Fancy winning a free kilo of sausages every month for a year? That’s the prize on offer from Croots Farm Shop in Derbyshire as part of the celebrations to mark its 10th anniversary.
All you have to do is eat as many sausages as you can in one minute….faster than anyone else.
The sausage-eating contest is just one event taking place at the farm shop near Duffield on Saturday 23rd June to mark ten years since it first launched.
Croots has organised a range of entertainment for all the family, including sampling sessions, music, competitions and a licensed bar.
Among the attractions will be a ‘meet and greet’ with Great British Bake Off star Val Stones, who is the sister of farm shop owner Steve Croot. Steve and wife Kay run the farm shop at Farnah House Farm, Wirksworth Road – the home of Kay’s parents Jim and Sue Yates.
They first opened the doors of Croots in June 2008 and since then it has gone from strength to strength …expanding, extending its café, introducing additional ranges and running a variety of events. It has also added a playground and extra car parking to cater for demand.
It is now regarded as one of Derbyshire’s best and most popular farm shops, having won a string of national, regional and local awards – including many awards for its bangers!
“The last ten years have flown by, and we are so grateful to our hard-working staff, the fantastic producers who supply us with a wonderful array of food and drink, and our very loyal customers who have supported us as Croots Farm Shop has grown,” said Steve Croot. “We opened Croots just as the recession hit, although of course we had been planning the shop and café for a while before then. Fortunately, we had some great support from the people of Derbyshire from day one and we are delighted to now be celebrating our tenth anniversary.”
As well as the party, which runs from 10.30am to 4pm on Saturday 23rd June with free entry, Croots is also planning to mark the birthday with ten offers over ten days, along with other price reductions and promotions.
The party will include a BBQ, a gin demonstration and tasting, Tollgate Brewery running the bar, the sausage-eating competition, a cake table, a bouncy castle, face painting and competitions, live music, meet the Shire Horses, with mini high teas also available. There will be the chance to meet Great British Bake Off star Val Stones, who will be there in the morning, as well as chat to Steve and Kay about life on a farm and running a farm shop.
Anyone wishing to enter the sausage-eating contest needs to register in advance with the shop, and 20 people will be randomly selected to take part. There will be two heats in the morning, one at 11.30am and 12.00pm, with a final at 2.30pm The winner will receive a free kilo of Croots sausages a month for a year.
To apply, please send details (name and a contact number) either via Messenger or by e-mail to info@croots.co.uk.
Croots Farm Shop has won numerous awards over the decade since it first opened, both for products and in general. Steve Croot was named Derbyshire Local Food Hero 2014 at the Derbyshire Food and Drink Awards and in the 2016 Derbyshire Life Food and Drink Awards, Croots won the accolade of Outstanding Ambassador for Local Produce in Derbyshire. Last year, Croots also won the People’s Choice in the Midlands Award in the Family United Business Awards.
Not ones to rest on their laurels, Steve and Kay have exciting plans to develop the farm shop and its facilities further over the next few years and have recently launched a range of customer feedback initiatives, including focus groups, to help shape the way the business develops in the future.
“We wanted to know what we were doing well and where we could make things better, either by improving customer service or by improving the range of products and attractions that we offer at Croots,” said Kay. “We were delighted to hear how well our customers rated what we do, and are looking forward to considering their ideas for the future as we head into the next chapter in our history.”
When it opened, Croots employed eight staff but gradual expansion has helped to provide additional rural employment opportunities in the area, and it now has more than 30 people on its staff roll.
To find out more about the tenth anniversary party, visit https://www.croots.co.uk/events/croots-10th-anniversary/
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 http://www.croots.co.uk Find Croots on Twitter @crootsfarm_shop or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Croots-Farm-Shop-127012538821/
