Try out all Shropshire Hills great local food at special events like Ludlow Food Festivals. You can also go on a brewery tour at Ludlow, Hobson’s and Three Tuns brewery. Shop at local farmers markets. Take a vineyard tour and even join in grape picking in the autumn. There are lots of farm gate stalls and local workshops and courses on food production and cooking. Join in to find out why Shropshire produces outstanding food. The Shropshire Hills know few rivals in England as a destination for lovers of fine food and drink. Ludlow occupies an important place in the history of the slow food movement and remains a town celebrated for its many independent food shops. The area boasts many family producers, including several small breweries, apple and hop orchards and an award-winning vineyard Producers Some of the area’s breweries offer tours to the public, including Ludlow Brewing Company, in an attractively converted railway shed beside Ludlow Station. The brewery uses local hops to create its range of artisan ales, and its attractively converted space serves also as a pub, café and events venue. Hobsons Brewery at Cleobury Mortimer, runs group tours and brewery nights, aimed at couples and small groups, on scheduled evenings, including beer tasting and food. The brewery also offers a small number of overnight pitches for motor homes. The Three Tuns Brewery, at Bishop’s Castle is housed in a very distinctive four-storey building in the town and claims to be the oldest licensed brewery in the country, with a history of brewing on the site since 1642. When the Campaign for Real Ales was launched in the 1970s it was, with the Three Tuns pub, next door, one of only four “home brew” pubs in the whole country. How times change! Group visits by arrangement. The Corvedale Brewery was started by Norman Pearce, landlord at the Sun Inn, Corfton, in 1997 in an old chicken and lumber shed behind the pub. It is a true low-tech microbrewery much loved by real ale fans, who travel from far and wide to admire both the brews – including the flagship ale, Norman’s Pride – and the vintage beer pumps. All the beers are also available by the bottle at the Sun Inn. The White Horse, at Clun, is a magnet for real ale lovers. The Clun Brewery is presently housed to the rear of the pub and visits are not normally possible, but the pub is a friendly place to try the ales in good company. Kerry Vale Lis a small vineyard right on the Welsh border, on the Newtown road from Bishop’s Castle. Its wines have won a number of awards during its short history and it offers a choice of different tours and wine tastings, as well a café, where you can take afternoon tea. Half of all the food products on sale at Ludlow Farmshop and Ludlow Kitchen are produced on the 8,000 acres of the surrounding Earl of Plymouth’s Oakly Park Estate. They include cheese, butter and other dairy products; meat; and a range of bakery products made on the site. Dining Not very long ago Ludlow could boast no fewer than three Michelin Star restaurants. Such stars, however, come and go like their night sky namesakes and currently (2018) there are none. That does not mean, however, that the town is not blessed with some excellent fine dining establishments. The Cliffe at Dinham, just across the river, in the shadow of Ludlow Castle, was built in the mid-19th century as a gentlemen’s residence. After 12 successful years as Ludlow hoteliers, Paul and Barbara Brooks bought the property in 2014, turning it from a hotel to a restaurant with rooms. Chef Ian Pugh’s AA Two Rosette restaurant offers modern British fine dining featuring the best of local produce. The AA Rosette Clive restaurant with rooms is just next door to Ludlow Food Centre and under the same ownership, and specialises in modern British cuisine using the most local ingredients. The restaurant at the Feathers Hotel, under Chef Stuart Forman, is another high quality venue, offering the best of local produce in a fine dining setting. Just outside Ludlow is a great restaurant in the countryside at Forelles at Fishmore Hall Hotel which also has an adjoining spa to allow you to relax. Other places to stay that can boast an excellent food offer include a number of intimate country inns, all also boasting their own accommodation. The Bridges at Ratlinghope, offers a varied set of menus directly inspired by the produce of the pub’s own suppliers, and including a selection of vegetarian dishes. Home-baked puddings are also a speciality. The oak-panelled restaurant at the Castle Hotel, Bishop’s Castle, is believed to feature in the Mary Webb novel, The House in Dormer Forest. Here you’ll find modern, good pub food that is healthy, hearty, flavoursome, fresh – and beautifully presented. Enjoy the most local ales and wine from Kerry Vale. The Pheasant at Neenton is a pub with a difference: risen like a phoenix after a nine-year closure, it is now owned and run by the community and received the Alastair Sawday Community Pub Award for 2016-17, as well as being selected to appear among InnPlaces’ Britain’s Best Inns collection. Classic English dishes supplemented daily by seasonal specials in a cosy, friendly log-fire setting. The White Horse Inn at Clun, is the epicentre of the community and can be justly proud of its adventurous menu featuring the best of local food and drink, the latter including its own ale, brewed on the premises. Landlord Jack Limond seems to have a finger in every pie, from Clun Green Man Festival to the local walking group, which publishes its own collection of 33 walks from the town. Shopping Local produce from the Shropshire Hills is, of course, not destined exclusively for the area’s restaurants. Ludlow is the place to head to find a wide range of shops owned, run and supplied locally. Local to Ludlow is dedicated to helping to guarantee their continued prosperity, alongside underscoring the principle of local produce by specifically promoting produce from within 30 miles of the town. It offers its own loyalty card and organises twice monthly farmers’ markets, as well as occasional food fairs at Ludlow Brewing Company. Call at the café and shop on Castle Square or see all the events on the website. Watch out for Ludlow’s various food and drink festivals at the Castle and the Magnalonga food and drink walk. Ludlow Farmshop and Ludlow Kitchen located few miles north of the town, is a veritable hive of activity, selling produce from its own estate and the surrounding area. If you want to keep on enjoying your taste of Shropshire after you get home, Buy-From Shropshire sells produce from a variety of local artisan suppliers, from beer to chocolate and cheese to spices. Learning The Shropshire Hills are also a great place to come and learn about food and the food and hospitality business. Eaton Manor estate includes a number of activities for guests staying in its range of self-catering accommodation. Just some of the subjects covered in its courses include Egyptian cookery, cocktail-making, cheese and chocolate making, and cookie and cupcake decoration.
