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Oct 2021

Last Updated: 17/10/2021

News

Behind the scenes of Harrogate's new £6m food hall

by Nina Meads Lifestyle Editor

| 17 Oct, 2021

A look inside Harrogate's new £6m food hall, which aims to become a 'food destination for North Yorkshire'.

If there's one thing that Harrogate does incredibly well, it's food and drink.

The district has some of the best producers in the country and there is no denying we are completely spoilt for choice when it comes to delicious Yorkshire fare.

So it comes as no surprise that excitement is ramping up for the launch of Harrogate's huge new £6m food hall in Pannal, which overlooks the Crimple Valley.

The 48,000 sq ft building, which is simply called 'Crimple', will include a butchery counter, an in-house bakery and patisserie, a floristry and a 160-seat restaurant.

Sustainability

And with a huge emphasis on sustainability, there are set to be some very quirky additions to the venue, including it's own beehive and a reconditioned milk float, complete with milk on tap and refillable glass bottles.

Crimple has been owned by Graham Watson since 2013. With a personal investment of £4m for the construction, plus £2m for the fit-out, the business-owner has created the town's latest foodie destination in a bid to showcase all the amazing produce the district has to offer.

The man tasked with getting the food hall up and running is general manager Chris Lidgitt, who gave me a sneak preview of the site.

He said:

"We want to be a destination site for North Yorkshire.

"We are proud of what we have done behind the scenes and we all know what it's going to look like when it opens. We can't wait to show off our hard work.

"Harrogate needs something like this."

After two years of planning and more than a year of construction, the food hall is set to open its doors in the second week of November and will see more than 80 new jobs created.

Events space

If you have visited Crimple Valley before, you will be familiar with the antiques centre at the site. This has been completely knocked down and the food hall and restaurant has been built in its place. The garden centre will remain and the existing restaurant and terrace will become an events space.

The food hall's timber-framed building, with its staggered roof, is eco-friendly and sustainable.

The striking design of the building makes reference to agricultural buildings through a series of interconnected barn-like forms.

A heat recovery system also provides all the hot water for the site and energy-saving refrigeration has been fitted.

Impressive

It certainly looks very swish when you drive past on Leeds Road and its even more impressive when you go inside.

When you first walk in, it's impossible not to notice the sheer scale of the food hall.

The distinctive "saw tooth" roof makes it feel light and airy. The space will allow shoppers to move freely around a specially-designed layout, aimed at making it a relaxed and enjoyable foodie shopping experience.

More importantly the design of the roof allows for natural ventilation and hosts solar panels to feedback power to the grid. In addition, motorised windows keep the temperature constant without wasting electric on heating and cooling.

Butchery counter

One of the big draws will be a 12-metre-long butchery counter, which will have a selection of meats, including the more unusual T-bone and Tomahawk steaks and ox cheeks, as well as the usual cuts. It will also boast a glass-fronted dry-ageing meat fridge.

Chris, who has been in the food and drink industry for years and was a director at The Local Pantry, in nearby Pool, said:

“We will use the in-house butchery department and the produce from the store to supply the restaurant.

"A deli counter will offer cheese, which we are going to mature ourselves in a cheese maturation fridge - from three, six, 12 and 18-months-old.

"There will also be a quirky juice and coffee bar, offering fresh juices and smoothies, which will have a big ice well.

"There will be floristry and gifts, fresh fruit and veg and a bakery, where we will eventually make our own bread. Two bakers will bake in-house including cakes, tarts and patisserie items.

"There will also be a beehive in a sealed unit, which shoppers will be able to see. This will supply honey to sell in the store."

Yorkshire producers

Food and drink from lots of local producers and independent producers from across Yorkshire will be on offer at Crimple. They will include Bracken Hill Fine Foods, Guppy's Chocolates, Sawley Kitchen, The Yorkshire Pasta Company and The Original Baker. There will be meat from Robertshaw's and bread from Cawa Bakery and Lancaster's. Coffee will be supplied by Dark Woods Coffee.

There will also be food to go, including in-store produced ready meals, pizzas, and fresh fish, as well as a horticulture shop and a grain store.

Chris said:

"There's a real emphasis on Yorkshire produce but also an emphasis on trying to be different."

The food hall and garden centre will open on Monday to Saturday from 8am to 7pm, with the restaurant and bar set to offer late night dining in 2022. The restaurant will open from 8am to 5pm. Sunday opening hours will be from 10am to 4pm.