Ludlow is a small town in south Shropshire that, for its size, eats better than cities ten times larger. It built a reputation as a foodie destination years ago and, unusually, kept it, partly because the surrounding farmland is so good and partly because the independent shops along its streets never gave way to the chains. You come here to eat, and to walk it off.
Why the food is so good
The Marches, the borderland between England and Wales, produce superb beef, lamb and game, and Ludlow's butchers, bakers and cheesemongers buy it from down the road. The Saturday market in the square under the castle walls is the place to graze, and the town's restaurants lean on the same suppliers, so what you eat out has usually travelled only a few miles to reach the plate.
A weekend's eating
- Start at the producers: the butchers on the high streets, a proper baker, and a cheese shop that will let you taste before you buy.
- Have lunch in a pub doing serious food rather than gastropub theatre, then save your appetite for dinner.
- Book a table for the evening well ahead; the best rooms are small and fill fast at weekends.
Working up an appetite
Ludlow is more than a stomach with a postcode. The castle is one of the finest in the region, a genuine medieval fortress rather than a tidy ruin, and the streets around it are full of Georgian and Tudor buildings. Walk down to the River Teme and follow it out of town, and within minutes you are in green countryside with hills ahead.
The town is on the railway between Hereford and Shrewsbury, so you can arrive by train and not have to choose between the wine and the drive home. Stay two nights, eat slowly, walk between meals, and you will understand why a place this small punches so far above its weight.