Well, after our Taste of Christmas event, we are certainly feeling much more Christmassy at Croots! Even the Christmas jumpers came out! I’m sure like us, there are many festive traditions to be upheld over the next few weeks, whether its going to the local Christingle service, picking holly off the farm or the annual visit to the pantomime… When I was younger, we always used to make our own Christmas cake and I thoroughly enjoyed licking the bowl and helping my Mum. These days we are so busy, so we just buy one of the Luke Evans Bakery fabulous cakes from the shop and as some of you will know, the Bakery is run by my brother, so its keeping it in the family!!!
Some of our events are a little different this year, our Santa experience is being run in collaboration with Jumping Clay and I know from talking to the team about all the plans, this is going to be a really special afternoon. We are also welcoming Lou from the Greenery back to do a wreath making workshop for the first time. Lou brings the very popular Bunty the flower truck a couple of times a year and the quality of the plants and flowers are amazing. Kelvin our Head Chef has also put together a wonderful festive menu for you all to enjoy, I’m looking forward to trying to rum, cherry & dark chocolate tart!!! Yum!
We’ve been busy on the farm too. Work has started on coppicing the hedgerows and fencing to protect the new growth. With our flock of ewes, we have tried a new thing with our breeding programme, introducing hormone impregnated sponges into the ewes to allow them to be mated as a batch in a couple of days, which will hopefully mean a tighter lambing period next April. With a few foals on the way, lambing and a shop to run, we need to get some sleep somewhere, so hopefully this will mean we wont have sleepless nights for two months like the last few years!!
I’ve also been thinking about gifts for the family too. I always try and think about how much something will be appreciated and enjoyed and I like to shop small and local wherever I can. One of the things I like to do for some family members is to make my own hamper up from a selection of goodies in the shop such as chocolate, biscuits, teas, preserves and perhaps a local beer or gin from our many artisan suppliers. If you want to make it easy, we have a range all pre-selected, available on our website to order.
This year we are going to my brothers for Christmas lunch, so our bronze turkey is ordered ready to take! Our Butchery team are working hard to get everything ready for Christmas. We’ve spoken with all our local suppliers and farmers and even with all the challenges they are facing, they have guaranteed availability. The only slight problem seems to be goose fat at the moment, but we are working on that!!!!
Whatever your plans are, I hope you enjoy all the preparations and I look forward to seeing you in the shop soon!