Ludlow has had numerous mentions in this blog already, it's in a lovely area full of artisan food producers. Local to Ludlow organises the Ludlow Local Produce Market and promotes food and drink produced within 30 miles of the town. This weekend it's organised Get Closer Open Days - an opportunity to visit some of these producers (some of which are not normally open to the public).My first visit was to Forest Pig Charcuterie. It was great to see pigs wallowing:
Jeremy and Sally Levell only raise a small number of rare breed pigs, like these large blacks:
The older pigs live in the Wyre Forest and I believe have very happy lives.
We learnt how they made their fantastic salami:
with fantastic flavours like Fennel and Spiced walnut:
Their air dried pork loin cured with black pepper and juniper berry:
is (in my opinion) better than the finest Parma or Serrano ham. They're not normally open to the public, but you can buy from shops featured in this blog (see
here for details) or online.
Forest Pig Charcuterie
My next visit was to Kim and Rob Hurst's
The Cottage Herbery, another business not normally open to the public - apart from special
events:
I'd heard Kim talk about herbs, and their culinary uses, some years ago at Ludlow Food Festival.
She's very knowledgeable and enjoys finding and growing rare and unusual plants like African blue basil, buckler leaf sorrel and myoga ginger.
I bought some Good King Henry:
Which is a cut and come again perennial spinach type herb, which once was more widely grown. Kim told me the flowers are also eddible and could be an alternative to asparagus.
I'm going to grow their cut and come again salad leaf mix:
with Greek cress, curled and French parsley, tree spinach, chervil, corn salad, 2 sorts of rocket, bulls blood beet and other baby salad leaves besides.
You'll think ordinary strawberries are tasteless, after trying their wild strawberries:
Kim's enthusiasm is infectious so I ended up buying quite a few other plants!
The Cottage Herbery
Augernik Fruit Farm is at Hopton Wafers, - a South Shropshire village where I worked on a farm for a year as a teenager.
The Auger family produce fruit and nuts without any artificial inputs or chemicals so their produce may not win awards in supermarket beauty contests, but does taste good.
Sadly the cherries were over, but they had plenty of gooseberries and I picked some blueberries
to go with my gooseberries.
Augernik Fruit Farm
Hopton Wafers
Cleobury Mortimer
Kidderminster
Shropshire
DY14 0HH
My final visit was to Mahorall Farm Cider:
Your sat nav is unlikely to find this farm, so check here for details on how to get there. Their cider is made from 100% pure apple juice and fermented by wild natural yeast. You can buy their cider from the barrel or in bottles:
They're keen on conservation on this farm and there's also a nature trail on the farm.
Mahorall Farm Cider
Nash
Ludlow
Shropshire
SY8 3AH
Tel: 01584 890296
Mobile: 07977811626
I really enjoyed this event, and was sorry that I couldn't visit all 21 venues. It's great to meet the producers, who are all clearly passionate about what they do, and taste and buy their fantastic produce.
