By Joshua Hall
Crimple food hall in Harrogate has opened up to the public after a £4 million pound renovation.
The new changes have added a 20,000 square foot food hall and a 160 seat restaurant to the family-owned garden centre.
Owner, Graham Watson, has also added an outdoor event space to the site which he has owned since 2013.
It was Watson who chose to invest in the project, using his own money to fund the expansion of his family-run business.
The new food hall celebrates local suppliers with more than 70 percent of the produce sold coming from Yorkshire.
Chris Lidgitt, the food hall manager told Yorkshire Voice: “Where we can, we are looking at championing local suppliers that don’t necessarily have a route to the supermarket.”
“I want people to walk into the store and think, ‘I’ve never seen that before’. We need to sing about them.”
Locals have already begun to flood to the store to get a glimpse of the new changes and shop the local produce.
Annie, a local resident and frequent shopper aged 23, said: “It’s nice to have local products all in one place. It’s been so accessible for myself and other residents in the Harrogate area. Aside from it being a place to shop local, which is super important these days, it is also an enjoyable experience.”
The store features a butcher’s, bakery, coffee counter, deli, cheese counter and even a section for pre-made meals for those wanting something easy to make at home.
Graham Watson and his wife Tori who helps run the site have put a focus on sustainability within the food hall and with the building itself.
There is a sustainable nut, seed, cereal and grain station where customers can bring their own reusable containers to prevent plastic waste as well as a place to refill household beverages such as milk and orange juice.
Nick David, a Harrogate local who campaigns for sustainability, said: “It’s great that more places are putting a spotlight on sustainability. There aren’t many places in Harrogate that support sustainable shopping and produce so it’s fantastic to add another to the slowly growing list.”