RIVERFORD, the organic veg box producer, has won the Ethical Product of the Decade title at the Observer Ethical Awards.

The business includes Home Farm at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton, which delivers more than 4,500 veg boxes a week to customers in Yorkshire and the north of England.

The award was decided by public vote and honours the retailer, designer, brand or shop that makes it easier for people to live more ethically.

Farmer Peter Richardson of Home Farm said: "We’ve always known that our veg boxes are very special. We’ve a real community of customers – they come to us as they want real food that has been produced with respect. It’s fantastic to have Riverford’s work recognised with such a prestigious award."

Guy Watson, who founded Riverford in Devon in 1987, said: "It is very rewarding to have this accolade from the Observer. For almost 30 years, I have aimed to use the business to make the world a slightly better place, one veg box at a time.

"Put simply we want to give people good, fresh, flavoursome, ethically-produced food that they can trust, produced and delivered in a way that gives a fair deal to farmers, animals, customers, staff and the environment."

o A series of monthly guided walks are being held at Home Farm this summer where visitors can tour the fields and learn about the renewable technologies which earned Peter Richardson the Green Farmer of the Year title at the Northern Farmer Awards.

The walks are on July 29, August 26 and September 30. Places are limited to 20 and must be booked. Tickets, £4pp, can be booked at: eventbrite.co.uk/e/riverford-farm-walk-home-farm-northallerton-tickets-17340230095.