LOCAL TO LUDLOW MARKET

On my way to Ludlow this morning I called in at my local butcher, Doug Griffiths of Leintwardine to order 56 lbs of his "pet mince" with which to feed my pride of Ginger Cats and all the local felines who've discovered this source of fresh meat without the bother of hanging around a rat hole for hours on end.  Opposite his shop is a strip of raised grass verge with some old tree-stump remains, beside which was a carpet of funghi.  I took this photograph in the hope of meeting someone who'd tell me if I should pick and eat........

Ludlow today was holding the bi-monthly local farmers' market which is so called, "The Local To Ludlow Market".  Self-explanatory, really.  I love this time of year with the cross-over from autumn to winter and always make a bee-line for the vegetable and fruit stalls, of which there are few.  My first port of call is often the first I see or as, of today, I smell.

The scents of the quinces waft through the narrow lanes leading to the market square, luring me siren-like to unmistakable smell of ripening fruit.  How I love these misshapen golden orbs which will transform a humble apple pie, create a glorious autumn tart and render into jewel-like jellies to serve with winter game and cheese.....These quince are from Old Sandlin Fruit Farm near Malvern, stalwarts of the Ludlow Market and from whom you can buy apples and pears almost until the next season's is ready
 Bearing in mind I'm running a Non-meat Cooking Day this Saturday I was on the look out for fresh vegetables other than those Henry will give me from Lower Buckton's garden.  I struck gold at "Roots at Rushwick", organic farmers with a passion for their craft.  I quickly filled my basket with bunches of beetroot still with their stalks and leaves attached (more of those later), bundles of Tuscan black cabbage & Russian spinach plus some pack choi.  After chatting away with Will for sometime he eventually offered me his "under the table" special.  These were certainly not on show!  Imagine my delight on being offered bags of cannellini beans still in the pod.  Part of the pleasure of visiting your local farmers' market is strolling around, meeting and chatting with friends, showing them your purchases and sharing the delights of what you've bought and from whom.  Luckily, when I bumped into my friend Lesley Mackley and found her coveting my cannellini, there were some left for her to buy.  We were lucky indeed because Will had brought them in for my fellow Terra Madre cook Clive, down at the Green Cafe on Dinham's Millenium Green.  Clive has a fab daytime cafe which serves simple food, beautifully prepared and cooked with style and panache.  It's good news for we in and around Ludlow that his first evening opening is tomorrow and his second will be for a Slow Food Terra Madre event on Thursday 10 December.sSome Staffordshire oatcakes from fellow Twitterer @Fareground caught my eye.   Shall use them on Saturday and fill them with a delicious vegetable and green salad mixture....... although I liked the sound of his bacon/cheese suggestions......

I also bought a fresh, young round of Welsh goats' cheese, some Gilly flowers which I may get round to planting in the old trough by the entrance to Lower Buckton plus a huge bag of fresh walnuts from Augernik Farm which is just outside of Ludlow. Shall make a parsley paste using these and some of Lightwood's Little Urn cheese which I bought at Mark's Mouse Trap shop in Church Street.  Pictured above is Mark in his shop thinking of a £number£ to write on my account!

I paid a visit to the Tickmore Farm girls to order more of their delicious, home-pressed apple juice.  Ruth and Judith specialise in pressing apples collected from traditional, unsprayed local orchards.  Their small-holding is just south of Ludlow on Brimfield Common where they make wonderful hay and keep sheep.   As for the funghi photographed above....... the delightful Guy from Romy cuisine, on being shown the picture on my camera pronounced them "Not for eating.  Non!"!

Down to Clive's to pay for Terra Madre dinner tickets and I couldn't resist staying for some lunch and a chat....... Delicious leek and rosemary soup with homemade soda bread.  His lively cafe is beside the River Teme in a restored mill building on the site of the old swimming pool.  Obviously the mill-site is heaps older than the pool-site but I do have loads of memories of sunny days spent splashing about in the pool and scrabbling about on the river bank beside the mill-race and weir netting water-creatures into jam-jars tied with string as carrying handles.