THE owners of Minskip Farm Shop have been shortlisted for a series of local and national awards, just nine months after they took over the enterprise.

They include Best Independent Retailer and Best New Business in the Deliciously Yorkshire Awards, Best Farm Shop Small Retailer in the Yorkshire Post Rural Awards, and a nomination by one of the judges to enter the prestigious national Farm Shop & Deli Awards.

The husband and wife team Ben and Emma Mosey took over the shop near Boroughbridge in January and have been making a big impression in the local area.

Mrs Mosey said: “We are thrilled and overwhelmed to be nominated for so many awards.

“My husband is from a farming background, growing up near Helmsley, and we are both super passionate about sharing this with the public and connecting consumers to products.

“We fell in love with Minskip Farm Shop because it is a ‘real’ farm shop. You can see our hens ranging and our vegetables growing as soon as you drive in and then buy the produce in the shop metres away.

“We wanted to maintain the trust and integrity the previous owners have developed, as well as adding new products to make it more convenient for customers to shop with us, and to know they are supporting local producers.

“And 96 per cent of what we sell is sourced from within 30 miles of the shop, and we are very proud of that.”

She added that the shop has been on the site for over 50 years, famous for its fresh free-range eggs laid by a flock of happy hens, and the vegetables grown in the market garden.

“We have kept up the high standards, while expanding the product lines to support more local producers.”

The couple will soon also open a pop-up gift grotto for the Christmas period.

Mrs Mosey, writing under her maiden name Emma Chapman, has penned two acclaimed thrillers, How to be a Good Wife and The Last Photograph.

After travelling in Australia and Indonesia, the pair moved to Helmsley where Mr Mosey’s family has a pig and sheep farm.