Croots Farm Shop products went down a storm at the Houses of Parliament when they were showcased at the bi-annual Derbyshire Food and Drinks Fair ’A Taste of Derbyshire’ hosted by Derbyshire MPs.

Croots took along some of its award-winning homemade products including pork pie, sausage roll, lemon drizzle cake, and Bakewell tart, plus a number of beers specially brewed for Croots.

The farm shop sent a team to the event, which was held in the Jubilee Room at the Palace of Westminster, after being invited to attend by Pauline Latham, Conservative MP for Mid-Derbyshire. They also met Conservative MP for Derbyshire Dales, Sarah Dines, whose constituency borders Croots.

Kay Croot, who owns and runs the farm shop at Farnah House Farm, in Wirksworth Road, near Duffield, said:

“The Taste of Derbyshire event at the Houses of Parliament was a great opportunity for us to showcase some of our award-winning products to MPs."

“It was also an excellent experience to visit such an historic and important place. We had super feedback and, as keen ambassadors of Derbyshire and the food produced in the county, we were proud to have had the chance to be part of the fair.”

Members of the House of Commons and House of Lords visited the event, including Minister of State for Enterprise, Markets and Small Business Kevin Hollinrake, who talked to Kay about her experience of running a small business.

“It was a good opportunity to share with him the challenges facing small businesses, such as huge energy bills, which have risen so much in recent times,” added Kay.

Croots was launched in 2008 on the farm run by Kay’s parents and is one of Derbyshire’s most popular farm shops, with a stack of awards under its belt both for the shop and its homemade products.

Croots Farm Shop specialises in selling food and drink made by local producers in Derbyshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, and other nearby counties. It features products from more than 40 suppliers within a 50-mile radius – supporting many other family run businesses - and also sells a wide and expanding range of home-produced items made by the Croots team in-house. The store offers an extensive selection of food, drink, meat, cheeses and deli items, along with gift ideas, wines and spirits.

Croots Farm Shop is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays. The café is open Monday to Saturday 9am to 4pm and 10am to 3pm on Sundays.