Well this isn't what we were expecting, but with my husband Paul’s knowledge of the food and drink industry, coupled with my upbringing around food (my father was the owner of the reputable Old Deanery for years in Ripon) we have buckled down and adapted the business overnight.

Our wonderful staff have worked so incredibly hard in ever changing circumstances, in some cases doing jobs that are far removed from the pre-corona days. We have simply been blown away at the way they have all supported us. We have all kept each other going – we have all been there for each other.

And we have been overwhelmed by the support from our customers who continue to visit and buy online. We have had fantastic support on social media and emails and letters of thanks, which is humbling. There definitely seems to be an increased appetite to support local – which we are so incredibly grateful for.

At Mackenzies we are working hard to keep the community safe and healthy with our home delivery service, allowing for no more queues, peace of mind and the chance to taste delicious local foods from meat to fresh fruit and veg, bread and fresh flowers too!

Our local collaboration with the well-loved Baltzersens of Harrogate is just the first of many new and exciting suppliers looking to showcase their products with our busy family run business which remains at the heart of the community just north of Harrogate.

The farm shop remains open to those customers who are not isolated at home, and we have introduced stringent measures to protect both staff and customers from the risk of infection, including hand sanitiser and spacing guidance at the tills. There are no queues and you can shop in peace with the new store layout which creates a safe and spacious shopping experience.

Mackenzies hopes everyone is safe and well at this time and we look to continue servicing the community with fresh local produce.