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Worlds
Away From Bangers And Mash
The Shropshire town of Ludlow has become a
mecca for foodies
It looks like a
typical English pub -- a crooked, half-timbered building with seven polished
wooden tables, antique copper pots, and the obligatory roaring fire. But
there's no warm ale on tap here at the Merchant House. Instead we savor
parsley risotto with English asparagus and wild mushrooms, sautéed scallops
in lentil-and-coriander sauce, and pan-fried veal with foie gras. It's this
kind of earthy, fresh, and generously portioned food that has made British
culinary legends of Merchant House chef Shaun Hill and his adopted home, the
medieval town of Ludlow. No wonder the wait for a weekend dinner reservation
is at least six months.
Today, in addition to its picturesque ruined castle, Ludlow -- about four
hours northwest of London -- boasts three restaurants with Michelin stars:
the Merchant House, Mr. Underhill's at Dinham Weir, and Hibiscus, which even
got a second star in January. No English town except London has more
Michelin eateries.
Why Ludlow? Foodies have been lured by the quality of local livestock and
produce. Indeed, the Shropshire countryside is filled with orchards,
cornfields, and dozens of small, independent dairies and sheep and cattle
farms. Ludlow also owes its success to skyrocketing real estate prices in
other parts of Britain. Chris and Judy Bradley, proprietors of the one-star
Mr. Underhill's, already had a Michelin star at their restaurant in Sussex
in England's pricey Southeast when, six years ago, they decided to move to
Ludlow. "We wanted a place where it was affordable to expand into the
hotel business," says Chris Brady.
As the word about Ludlow's restaurants spread, gourmet pilgrims poured into
the town. They were also drawn by such foodie events as the Magnalonga that
takes place each August. Sponsored by the local tourist board, it's a
six-mile walk through the Shropshire countryside with five stops, each of
which serves one part of a five-course meal. The annual Ludlow Marches Food
& Drink Festival, held each September, offers an ale-and-sausage tour
and lectures such as "From Montezuma to Willy Wonka: 3,000 Years of
Chocolate." Last year, the three-day food fest attracted more than
15,000 tourists -- 5,000 more people than live in the town.
FRENCH ROOTS
Hill's Merchant House is Ludlow's first and most famous restaurant. But
Hibiscus is turning out some of the most innovative food. Chef Claude Bosi,
a 32-year-old wunderkind, trained with master chefs Alain Ducasse and Alain
Passard in Paris -- and with his mother, Yolanda Bosi, at a bistro she used
to run in Lyons. On the menu the day we visited: lamb sweetbreads dusted
with ginger in a pool of eucalyptus milk, roast Dover sole with young leeks,
and pear-glazed cucumber puree, and for dessert, crème brûlée of
Jerusalem artichokes, toasted oats, and caramel ice cream. The prix fixe
lunch runs $46; dinner is $72.
It's a far cry from your typical English Sunday lunch. But that's why almost
450,000 visitors came to Ludlow last year. Food, at long last, has become a
British tourist attraction. -
BUSINESS
WEEK
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