SHROP TIL YOU DROP
RICHARD IRVINE VISITS THE FOODIE MECCA OF LUDLOW AND, ER, EATS A LOT
IF YOU’D asked me about Ludlow six months ago, I’d have said nothing because I knew nothing. If you asked me now, I’d say it’s a charming historic town on the Welsh border and full of nice things. It’s not a fascinating insight but it’s better than nothing.
We were staying in Fishmore Hall on the outskirts of Ludlow and right in the centre of beautiful Shropshire countryside.
Once a dilapidated manor house and now a boutique hotel with just 15 rooms, Fishmore Hall was more than equipped to deal with my demands.
Firstly, the bedroom was huge, the bed could sleep a large family and the bathroom was the size of my living room. Secondly, the menu looked excellent – and thirdly, it had a bar. My demands are few but essentially amount to nice food, big bed and alcohol.
After a very brief beauty regime, I was ready for a drink and a meal.
Victoria, on the other hand, decided to do more than wash her hands and apply deodorant.
So I went to ‘explore the hotel’ – or have a drink at the bar as it is otherwise known. I decided to relax with a couple of local beers and read a magazine about the exclusive Shropshire set, who looked very similar to a lot of other sets from different English counties. By the time Victoria arrived, I was suitably relaxed but starving so had decided we were having the sixcourse tasting menu (£60 per head). Victoria’s fears that she wouldn’t be able to eat all of it were allayed by my generous offer to eat anything she left. So began a beautiful evening of excellent food, wine and me hoovering up anything Victoria couldn’t eat. We had lobster and salmon ravioli, rabbit terrine and plaice all cooked to perfection. I distinctly remember a braised brisket of Welsh wagyu as being a definite high point. And then passion fruit and white chocolate cheesecake with orange sorbet as dessert. This was a decent meal but the only thing that could make a decent meal better was cheese. I went for Cerney Ash, Ribblesdale Goat, Whittington Oak, Lancashire Bomb and Hereford Hop. And I’d hate to be too positive about a meal but it was all very good. Maybe I struggle to find fault but I had a look and nothing was amiss, it was just excellent.
After a good night’s sleep in the bed fit for a king, his entourage, and close family, we enjoyed a classy traditional English breakfast (no beans or hash browns) and hit Ludlow.
I say ‘hit Ludlow’ but a more accurate description would be we sauntered into a historic English market town.
The best way to describe Ludlow is like a small Chester with fewer students and Scousers and more people in tweed suits (seven in total).
There’s a castle, which we didn’t visit, having decided we’d spent enough on pottery from an actual potter. I presume he’d made them or we were the victims of an elaborate scam and we paid over the odds for some vases from Ikea.
I know you shouldn’t have regrets but for the sake of a fiver, we missed out on the castle, even though we saw a bit of it by peeking over the wall.
As we had a large afternoon tea booked for later, lunch was a very simple affair – or, as it turned out, a very large pork sandwich with apple sauce and stuffing – from Vaughans sandwich shop.
It was becoming very apparent if you enjoy food, antiques, history, posh people, architecture – and food again – then Ludlow is somewhere you have to visit.
There are bistros, delicatessens,
Ludlow’s annual Food and Drink festival will take place from September 9 to 11 this year
bakeries, restaurants and many more places in which you could eat or drink.
It seemed like a ratio of one fine food supplier to every three people in Ludlow, which meant we had our work cut out to visit each and every one before our grand afternoon tea.
Through sheer determination, courage and sacrifice we did it, although by the time we turned up at Fishmore Hall for that aformentioned tea, the light lunch had progressed to a couple of pies, flapjack, Victoria sponge and a pork and stuffing baguette.
At this point, I’d like to say there are so very many things to do in Ludlow and the surrounding area that the next time we visit, I’d say you’d need a good few days. The Ironbridge area is just a few miles away, as are numerous National Trust properties as well as the fabulous countryside.
We managed to catch a breather in the Unicorn pub, a 17th Century coaching inn, which was the very definition of traditional. I’m sure it has changed in 300 years but the only modern thing in the place was electricity.
It had been an hour or two since we last ate so it was time for our full afternoon tea – a never-ending feast of cakes, sandwiches and scones served with tea and coffee.
Our glimpse of life for an ordinary person of Ludlow was over.
Well, an ordinary person if they happened to eat like a greedy king and live in a luxurious boutique hotel, and spend their spare time sightseeing.