By Michele

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
05 Jul 2008 14:33

This follows my thread about the Ludlow Food Centre in Bromfield. After we'd finished there, we drove into Ludlow for an hour or so, just to see what else we could ferret back to Birmingham. Ludlow's a great little town, full of lovely little independent shops (and not too many chain stores), in particular some great butchers selling really wonderful fresh meat. We came back with a picked ox tongue ready for boiling, and some lovely oxtail, which I'll keep for a forthcoming dinner party. I also discovered some great cut-price fashion shops, where I picked up some lovely tops for £4 each - and loads of others at extremely affordable prices. Ludlow is, of course, home to a food festival (think it's in September) where they also have a Sausage trail - you go round all the butchers tasting their sausages and then cast your vote at the end of the trail for the one you think is the best. It's a real foodie paradise is Ludlow!

Replies

By gerry

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 11:12

It sounds a bit like Leominster, which I visited some years ago.

By Michele

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 11:45

You'e absolutely rightly, Gerry - and not a million miles away either. There's a great new restaurant there, too, called "La Becasse", which we didn't have time to check out, but we think it's taken over the premises where Shaun Hill used to have his restaurant in Ludlow (Corve Street). Can't remember the name of it.

By gerry

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 12:08

Michele, I stopped going to that lovely area because the cousin who lived there died, aged 52, and her husband a few years later, at 60. There was a delightful rural backwater near Eardisley, called Llanarrow.

By Michele

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 15:05

Hello Gerry, yes it is a lovely part of the world isn't it? In our walking days, we used to go out there a lot - and have done one or two walks around Eardisley, it's lovely - and quite unspoilt, too.

By gerry

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 15:17

Never been to Birmingham - just looked at your profile.

By Michele

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 16:08

Birmingham (despite what a lot of people think) is a lovely vibrant city, a far cry from what it was when we first came here in the early 80s. Loads of places to eat out, of all different cuisines, which is more than can be said way back then. We hardly ever went out to eat because there was just nowhere to go. A different matter now. A lot of it, way back then, was to do with the draconian licensing laws imposed by the city council, and once one particular councillor had gone, the city took off and never looked back. We even have a beach in the city centre in the summer (honestly!), but I doubt whether there will be many people there today! Two football teams (and more if you include all the West Midlands sides. The only thing that upsets us is that although we're the "second city" of the UK, we often seem to have "third city" ambitions. When we first came to Birmingham, "exotic" ingredients for cooking were so hard to find - now it's a lot easier.

By gerry

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 17:00

When I last visited Dublin in the early 70s, a mushroom was "exotic".

By Michele

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
06 Jul 2008 17:05

Same with avocados!

By Sheelagh, Rossett nr Chester

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
07 Jul 2008 14:41

Michele
I LOVE Ludlow - posted a thread on here last year about the Food Festival - and we will definitely be going back to this year's.
I would love to live there!

By chesca

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
07 Jul 2008 19:01

I agree with all you say Michele Birmingham gets better and better particularly the canals area off Broad Street I really like Ludlow too..I have lived in Birmingham all my life....cant see me moving now.......chesca

By Margaret

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
07 Jul 2008 20:27

We go to Ludlow for the Food Festival every September and it's really fun. My OH prefers it to the madness of the NEC Food Show. The atmosphere in Ludlow in September is wonderful with lots of smiling faces. I've noticed a lot of people come from London too.
Birmingham is now great for food - I will second that. Its moved on a lot these days.
I live a 15 minute train journey from B'ham - where I live its pretty pointless going out for a meal because its never that great.

By Michele

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
11 Jul 2008 09:41

Margaret - I absolutely agree with you the Good Food Show at the NEC is absolute madness. We used to go regularly when it first started up there, but then went every other year, and now we don't bother. Even though we live in Birmingham, it's still a real hike over there, and the crowds are just chaotic. It's much, much better in Ludlow, we agree with you.

By Sunlolly

Re: Ludlow Town Centre
17 Jul 2008 09:52

I live in Hereford and Ludlow is not very far at all.
I think we must be spolit around here because I though that LFC was overrated and very expensive. Ludlow is lovely and yes there are some great delis and butchers.
I would really like to take my Husband on a Balti tour in Birmingham but can't seem to find one:(