Cheers as blaze-hit farm shop rises from the ashes

However, displaying true Yorkshire grit and determination, its owners have refused to let their customers down – and are continuing to trade from their Sunnyside Farm base using a large marquee on the site.

Hinchliffe's, based at Netherton, south of Huddersfield, was completely gutted in the blaze on July 5, its restaurant, butchery, storerooms and offices as well as the shop all being destroyed in the fire.

However Simon Hirst, whose grandfather Charles Hinchliffe opened the shop in 1929, did not want to let the blaze, which started accidentally, stop them and he and his team were back selling eggs to customers from the back of a van shortly afterwards.

Mr Hirst told the Yorkshire Post: "Since the fire our customers have been incredibly supportive.

"I think it is fair to say people around here think of Hinchliffe's as Netherton and Netherton as Hinchliffe's.

"The fire may have destroyed our buildings, but it didn't take away our most prized assets –our excellent service and superb quality fresh produce."

Taking a lead from the tent that Hinchliffe's took to agricultural shows, the decision was taken to set up the temporary shop and restaurant on the site under the cover of canvas.

The owners have worked hard to give the interior a cool, contemporary feel, an indication of the modern image Hinchliffe's will adopt when its new permanent home is created in the near future.

Despite the setback of the fire, Mr Hirst and his team have remained positive, trying to look on the bright side.

Just prior to the blaze the business had submitted plans to expand the size of its buildings to cope with the demand and make the facilities more modern. Now, faced with a clean slate, they have more options.

Mr Hirst said: "In a way the fire hasn't been a completely negative experience, as it's given us a great opportunity to reassess our business and redesign everything right from scratch to make sure we're giving our customers exactly what they want. My grandfather brought the farm in the 1950s and was one of the first people in the country to open a farm shop. Over the years a lot of the buildings were using were not built for that purpose. Now we have the option of making mistakes without too many consequences. We can try out things like a bakery and a fish counter – because it's a semi-permanent structure it does not matter if it does not work out."

The news is not just good for Mr Hinchliffe and the business, but for the many local farmers and producers who sold their wares through Hinchliffe's, as the new tent-based outlet continuing to serve them. "We buy local as much as we possibly can," said Mr Hirst. "We are lucky in that we have some fantastically good producers around us."

Welcome to Yorkshire chief executive Gary Verity hailed the return to business at Hinchliffe's and said: "I am delighted to see this wonderful farm rising from the ashes thanks to the hard work and commitment of the staff.

"They have showed some true Yorkshire grit to get themselves back on track and are a shining example of a great farming business."

Pioneering idea still going strong

Opened by Simon Hirst's grandfather Charlie Hinchliffe in 1974, Hinchliffe's was one of the first farm shops in the UK and has enjoyed a strong reputation ever since.

The Hinchliffe family has been farming at Netherton for 60 years and is also one of the biggest suppliers of commercial hens in the north of England, rearing up to a million pullets a year.

The farm shop has garnered a number of awards, winning Supreme Pork Pie at the Great Yorkshire Pork Pie competition at the Cedar Court Hotel in Bradford in 2007. It has been nominated for the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen Local Food Hero Awards for the past five years.