SIX months after opening, North Yorkshire urban farm shop Weeton's has been named the Best Rural Retailer In Britain.

The accolade came from the Countryside Alliance at an awards ceremony at the House of Lords.

The shop had already won the Yorkshire and Humberside heats of the contest, entered by 700 country food retailers.

Weetons, in West Park, Harrogate, employs a staff of 20 and is now on target for a turnover of £1.25 million within a year. There are also plans for another outlet.

Its stated aim is to raise the profile of British food and describes itself as "like a farmer's market, but open all week and into the evenings".

Managing director Andrew Loftus, a 28-year-old trained lawyer and former oil trader, said: "I really was stunned to win after just being open six months, but our commitment to local produce and the fresh and contemporary look of Weeton's really seem to have struck a chord.

"Credit must go to the terrific staff whose hard work and enthusiasm for Yorkshire food and drink is infectious.

"It's not the other rural retailers shortlisted in these awards that are our competition, it's the supermarkets.

"The real winner today is local produce. The supermarkets don't make it easy to buy quality, seasonal, local produce. That's why rural retailers are key to changing the way we shop and eat."

More than 35 farms within a radius of 40 miles of the shop are responsible for half of Weeton's stock, which will rise to 75 per cent as fruit and vegetables become available in the spring.

The shop takes its name from a pedigree cattle herd founded by Mr Loftus' great grandfather.

Updated: 11:35 Tuesday, January 31, 2006