Walking into The Local Pantry is like stepping back to a gentler age when village shops were the focus of communities.

Among the customers enjoying coffee and pancakes, while browsing through morning papers, are regulars who call in most days.

Some come for brunch, others stock up on local produce, sticking a notice on the community board and chatting over the counter with owner Suzannah Hepworth.

The family-run shop and cafe, near Otley, offers produce and dishes from Yorkshire suppliers. The menu includes kedgeree, mackerel on toast and ‘Pantry Pancakes’ served with streaky bacon or Yorkshire honey, while lunch dishes include Yorkshire rarebit and roasted beetroot, seasonal vegetables and goats cheese salad. For sweet tooths, there’s farm-made dairy ice-cream.

Part of the National Farmers Retail and Markets Association, the business is creating its own concept in local retailing. All products come from Yorkshire farmers and independent growers, producers and businesses.

“We only buy fresh, seasonal produce. It’s like a farmers’ market in a shop, providing another outlet for local suppliers and making their products more accessible,” says Suzannah. “We open until 7pm weekdays, and all day Saturdays and Sundays, so the hours are convenient for people who work, too. Convenience is the key.”

The property is on the site of the old Hunters Garage, on the A658, and retains original features. “We gutted it but didn’t want to hide the fact that it had been a petrol station and garage, as that is its heritage and what people remember it as,” says Suzannah. “People come in saying ‘I once bought a car here’.

“We renovated the building and put in a new kitchen, cafe and shop. We kept the big windows, which make the place light and airy.”

The pretty cafe, with blue painted chairs dotted around tables, looks out onto Otley Chevin and a nearby natural pond which is home to ducks.

In the shop, a glass counter is filled with meat pies, cheeses, bowls of olives, fresh meat, cakes and tarts.

Shelves are lined with preserves, pickles, chocolates, curry sauces, herbs, spices and pizzas. There are cakes made by a local farmer’s wife, a fridge full of fish, and Yummy Yorkshire ice-cream with flavours such as parkin and dandelion and burdock.

Also on sale are organic cleaning products and toiletries, tinned food, even dog treats. “It’s not a farm shop, it’s a local food shop and we also stock the kind of things people run out of,” says Suzannah, who plans to introduce a range of ready meals – “all fresh, fully traceable and cooked by our chefs.”

The kitchen is run by two chefs, and a zero waste policy means everything is re-used or recyled. Daily specials include sweet vegetable soup and roast Beckwithshaw belly pork on herb focaccia with black pudding gravy. Beers are served from local breweries such as Wharfedale Brewery in Pool and Copper Dragon in Skipton.

The Local Pantry’s signature Scotch eggs, with fillings such as balti spice and black pudding, are popular – a pile of them can disappear in no time. A Yorkshire Tapas – part of a series of themed suppers held throughout the year – featured mini Scotch eggs filled with turkey mince and cranberries, home-made black pudding and venison sausage sandwiches. The next themed night is a ‘Sonsie’ Burns Supper on Friday, January 24, with a menu, created by head chef Rob Black, giving Scottish fare a Yorkshire twist.

Suzannah, who is from Otley, has had several roles in the catering industry, from breakfast shift at a hotel to assistant manager in a delicatessen. She is mentored by her father, John Barnes, who led the acquisition and roll-out of Harry Ramsden’s in the 1980s and 1990s.

A former buyer for Asda, Suzannah’s work in retail marketing and strategy involved “a lot of listening to customers”.

“The word ‘local’ came up a lot,” she says. “I did lots of research and found that people really value the personal service shops used to offer.

“The word ‘community’ is vital to the Local Pantry. Regulars come in every day and meet up. Customers suggest recipes and our chefs offer advice. A local mums’ running group comes here, and a cycling club. We’re surrounded by beautiful countryside which is popular with cyclists and walkers. Breakfast and brunch is a big thing for us.

“We have a community board where people can showcase something they’re doing locally, and we plan to introduce a ‘community table’ – if people have excess produce like a glut of rhubarb they can come and sell it and make a donation to a local charity.”

The Local Pantry is on Harrogate Road, Leathley, near Otley. Call. (0113) 2037361 or visit thelocalpantry.co.uk.