacher by profession, Stephen has undertaken the challenge of dropping in on as many of the high-quality butchers listed on his sausagefans.co.uk website as he can.
During his visit to Croots at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road, he had a go at making sausages, learnt more about how the butchers develop and create the range of award-winning bangers, and gave his verdict after the all-important taste test.
“You have an eclectic mix that’s really well made and tastes great,” he told owner Steve Croot.
During his visit he tried a number of different sausages, including the Ecclesbourne County Classic, designed by year 10 students at Ecclesbourne School as part of the food technology course, which he described as ‘really good. A lovely balance of flavours’; the wild mushroom sausage, which he hailed as ‘awesome’; the lamb and mint sausage, which he said was ‘absolutely superb’ and the chorizo sausage, which he loved.
“It’s hard to come up with a winner,” said Stephen, who is based in East Anglia. “It’s a stunning array of sausage perfection.”
Steve Croot, who opened the shop in 2008, said: “Stephen is a real expert on sausages, so we were delighted to host a visit from him and even more chuffed when we heard how much he rated our sausages. As a big fan of sausages myself, it was great to talk over ideas for new sausage flavours and between us we hit on one which we’ll have a look at developing and will send to the Sausage King to try.”
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 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 Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm (Shires Eatery until 4.30pm) and on Sundays from 10am to 4pm. Croots runs Fresh Fish Thursdays between 10am and 4pm on Thursdays.
For more information visit www.croots.co.uk
| Name Like Russo? Drinks are on the house at Derby Restaurant Football fever’s about to hit Derby - and one local restaurant is kicking things off in delicious fashion. On Tuesday, October 28, football history makers The Lionesses are heading to Read The Article | |
| Relaunch party marks expansion milestone for New Era Square success story Panenka Bar & Grill has just unveiled its brand-new look at a glitzy VIP launch party. Guests from the worlds of media, sport and entertainment raised a glass to Read The Article | |
| Every Pud Counts: Longbow Venues Donates £1 From Desserts To Local & National Charities Longbow Venues is highlighting the impact of its £1 dessert donation initiative, which turns every pudding served across its Peak District Read The Article | |
| Losehill House: Unique Luxury Peak District Hotel Marks 111 Years With Refreshed Branding Losehill House Hotel, a unique luxury four-star boutique retreat nestled in the heart of the Peak District's Hope Valley, is celebrating its 111th Read The Article | |
| Families Are Bringing Children To Fine Dining - And Losehill House Hotel Is Leading The Way Fine dining is no longer reserved for adults. Across the UK and overseas, chefs and restaurateurs are noticing the same shift: families Read The Article | |
| The Peak District's Spookiest Walk: Haunted Heritage at The Cupola this Halloween This Halloween, visitors are invited to step into the Peak District's darkest tales with eerie twilight walks through Stoney Middleton Read The Article | |
| Longbow Venues Launches 'My Longbow' App, Among The First Multi-Venue Loyalty Apps In Peak District Members earn points on food and drink, enjoy birthday bubbles, monthly treats and exclusive venue offers across Derbyshire Read The Article | |
| 12000 Steaks, Triple-Cooked Chips, and a 'Disgraceful' Amount of Butter Between them, two Derbyshire restaurants serve more than 12,000 steaks every year - and now, for the first time, their Executive Chef is lifting the lid Read The Article | |
| The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow Wins AA Hotel of the Year Award The Cavendish Hotel at Baslow has been awarded the AA Hotel of the Year Award 2025 following a ceremony in London last night, with the inspectors commenting on how the Read The Article | |
| Longbow Venues Conquers Peak District Challenge, Raising £6k+ for Children's Hospital On Tuesday 2nd September, twenty five colleagues from independent Peak District hospitality business, Longbow Venues, laced up their Read The Article | |