The Fodder food hall in North Yorkshire has undergone its largest refurbishment since opening 16 years ago, with a clear focus on enhancing the profile of local products and farming. Located at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, the business temporarily closed its shop on 10 January this year following its busiest Christmas period and remained closed for two months.

During the closure, the Fodder café was also shut, though food and drink continued to be served from a converted 1960s Airstream caravan, maintaining some level of service to visitors. In addition, Fodder partnered with Your Harrogate Radio to host the Fodder Fridays Breakfast Club, a weekly show running over nine weeks that featured 27 of Fodder’s producers and suppliers discussing their businesses and connections to the food hall.

Throughout the refurbishment period, the Fodder team seized the opportunity to visit suppliers across Yorkshire, observing how local products are prepared to strengthen ties with the farming community and enhance their offering. Vanessa Pitt, Fodder’s general manager, highlighted the importance of these relationships, explaining, “We have really close relationships with our suppliers and producers. We work with them on special promotions and pay them fairly, and so putting them front and centre of Fodder is really important to us.”

The revamped venue, now operating under the new name Fodder – Great Yorkshire Food Hall, was officially reopened last month by TV presenter Christine Talbot and Peter Wright from The Yorkshire Vet, alongside Pitt and Allister Nixon, CEO of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. The rebrand includes a new logo that aligns with other businesses housed at the showground, such as The Great Yorkshire Events Centre, Harrogate Caravan Park, and the Great Yorkshire Show.

The updated food hall offers a more modern interior, providing additional space for dining and a stronger emphasis on local produce. Key new features include permanent tasting tables that allow visitors to meet suppliers and sample products, alongside a dedicated wall of photos celebrating the producers and suppliers behind the food hall’s offerings. Further photographs are displayed throughout the shop and even on till points to maintain the focus on local businesses.

Allister Nixon described the refurbishment as marking “a new era for Fodder to take it into the future with a contemporary feel while retaining its warmth and connection to Yorkshire producers,” reinforcing the venue’s commitment to showcasing the region’s agricultural heritage and food production.