Is Harrogate posh? Try popping the town’s name into a popular online search engine and you will find this is one of the top questions asked, closely followed by “Is Harrogate worth visiting?”, “Is Harrogate wealthy?” and “Is Harrogate expensive?” And the answers to these searching questions? Well, there is a lot of money in Harrogate; a short wander around its green and pleasant Porsche-lined boulevards will confirm that. Money comes into the town, too. Before the pandemic, coachloads of shoppers would arrive, seeking out James Street for Jigsaw, Whistles, Mint Velvet, LK Bennett, Space NK and Jo Malone. On West Park, there is Oka, the interiors store founded by Samantha Cameron’s mother, Annabel Astor. In 2017 The Ivy opened its first Yorkshire restaurant there, cannily close to Bettys, where Fat Rascal seekers queue outside its famous windows.