Popular Derbyshire farm shop Croots is celebrating after its lemon drizzle cake was named as the best sweet bake in the Great British Food Awards 2021. Made on site by the bakery team at Croots Farm Shop near Duffield, the lemon drizzle cake is a big favourite with customers.
Six years ago, Croots took the same top slot in the sweet bakes category of the Great British Food Awards with its Bakewell tart, while the Croots Derbyshire pasty was highly commended in the awards in 2016 – flying the flag for Derbyshire produce. This latest award comes after Croots won a gold star award for its luxury mince pies in the prestigious Great Taste Awards 2021 and a silver award in the British Pie Awards 2021 for its lamb and mint pie.
Kay Croot, who runs the farm shop, said: “We are thrilled that, for a second time, one of our sweet bakes has been selected as ‘best in class’ for a national award. Both our Croots lemon drizzle cake and our Croots Bakewell tart are made by our team of talented bakers here at Croots and they are very popular with customers. We’re delighted to hear that the judge of this award agrees with our customers – that the Croots lemon drizzle cake is worthy of a top accolade.”
The Great British Food Awards were launched in 2014 to celebrate the country’s finest artisanal produce, as well as the hard-working people behind the scenes. This year, the awards were bigger and better than ever, with lots of new categories and amazing celebrity judges.
The sweet bakes category of the Great British Food Awards was judged by Flora Shedden, the youngest ever finalist of the Great British Bake Off, award-winning cookbook writer and owner of artisan bakery ARAN in Dunkeld, Scotland.
Judges’ comments included: “This really surprised me with how tasty it was. The packaging and presentation were very underwhelming but the cake flavour and texture were excellent and made up for first impressions. This drizzle has that lovely (and somewhat rare these days) crunch of sugar on top to contrast with a very moreish and moist sponge underneath. There are flecks of lemon zest throughout and a good citrus flavour that reminds you of something your granny once made. Really enjoyed this with a cup of tea and was impressed with just how excellent it was.”