A £2.5 million store, billed as a regional centre of excellence for food and farming, has been opened in Shropshire.

Ludlow Food Centre, beside the A49 at Bromfield, has created 50 jobs. But fears that it will hit commerce in Ludlow town centre were allayed by managing director Sandy Boyd who believes it will attract business to the whole area.

“It’s all about creating a cluster of attractions. The more you have in a place, the longer people will stay and spend money. The Food Centre is another reason for people to come to Ludlow,” said Mr Boyd, an experienced retailer who launched the Chatsworth House farm shop and worked for several years with the National Trust.

Hundreds of shoppers poured through the doors for a first look at the official opening. Viscount Windsor, chairman of the Earl of Plymouth Estates Limited, performed the ceremony in front of 100 invited guests including actor John Challis, “Boycie” in the BBC television comedies Only Fools and Horses and Green Green Grass of Home.

The store promotes produce from Shropshire and its neighbours, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Powys, with 80 per cent of what is on sale coming from those four counties.

Inside, a team of bakers, butchers, dairy workers and professional chefs can be watched through plate-glass windows as they prepare an array of own-label products, from organic meats reared on the Estate to freshly baked bread, pies, cakes and desserts, ice cream, preserves and a selection of delicatessen items.

The idea was conceived in 2001 by the Earl of Plymouth Estates Limited as a marketplace for its tenant farmers. There are also plans for a coffee shop and post office on the site.

The ambitious diversification project has been commended by the Country Land & Business Association and Heart of England Fine Foods. It was also given funding by The Rural Regeneration Zone, part of Advantage West Midlands, for its role in helping to develop the local economy.

Peter Pawsey, chairman of the Rural Regeneration Zone, said: “Ludlow is already world-renowned for its associations with food and drink. The food centre is set to be another jewel in its crown.”

Mr Boyd added: “In order for the Estate and other farm food enterprises to survive, this type of connection between producers and consumers is essential and should be embraced.”