Popular Derbyshire farm shop Croots has won the title of Shop of the Year in the Great Food Club Awards 2022/2023.
The farm shop has previously been a finalist in the awards run by Great Food Club, which shines a light on and celebrates the East Midlands’ best food and drink independents.
Now Croots, based just outside Duffield on Wirksworth Road, has scooped the number one title.
Kay Croot, who runs the farm shop based at her parents’ farm, Farnah House Farm, said: “This is hugely exciting news for the team at Croots Farm Shop and we’d like to thank all our customers who nominated and voted for us in these awards.
“We pride ourselves on supplying some of the best local food and drink in the area and to be awarded the title of Shop of the Year is an enormous honour. Our team works very hard to give our customers great service and a positive experience in both our shop and café and this award is testament to their commitment to Croots. I’d like to thank them for their sterling effort which has played a very big role in us achieving this award.”
Croots, which launched in 2008, is a strong supporter of local food and drink suppliers and has always stocked products from more than 40 producers from within a 50-mile radius of the store. It also offers an extensive selection of food, drink, cheeses and deli items from further afield, along with gift ideas, wines and spirits.
This is the latest award for the farm shop, which has won numerous accolades for its products, including many Great Taste Awards. In the 2016 Derbyshire Life Food and Drink Awards, Croots won the accolade of Outstanding Ambassador for Local Produce in Derbyshire, while in 2017, Croots won the People’s Choice in the Midlands Award in the Family United Business Awards.
Earlier this year, Great Food Club members and readers were asked to nominate “one independent food/drink business that has brought you most joy over the past 12 months”. Over 6,000 online votes were cast during May and June 2022. The overall vote winner was named People’s Choice Award Champion and the top four vote winners in each category made the shortlist.
Once the shortlist had been created by analysing the public vote, judges selected the winners after visiting or trying the food and drink of each shortlisted business – naming Croots as the Shop of the Year.
Kay added: “We were up against some very well-deserved finalists, so we feel extra privileged to have been chosen as the winning independent shop in the East Midlands.”
Matt Wright, founder of Great Food Club, said: “The annual Great Food Club Awards are designed to celebrate the exceptional work of chefs, food & drink entrepreneurs and hospitality professionals across the East Midlands. It's great to see so much brilliant work going on, despite the tough economic backdrop and continuing staffing crisis. We salute not only all the winners and shortlisted businesses, but everyone working so hard to serve up superb food and drink and to offer brilliant hospitality. As lockdown proved, our quality of life is so much poorer without fantastic pubs and restaurants. And where would we be without our local food and drink producers and vendors?”
Croots Farm Shop is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The café is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 3.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
To find out more about Croots, visit www.croots.co.uk Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook www.facebook.com/crootsfarmshop/
