'Food is one reason we come every year!' We visited Ludlow to ask: is it really top spot for food?
People who know best can't agree more with the oft-repeated claim that Ludlow is tops for foodies.
Those are the tourists who come back time and again to taste the south Shropshire town which, last weekend, was once again named in the national press as the place to go for food.
This time the Express helped to get the word out that it's the best, and we went out on the streets of Ludlow ourselves to taste some views. The original research was published by travel bods at Which? - but our taste test of views proved the town's reputation hasn't changed.
The streets of the town of Ludlow were filled with people who flocked to the medieval town when the sun finally broke through the clouds on Wednesday. They were joined by the Shropshire Star, who interrupted their chats and enjoyment of ice cream.
Which? said in its report that Ludlow was the only town in the survey to score the full five stars for food.
20 years ago it had three Michelin-starred restaurants, which at the time was more than any other English town or city outside London. Locals well know that it has none today - but the praise keeps coming.
The Which? survey then endorsed a local view that standards overall have, if anything, improved. They said that instead of a handful of high-end eateries there’s a culture of local produce – including great butchers and bakers – as well as numerous pubs and cafés, served by people who care about food. And that's not to mention the local stalls on the market.
In the survey more than 9,000 Which? members rated their favourite inland towns and villages for food and drink. The best, with five stars, was Ludlow, home to fewer than 11,000 people.
French-born Michelle Thomson agrees that it is good but "not as deserved as it was when there was a very famous chef here".
