Where to eat in Shropshire
Have you considered Shropshire for a weekend away? It’s a place of rolling hills, walled medieval towns (including Ludlow, the UK’s Slow Food capital) and a quasi-religious belief in indie food businesses and local, seasonal eating. Food and travel writer Neil Davey delves into deepest Shropshire – a star under-the-radar destination for food lovers.
You’ve heard of Shropshire. But have you been to Shropshire? Perhaps it’s the lack of a famous city – or any city, come to think of it – but this delightful county, with wonderful scenery, food and history, feels like a relatively undiscovered gem.
Relaxed pace, slow food
John Betjeman called Ludlow “the loveliest town in England”. He had a point. There are 500 listed buildings, a castle, gorgeous views of the River Teme, cobbled streets lined with independent shops and a 700-year-old market. As you’d expect from a town that’s the unofficial capital of the UK’s Slow Food movement, it’s dotted with lovely cafés, bakeries, delis and restaurants – and is best explored on foot. Family-run Kin Kitchen offers internationally inspired dishes made from mostly locally sourced ingredients, including produce and herbs from their own gardens (see Where To Stay, below).
Shropshire isn’t really associated with a particular dish or ingredient. Instead, it seems to have adopted ‘local and seasonal’ as a county-wide mantra. Ludlow’s Sourced Pizza, for example, takes huge pride in its local ingredients and has a playful (and delicious) take on pizza tradition – fancy the ‘Shroppy Giuseppe’ made with Shropshire Salumi chorizo, mince, chilli, apple and smoked paprika?
While big chains have made their way into Ludlow, it’s a delight to see that the hyper-traditional, website-free Vaughans sandwich bar still has people queueing for its roast pork sarnies.
Community spirit
Shropshire’s love of the local extends beyond the plate. Fordhall Organic Farm is England’s first community-owned farm, with 8,000 shareholders from around the world. There are regular volunteer programmes if you fancy getting hands-on, plus an excellent café and a remarkably good-value farm shop: because they raise their own animals, feed them naturally and do their own butchery, prices aren’t as susceptible to inflation.
There’s a similar ethos in Oswestry in north Shropshire, where the wonderfully named OsNosh works with local growers and suppliers to turn surplus food into free meals and grocery boxes for those who need it. Volunteers and donations are always appreciated.
State of independence
Charles Darwin’s birthplace, Shrewsbury, has evolved into a fascinating town – and do remember to pronounce it “Shroosbury”. Wyle Cop, a winding road running from the River Severn to the town centre, is the longest uninterrupted street of independent businesses in the UK. In a world of identikit town centres, it’s an achievement to be toasted – perhaps with a bottle purchased from the historical Tanners, a wine store dating from 1842.
Thanks to 1960s town planners, Shrewsbury Market Hall isn’t much to look at from the outside, but it’s the 60-plus traders, food and drink purveyors inside that are the main attraction. Greengrocer Chris Maddock sells things grown on his own pesticide-free smallholding, Cook & Carve makes sausages and cures a fine range of bacon, and Cornalls Seafood sells fish sourced from small boats.
The samosas from Indian Street Food are exceptional – as is Moli Tea House. Owner Angela Jones, a former teacher who spent a lot of time in China, serves great dumplings. Also worth a look is natural wine bar and shop Glou Glou and its sibling businesses Iron & Rose and Petit Glou Glou, while opposite the market, Ottolive Bakehouse makes excellent viennoiserie.
Seeing stars
Ludlow’s restaurants are more down-home than Michelin-style these days, yet the market town of Whitchurch is setting its sights skyward. Husband-and-wife team Stuart and Frances Collins run Docket – its name a reference to the transactions behind the scenes. It’s locally sourced (what else?) food is inspired by the Collins’s culinary adventures around the world.
Whitchurch is also where self-taught chef James Sherwin runs Wild Shropshire, creating a daily changing surprise menu. There’s only one sitting and diners aren’t given a copy of the menu until the end of the meal. Some produce is fresh, some fermented – and it’s mostly grown on the Wild Shropshire farm by Geoff, a self-taught gardener who was a fan of the restaurant and seeking a retirement project. Keeping that cosy family vibe, Geoff’s wife, Jo, a retired teacher, is the restaurant manager. The Shropshire food scene really is a closely knit one…
Where to stay in Shropshire
Kin Kitchen’s stylish self-catering rooms sleep two to four people and are conveniently located in Ludlow’s town centre. They cost £110-£175 per night.
The Old Dower House is an exceptionally pretty and beautifully designed bed-and-breakfast option in a 16th-century property in Marbury, just north of Whitchurch, for £100-£150 per night.
Little Brampton Barn, a 20-minute drive from Ludlow, has two comfy barn conversions, one sleeping four, the other six. It’s also the home of Vegify Cookery School, where Beth Parmar calmly passes on her extensive, mostly self-taught skills at making food that puts vegetables and fresh produce front and centre in a fun, relaxed setting.
Photographs: iStock/Getty Images, Picasa, Barry Phillips
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