IT'S a Farrah Farrah better thing that Gary Marston has done than he's ever done before...

Not only did he and his son, Peter, rescue Farrah's Original Harrogate Toffee from a sticky end eight years ago, but now they have invested £150,000 to add a traditional food hall to their growing portfolio of outlets.

Ironically, the huge 3,500 sq ft food hall in Montpellier Parade is in a converted antiques store just two doors away from the original Farrah's shop.

The father-son partnership also owns a new toffee factory at Starbeck which recently branched out into making chocolates and, with the acquisition of Bainbridge fruit cakes in County Durham last September, is now also producing fruit cakes.

The new food hall, reports Gary, is booming as visitors are attracted not only to the toffees, cakes and chocolates, but also to a first-floor ice cream parlour and a picture gallery in the basement called Artissimo at Farrahs.

Already, Gary and Peter have outlets in Masham, Grassington and Knaresborough, where they also own the oldest chemist shop in England - Ye Olde Chemyst Shoppe in Market Place.

But the food hall means that the number of employees have soared to 42 "and counting," says Gary, who reports that he will be taking on three more people by the end of next week.

Updated: 11:32 Tuesday, March 16, 2004