Michelin Stars In Their Eyes

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If Herefordshire was perceived as being off the beaten track, Ludlow can't really make the same claim. John Betjeman described the south Shropshire town as "probably the loveliest town in England". He was primarily talking about the Georgian architecture rising up the hill from the River Teme towards the marketplace, but that is only half the story. Ludlow is known as a foodie heaven, where they have Michelin stars in their eyes. Lots of Michelin stars!

We started the day early. The sun was up and the temperatures were rising fast. Vera needed a good walk. We needed tree cover for shade. The north Herefordshire / south Shropshire border is Mortimer country. The local noble family, the Mortimers are synonymous with Ludlow Castle and their name is used in conjunction with various many other current attractions - there is a Mortimer Trail, a Mortimer Forest and even a fancy restaurant in Ludlow. We crossed the River Lugg and made our way north. It was a climb after the turn off at Wigmore towards the Forest on the high ground on the horizon. We made our way cautiously. Pot holes were the order of the day. The road surface had seen better days. The hillside was criss crossed with circular tracks of varying lengths, but we opted for a shorter version. Vera found the local squirrels an active diversion and the "short" version took forever, after she had insisted on inspecting every tree! Unlike our recent trip to Sandringham in Norfolk, we encountered no deer this time. They were perhaps right to be elusive, so as not to end up in a venison pie up the road in Ludlow.

The road descended into Shropshire and improved dramatically in quality. We parked up overlooking Ludlow. The vista was dominated by the 12th century Ludlow Castle, which commands the high ground over the River Teme. It was one of the first stone built castles in the country and a base of power to control the Welsh border country. It was favoured by royalty and played host to the honeymoon of Prince Arthur - Henry VIII's older brother and Catherine of Aragon. Queen Mary was so keen on the place, she spent a number of winters there. It is no surprise therefore that the Castle was originally a Royalist stronghold hold during the Civil War, but eventually fell to Cromwell's men. Today, the Castle is a ruin and open for visits. £8 entry. The military significance of dominance over the "Welsh Marches" is long gone and the invaders in recent years have come from the other direction.

The improvements in transport - the building of the M40 and M42 motorways - reduced travel times from London and the South East to something in the region of 3 hours. The speculators soon noticed the value of some of half timbered properties and fine Georgian mansions and before long, Ludlow had transformed itself into a Shropshire outpost of the Knightsbridge set. A 7 course tasting menu, sir? That will do nicely. The Michelin starred venues have come and gone in the last 25 years, but at the last count there seem to 5 listed on Michelin Guide. The current guide lists in no particular order - Mortimers, French Pantry, Forelles, Charlton Arms and Old Downton Lodge. The number is disproportionately high in a town with a population of no more than 11,000. The restaurant end of the food scene is supported by a regular produce market and independent butchers and bakers. Candlestick makers are also probably represented, but we didn't spot any. However, we did venture inside one of premier independent butchers - D W Wall & Son - situated just along from the Market Place. A couple of ploughman's pork pies were secured for later on. Vera tried to peek inside, her nostrils approving of the quality meats inside. The butcher made her day with a taster treat of his finest steak mince. It didn't touch the sides. She licked her lips for the remaining walk round the town. The pork pies incidentally were top notch - none of this mass produced rubbish widely available - and I gave to say, much nicer than the ones we purchased at vast expense in the home of the pork pie in lockdown, Melton Mowbray. They say the sign of a good breakfast in Ludlow hotels can be determined by whether the sausage on your plate is a Walls' sausage.

Despite the Michelin offerings available in Ludlow, we had chosen an alternative venue for lunch. The Riverside Inn at Aymestery comes with no stars and is across the border back in Herefordshire. No stars might be above the door, but it has a seriously good press. Produce is locally sourced and organic. The Guardian and Telegraph have both made forays to check the quality and offered a good write up. The place has been voted as Herefordshire Best Restaurant 2021 and importantly, is dog friendly - at least in the bar areas. We chanced it, having not made a reservation and got lucky. The sizeable car park was almost full, which is an encouraging sign for any business on a Tuesday lunchtime. The actual restaurant was full and we were squeezed in by a very amiable host. We dined on nothing more than a "beef sandwich". Let us just say, it is the best beef sandwich I have had in a long time and possibly ever. Vera eas on her best behaviour throughout and only sneaked out from under the table when the adjacent table were served their meals. She couldn't resist the aroma teasing her nostrils.

The buildings in Ludlow are a mix of the black and white half timbered and the Georgian townhouses. The most impressive street is without doubt, Broad Street. It descends from the Butter Cross towards the river. The single most impressive building is the Feathers Hotel on the Bullring on Corve Street. Grade 1 listed, it was originally built in 1619. The recent multi million pound refit now ensures it is possibly the most photographed building. Wherever you are in the town centre, the Church of St Laurence, looms large. The "Cathedral of the Marches" has a long history and was opened in 1199.

Our time in Shropshire was brief. We were heading home via Tenbury Wells across the border in Worcestershire. The accents were undoubtedly more of the West Midlands slant, as we walked down the main street. "The Town In The Orchard" once had visions of competing with the other major spa towns of the Victorian age, but the plan fell short somewhere along the way. It was hoped that the waters from a well behind the Crow Inn had "healing" powers and the Tenbury Improvement Company was formed to develop the town. The Pump Rooms were constructed on site to a design by James Cranston Esq of Birmingham. He apparently based the design on his own greenhouse, from which I deduce that he had a very strange construction in his own garden. The development of the railways with an extension from Kidderminster, together with the Pump Rooms failed to be the catalyst the Improvement Company had envisaged. The Pump Rooms had fallen into a state of disrepair, but a lottery fund makeover sees them back to their best today.

We walked round to the old market place and the Parish Church beyond. The original Fire Station looked a bit lost next door. I snapped a half timbered old hotel, which was decidedly in a state of decline and not open for business. A local bemoaned the stick in the mud attitude of the Council, who had turned various plans for a renovation by the new owner. "5 years it has been empty and deteriorating", he sighed and wandered off in frustration. The 1937 Regal Cinema round the corner had seen a total makeover and was now looking it's art deco best. There was little else to amuse us and we drove on East. The petrol station on the edge of town was busier than the town centre, as motorists competed on the small forecourt for the most competitively priced fuel seen on our travels. A litre has probably increased 75% since the Covid lockdowns and here we had a small, provincial filling station offering the new liquid gold at 5 pence a litre cheaper than anything closer to the major urban centres. It doesn't make sense and reinforces the profiteering jibes being widely thrown at the major retailers and supermarkets.

We one final stop on the way home. Ludlow and Tenbury Wells sit on the River Teme, but Bewdley lies on the much larger, River Severn. The bridge dates from 1798, built by Thomas Telford. It has survived the power of the waters and many floods, but the extensive defences on either side show the threat is ever present. The high waters used to be a once in 20 year event, but recently it seems to have become an annual event. The most impressive feature of the town is best appreciated from Telford's bridge. The Georgian townhouses line the quayside either side. It was once an active inland port. Today, many are now pubs and restaurants servicing the needs of day trippers from Birmingham and Wolverhampton. We strolled through the free museum on the history of the town and on to the gardens beyond. The entrance was guarded by the town's most famous resident - ex Tory Prime Minster Stanley Baldwin. He was the local Member of Parliament for 30 odd years up to 1937. He gazed down the road towards the river, keeping an eye out for the next flood.

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Photos

Tenbury Wells
Pump Rooms

Tenbury Wells
Regal Cinema

Aymestry
Riverside Inn

Comments

[Rainyb]

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