R.A. Willison & Son Greengrocer
It’s people that make places.
That’s what this section is about — the people who quietly shape a town through their work, their character, and their commitment to doing things properly.
The Willison family have been selling fruit and vegetables from their shop on Wellington Road since 1800. Richard took over from his father, and today his son James and daughter Emma do much of the heavy lifting. Richard still visits most days, catching up with regular customers and making sure the younger generation are doing things properly.
They can’t really be described as game changers. In many ways, their daily work hasn’t altered much in the last 226 year. The produce might be different — there weren’t many avocados in Whitby at the turn of the twentieth century — and deliveries no longer arrive by horse and cart, but the fundamentals remain the same: provide good quality fruit and vegetables, serve customers well, and earn their trust.
The thing is, the game around them has changed.
People don’t shop every day anymore. Most of us expect to buy everything we need in a single trip. The idea of visiting a butcher, a baker, and a greengrocer for the ingredients for tonight’s tea feels almost old-fashioned.
Yet Willison’s remains.
Families like Richard’s are part of the fabric of Whitby. Their ancestors walked the same streets and served many of the same families. Their shop provides more than ingredients for a meal. In my mind, they are one of the ingredients that make Whitby what it is.
Independent. Hard-working. Honest.
The sort of people who deserve our support.
National Centre for Birds of Pray – Helmsley
Sometimes the pressure of making a birthday day out special can spoil the whole thing.
This one worked out just right.
The National Centre for Birds of Prey near Helmsley had been on our list for a while. At first it was the challenge of collecting the stamps around the site that engaged the kids, but before long it was the birds themselves that stole the show.
We arrived in time to explore most of the aviaries before the first flying demonstration. A café lunch, a second flying show, and somehow the day had disappeared.
We watched birds land on people’s heads, giant condors enjoying a bath, and tiny burrowing owls disappearing into tunnels to avoid their handlers. One of the flying demonstrations was even interrupted by a resident wild red kite that seemed keen to join in.
If you measure a day out by the size and frequency of smiles, it was a good one.
If you measure it by curiosity, questions asked, and children wanting to know more, it was even better.
Throw in some education, a decent lunch, and a beautiful setting, and you’ve got the ingredients for a really great day.
Porter Hill – Classic Earl Grey
I stumbled across Porter Hill Tea Company while exploring Huddersfield.
The shop immediately caught my eye. It had that reassuring feeling shared by many good independent businesses — a sense that the people behind it genuinely care about what they do. I particularly like that each pack carries the name of the person who packed it, along with the music they were listening to whilst doing so.
But this isn’t about the shop. It’s about the tea.
Tea is something I came to later in life than most. My journey began with green teas and herbals, and while I know this may be controversial, I’ve never developed a taste for Yorkshire Tea. There is something about the aroma that simply doesn’t appeal to me.
Earl Grey is another matter entirely.
I much prefer the floral and citrus notes that come from a good loose-leaf Earl Grey. Making a cup becomes a small ritual: measuring the leaves, watching them unfurl, brewing for just the right amount of time, and taking a few minutes to slow down.
Porter Hill’s Classic Earl Grey is a blend of premium Ceylon tea and bright bergamot. The citrus lifts the tea without overwhelming it, creating something refined but not delicate, structured and crisp.
I don’t drink a great deal of tea.
Which is precisely why I think it’s worth making each cup a good one.
Milk? No thank you.
From Behind the Counter
David Hockney
Danielle and I once travelled to London and back in a day to see David Hockney’s A Bigger Picture exhibition. We queued in sunshine and drove home through snow across the moors. It felt rather fitting for a painter who captured the Yorkshire landscape in every season.
Nigel Carbon
I’d never heard the name Nigel Cabourn until news of his death prompted me to learn more. The more I read, the more I realised how many of the things we value in the shop — durability, utility, timeless design and proper manufacturing — were values he championed throughout his career.
Little Merryn
My cousin welcomed his second child into the world recently.
Meeting her was a reminder that while some stories come to an end, others are only just beginning.
Welcome to the world, Merryn.
