Fodder, at the Great Yorkshire Showground reopens this week

Fodder, the food emporium, has today reopened after undergoing its biggest refurbishment since opening in 2009, now selling even more Yorkshire produce than ever.

TV presenter Christine Talbot and Peter Wright from The Yorkshire Vet reopened Fodder – Great Yorkshire Food Hall, together with Fodder General Manager Vanessa Pitt and CEO of Yorkshire Agricultural Society Allister Nixon.

The shop and café which have been closed since January, has undergone a huge refit and is now known as Fodder – Great Yorkshire Food Hall, with the café now known as the Kitchen.

There are permanent tasting tables to showcase Fodder suppliers and for customers to enjoy samples, and a new menu with dishes using produce from the shop.

Fodder has a new logo to update its look and feel, completing the full rebrand for the family of businesses across the showground: The Great Yorkshire Events Centre, Harrogate Caravan Park as well as the Great Yorkshire Show.

Vanessa Pitt, Fodder General Manager said: “We are delighted to welcome our customers back through the doors and look forward to this exciting new chapter for Fodder and our suppliers and producers.”

During the closure, Fodder hosted the Fodder Friday’s Breakfast Club with Your Harrogate Radio which welcomed 27 producers and suppliers in over nine weeks, to talk about their businesses and connections to Fodder over the years.

The Fodder team also visited suppliers across Yorkshire to see, firsthand, how their products are skilfully made and prepared using locally grown and reared ingredients. 

Vanessa said: “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 refit really allows us to do that, not only with a bigger range, we also have permanent tasting tables for sampling every week which helps spotlight businesses even more.”

Allister Nixon Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society which owns Fodder said: “This is a new era for Fodder to take it into the future with a contemporary feel while retaining its warmth and connection to Yorkshire producers. We pride ourselves on looking after our suppliers while raising money for the farming community as all profits go back to the Yorkshire Agricultural Society to continue its support for the industry.”