A £4m investment has transformed and expanded the Crimple garden centre in Harrogate into a foodie destination.
Boasting a striking sawtooth exterior design, the new 20,000 sq ft site includes a 150-cover restaurant and a food hall highlighting local producers.
The expansion comes eight years after Graham Watson and his wife Tori opened the garden centre on the banks of the Crimple Beck at Pannal, south of Harrogate.
“As total foodies, we have been yearning for a special destination away from the big supermarkets in Harrogate so decided to build our own,” says Graham, who runs Crimple with Tori and their daughters, Bryony and Alice.
Two years in the planning, the development opened last month to champion local suppliers while being sustainable.
Features include a 12-metre-long franchised butcher’s counter, juice bar, bakery, patisserie, deli and cheese counter, with ready meals and pizzas produced in store.
Brands stocked at Crimple include The Yorkshire Pasta Company from Malton and Dark Woods coffee based in the West Yorkshire Pennines. Many products supplied by local firms are also used in the restaurant, which offers a menu of British dishes with connections to the region.
“Our neighbours are quite literally stocking our shelves, helping customers reduce their carbon footprint by shopping small and shopping local, supporting the regional economy,” says Watson. “We want our food hall and restaurant to always be evolving, innovating and consistently the place to surprise and delight our customers.”
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Designed by Leeds-based architects ArkleBoyce, the site boasts a host of sustainable features including high-level louvres to ventilate and cool the building, and solar panels on the roof. The refrigeration equipment has been fitted with a heat recovery system that provides all the hot water for the site.
Although the new-look Crimple has been open for only a few weeks, Watson has been delighted with the support and feedback from new and old customers.
“Many have travelled from across Yorkshire and beyond to come and support us throughout the past few weeks and we couldn’t be more grateful,” he says. “Launching a new retail and hospitality venture during a global pandemic has certainly had its challenges but we are so proud of our team and are really embracing the run-up to Christmas.”
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