Last weekend (Friday 31st January to Sunday 2nd February) breakfasters were out and about to enjoy what was on offer at this year’s Ledbury Big Breakfast.
Becoming a “traditional Ledbury event”, we celebrated in winter weather far better than Ledbury has recently experienced.
Eggs Benedict at the Seven Stars
17 Venues in Ledbury and district took part this time and most venues reported good business – a blessing for the many small businesses joining the event at a difficult time of year.
Dishes on offer for a sit-down breakfast stretched from the full English Breakfast through eggs in many ways, smashed avocado, banana pancakes, purple toast, kippers, Shakshuka and so much more. What did you enjoy?
Dave Waller with the Pinwheel Sausage
Both butchers in town – Gurneys and Wallers – created special breakfast products, and on the Friday, the Country Market served cooked breakfasts at the Burgage Hall. Local Produce to buy for a breakfast at home also featured at a well-supported Hellens Produce Market on the Saturday, and from our delis in town – Ceci Paolo and Handley Organics.
Ledbury Community Hub added to the celebrations for the first time with a Boozy Brunch and Bingo on Sunday at the Hub.
High sheriff and Mayor visit Shell House Kitchen
The High Sheriff of Herefordshire Patricia Churchward joined the Town Mayor of Ledbury Councillor Stephen Chowns, County Councillor Liz Harvey, local resident Nat Hone, The Town Clerk and members of Ledbury Food Group for breakfast to launch the event. The High Sheriff and the Mayor then visited a number of businesses taking part. They also visited the Ledbury Food Bank to learn how this initiative supports those in need in and around Ledbury.
Preparing Sandwiches at Blooms
Our thanks to all the businesses who made this year’s Ledbury Big Breakfast another great success – showing off the quality and variety of Ledbury and district’s local food offering. Thanks too to all who supported the businesses taking part by coming out and finding your breakfast.
Smiles after a busy breakfast at Trumpet Tearoom
Lastly, our apologies to those who were not able to get their first choice on Saturday – sadly there is a limit to capacity in town for this popular event.
Your Feedback is welcome at ask@ledburyfoodgroup.com.
Join us for Ledbury’s Celebration of Breakfast over the weekend of Friday 31st January, Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February – the 13th Ledbury Big Breakfast
17 local venues in and around Ledbury are taking part on one or more days in this event organised by Ledbury Food Group to celebrate our local food and drink producers and retailers and a healthy breakfast. The event takes place at cafes, pubs, hotels, butchers and delis in and around Ledbury.
Traditional Breakfast at Trumpet Tearoom
There is lots of choice from the lightest to the heaviest breakfast showing the ingenuity of our local food venues – check through the listing below for something to sample, savour and enjoy
Visit our butchers – Gurneys and Wallers – to discover their breakfast delights for you to take home and enjoy.
Our delis will feature a wide range of local produce to take home to make a special breakfast.
The Country Market at St Katherine’s Hall on Friday will have lots of local produce for sale for your breakfast at home, as will Hellens Produce Market at Hellens Manor on Saturday. Both will be serving breakfasts this year.
Things get very busy on the Saturday morning – if you see something or somewhere you fancy, please book in advance where possible to avoid disappointment. More places now offer breakfasts on Sunday.
Please note that Janey’s and the New Market Café are not able to participate this year.
See below for full details of what specials are available, where and when – many venues will also offer their normal breakfast menu. A number offer vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options. Times are when breakfasts will be available.
The full listing of special offerings – what, where and when?
Based on information provided by the participants. Many will also have their usual breakfast offerings available and will be open during their normal hours.
Want to know more about “sustainable” farming – see the film “Six Inches of Soil” in Ledbury on 27th January
Come and join us for an evening of learning and discussion at Burgage Hall in Ledbury hosted by the Herefordshire Food Alliance, Sustainable Ledbury and Ledbury Food Group.
We will be screening the thought-provoking film “Six Inches of Soil”
This will be followed by an engaging Q&A session with local farmers and growers.
This event is a great opportunity to delve into the world of sustainable agriculture and the importance of healthy soil.
We will also be hearing about the challenges faced by farmers and growers in adopting new management approaches and what support they need on local and national levels.
Ticket includes a light buffet of local food. Teas and coffees also available on the night.
Event Details
When? Monday 27 January 2025
Time? 6pm – refreshments
6.30pm – film showing
8pm – refreshment break
8.30pm – Questions and Answers
Where? Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury, HR8 1DW
Parking? Town Centre Public Car Parks – Free after 6pm
Booking? Admission by Ticket – cost £5 (including refreshments)
Helping Others? We will be collecting donations for Ledbury Food Bank at this event. Your help will be very much appreciated!
Details about this year’s Ledbury Big Breakfast – Friday 31st January and Saturday and Sunday 1st and 2nd of February – will be available on this website from mid-January
One of Ledbury’s popular events – the Ledbury Big Breakfast – is taking place over Friday 31st January, Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February 2025.
Annie at the Aga at the Trumpet Tearoom
Local shops, cafes, hotels and other food outlets in and around Ledbury are challenged to come up with special breakfast offerings for you featuring locally produced food to brighten a winter’s day.
Breakfasts can be big or small, traditional or newly invented, to be enjoyed in our local eating places or taken home for enjoyment. Many venues will provide vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options – please check with them.
Last year you could have savoured Hot Breakfast Sandwiches, American Pancakes, Devilled Kidneys, Bacon Rolls, Eggs Royale, Benedict or Florentine, French Toast and Caramelised Bananas, a Pancake Tower, Bacon Rolls, Huevos Rancheros, Smoked Salmon, Brioche Butties, Porridge Brulé, local breads and cheese and, of course the traditional English Breakfast in all sizes and variations.
Local butchers, delicatessens and the Country Market will feature local produce for you to take home – and perhaps some breakfast specials for the event!
Granola served by Izzy at the Nest.
The Big Breakfast brings cheer at the darkest time of the year, with a positive message about the qualities of our local produce and food offerings. We also celebrate the importance – and on this occasion pleasure – of starting the day with a satisfying breakfast.
Why not use the event as an opportunity to go out with your neighbours, friends or colleagues?
Full details of all our businesses taking part, their special offerings and which days these will be on sale will be available on this websitefrom mid-January.
Things can be busy particularly on the Saturday – many venues will take reservations to make things easier. A number will be now open on the Sunday.
Put a note in your diary to enjoy a scrumptious Ledbury breakfast, and please also help Ledbury Food Bank if you can. Find out how at www.ledburyfoodbank.org.
The Conversation – We promised to come back to you with the conclusions of an exciting session we held with Herefordshire Food Alliance and Sustainable Ledbury in June as part of the National Food Conversation and Ledbury’s Great Big Green Week.
A well filled Burgage Hall enjoyed a hearty snack of 100% Herefordshire soup, local cheeses, bread and chutneys put us in the mood. We then got stuck in to conversation about our food system. A video set the scene and we then heard from two local producers about where they are in the ‘food system’.
What do people want? Well, after looking at many things working, and not working about food right now it was pretty hard to whittle down the very many thoughts in the room but a few themes seemed to run across all the tables and chats.
Policy change – regulating ultra processed foods, and supporting both independent and local food production. But a clear call for policy to be co-created by ALL of us!
Education – for everyone, really, but some talk of schools and also examples of where this is going well locally.
Change in supermarket practices – people shared stories of farmers being let down on crops, and prices they’re paid being too low – with a suggestion that changing their practices is something that customers do have some control over.Thanks to everyone who contributed to the conversation – we all learned something from the evening. Special thanks to Herefordshire Food Alliance for moderating the evening.
What’s next?
We talked in June about how our food is grown and the fertility of the soil.
We are taking this theme further with a showing of the film “Six Inches of Soil” on the evening of 27th January at the Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury with partners Herefordshire Food Alliance and Sustainable Ledbury.
This film tells story of remarkable farmers, communities, small businesses, chefs and entrepreneurs who are leading the way using ‘regenerative’ farming techniques that work in harmony with, rather than against nature. It focuses on local food systems and shorter supply chains.
There will be plenty of opportunity to follow up on the themes of the film with questions and discussion.
Further details of this evening event will be posted nearer the event.
And also for your diary…
The Ledbury Big Breakfast will take place in and around Ledbury over the weekend Friday 31st January, Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd February. Full details of participants and their offerings will be available here from mid-January.
Cider presses are gearing up for action in this corner of Herefordshire, and Big Apple venues are standing by to welcome you to the Marcle Ridge on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th October. The apple harvest will be in full swing – no matter which way you turn around Much Marcle, apples are everywhere! Not to mention pears – perry pears of course.
Eight familiar Big Apple venues, including Woodredding, Lyne Down, Hellens, Gregg’s Pit and Awnells Farm, alongside Westons Cider with their new sales area and tasting room, will be welcoming visitors to enjoy the orchards, see, hear and smell cider being made and taste many different varieties of apples, local ciders, perries and apple juices. And don’t miss apple teas at the Memorial Hall!
This year’s highlights include:
Giving a hand to press perry pears from the ancient avenue at Hellens Manor
Wheeling along with the Big Apple Bike Ride
Tasting ‘Five cheeses, four ciders and a perry’ hosted by Brian and Fran Robbins at Woodredding, with Dean Storey of Monkland Cheesemakers
Sessions on practical aspects of planting and pruning apple trees led by orchardist Martin Hayes
The chance to buy refurbished garden tools from Tools for Self Reliance Cymru
A talk from agronomist Matt Greep describing the ‘Friends and foes of an apple orchard’ – a ‘must’ for those who like to do things for themselves
Adam Wells talking about his recent book ‘Perry: a Drinker’s Guide’ alongside tastings of five Herefordshire perries
Gregg’s Pit offering a tutored tasting of three vintages of their single variety Thorn champagne perry.
There will be tasty food offers to tempt you and musical interludes including Ciderkin Session, Ross Folk Choir, Leominster Morris, Gidderskins and Blackthorn Ritualistic Folk are to be found in and around the different orchards.
Full details of venues including locations, parking, special events and advance booking (where required), can be found at https://www.bigapple.org.uk/harvestime/.
Once again, a tractor and trailer service will run between Westons and Awnells Farm, and the 232 Daffodil Line bus will provide a regular connection between Much Marcle and Ledbury, Newent and Ross-on-Wye.
The Big Apple is delighted to be working alongside others this year to place apples right at the heart of Herefordshire under the umbrella of Hereford AppleFest.
Information provided to us by The Big Apple Association.
We are holding our AGM on Monday 12th August at 6.00pm at the Market House, High Street. Ledbury (upstairs).
You will be most welcome to join us for this important event. It’s an opportunity to find out who we are and meet the new committee for the year 2024/25.
We are always open to new ideas to support our aims of encouraging local food and drink production and retail.
Access the following papers for the meeting via the links:
We are hoping to provide Zoom access to this meeting.
…and an Apology
We apologise that due to technical problems our website has not been available for the last few weeks. The problems are now resolved.
Because of the problem, you may not have seen the blog on July’s successful Ledbury Celebration event – this is now available at Ledbury Celebration Beats The Weather.
Eight familiar Big Apple venues, including Woodredding, Lyne Down, Hellens, Gregg’s Pit and Awnells Farm, alongside Westons Cider with their new sales area and tasting room, will be welcoming visitors to enjoy the orchards, see, hear and smell cider being made and taste many different varieties of apples, local ciders, perries and apple juices. And don’t miss apple teas at the Memorial Hall! 
The Big Apple is delighted to be working alongside others this year to place apples right at the heart of Herefordshire under the umbrella of