Wild about… local food & The Big Breakfast 2024

News about two food events…

Wild about…local food

We will be at Ledbury Saturday Market on 18^th November between 9am and 1pm featuring three local producers and their wares, free fresh soup and soup recipes – great food for the Autumn – and information about the Ledbury Food Bank.

Come along and meet our producers:

Dragon Orchard – fruit and preserves
Skittery Apple Juice – you may know them as Jus
Little Marcle Organic Produce – local fruit and veg producer/supplier

And enjoy Ledbury Market.

With support from Ledbury Town Council.

Ledbury Big Breakfast 2024 – dates announced!

This popular event will next take place over the weekend of Friday 2^nd, Saturday 3^rd and Sunday 4^th February 2024.

Local shops, cafes, hotels and other food outlets are challenged to come up with special breakfast offerings featuring locally produced food to brighten a winter’s day.

We hope that 15 to 20 local Ledbury and district food outlets will join this event.

Breakfasts can be big or small, traditional or newly invented to be enjoyed in our local eating places or taken home for enjoyment. Many outlets will provide vegan, vegetable and gluten free options.

The event lightens the darkest time of the year, with a positive message about the qualities of our local produce and food offerings and the importance – and on this occasion pleasure – of starting the day with a satisfying breakfast.

Full details of those taking part, their special offerings and which days these will be on sale will be available on this website from mid-January.

The event is a bit later this year to give more time for making the arrangements.

Put the dates in your diary (or calendar function).

Images from 2023’s event:

October 5, 2023December 17, 2024

Apples are big in Much Marcle! Harvestime is here…

Cider presses are gearing up for action in this corner of Herefordshire, and Big Apple venues are standing by to welcome visitors to the Marcle Ridge on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th October.

The apple harvest will be in full swing – no matter which way you turn in Much Marcle, apples are everywhere! Not to mention pears – perry pears of course.

Nine familiar Big Apple venues, including Woodredding, Lyne Down, Pope’s Perry, Hellens, Gregg’s Pit and Awnells Farm, alongside regular attractions at Westons Cider, are waiting to welcome 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:

The ever popular ‘high-altitude’ tutored cider tastings on the Marcle Ridge
Giving a hand to press perry pears from the ancient avenue at Hellens Manor
Wheeling along with the Big Apple Bike Ride.
The National Fruit Show Education Team making their first visit, tickling taste buds with an apple challenge at Hellens.
Practical sessions on tool sharpening, the chance to buy refurbished garden tools and a talk from agronomist Matt Greep on apple pests and diseases – a ‘must’ for those who like to do things for themselves
Bill Laws sharing some of the pomological secrets behind his forthcoming book about the Herefordshire Pomona.
Tasty food offers and musical interludes including Uke Can’t Be Serious and Leominster Morris will be found in and around the orchards.

Full details of venues and special events, and advance booking where required, can be found at https://www.bigapple.org.uk/harvestime/

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.

September 26, 2023December 17, 2024

More than just an orchard

LEDBURY & DISTRICT CIVIC SOCIETY

Friday, 29 September, 2023, 7.30pm

Welcome to our exciting new season of Friday evening talks which start with

More than just an orchard…

A talk by Norman Stanier at the Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury

Fruit Growing is deeply ingrained in the Herefordshire psyche and nowhere more than in the Parish of Putley, just four miles from Ledbury. Norman Stanier was born and raised there in a four-generation household in the late 40s into a long line of fruit growers. His talk traces the story of his family and of the importance of this crop to the county, its culture and character.

All talks are open to the public. Members free, visitors £5 per person.

September 20, 2023December 17, 2024

Go Gleaning with Sustainable Ledbury this October

Sustainable Ledbury has been involved in setting up a fruit gleaning project with Herefordshire Food Alliance. The aim is to make use of fruit which is not harvested for various reasons. There are two locations for the project, one Ledbury based and one Hereford based. Details are as follows.

1st October – Ledbury picking day 11am – 3pm. Sites in and around Ledbury to be confirmed.

6th October – Hereford Picking day, Lower House Farm, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust reserve near Cock of Tupsley, HR1 1UT. 11am – 3pm

8th October – Ledbury preserving and community cooking day, preserving the harvest for Ledbury Food Bank at Pot and Page community hub, New Street 11am – 3pm

14th October – Hereford preserving and community cooking day at the Living Room, 10 Commercial Road, HR1 2BB 11am – 3pm

Lunch will be provided on each day. Please bring your own mug for soup on the picking days as there won’t be kitchen facilities available!

Transport to venues:

Transport will be provided from Ledbury to go to the picking locations away from the town.

Lower House Farm Orchard, Hereford is accessible by public transport with the 420, 469 and 476 from Hereford bus station stopping at the Cock of Tupsley pub, a 10 minute walk from the orchard. There is also a car park for those coming by car. The Hereford community bus may be available for those without transport and to bring the apples back to the Living Room in the afternoon.

The preserving and cooking days are in central town or city locations and they encourage the use of public transport where possible. However there are large car parks nearby if coming by car.

Please contact Ruth Pullan 07951 399176 or ruthpullan@hotmail.co.uk to register as a volunteer. The organisers need to know numbers so they can make arrangements for refreshments on each day and to have enough equipment available.

If you have spare fruit, particularly near Ledbury, then this could be picked on the 1st October if a large quantity, or you can bring smaller amounts to Pot and Page on the 8^th October.

These promise to be fun events which will also help the community. The produce from the Ledbury is destined to go to the Ledbury Food Bank. Thanks to a grant obtained by HFA, they have a new freezer.

If you know of anyone who might be interested, please share this information with them.

September 4, 2023December 17, 2024

Great Taste Awards 2023 – local producers recognised

Congratulations to local producers whose efforts have been rewarded in this year’s Great Taste Awards.

Local to Ledbury” producers include:

Willys from Little Marcle for their apple cider vinegars and Kimchi – 5 Awards
Myrtle’s Kitchen for her Philpott’s Chilli Jam and BrineSalt, Lemon, Myrtle and Thyme Seasoning
Just Rachel Deserts from the Hop Pocket for their Vegan Passion Fruit Ice Cream and Raspberry Sorbet

From the wider area of Herefordshire:

Twigs and Dough for their special pasta
White Heron for their British Cassis
Oakchurch Farm Shop (A438 west of Hereford) – 7 awards including for steaks, pies and sorbet
Gun Dog Gin for their fruit liquors – 2 awards
Pip’s Cider for their ciders – 4 awards
Hedonist Bakery for their bakery products – 3 awards
Two Farmers for Woodland Mushroom and Wild Garlic Potato Crisps
Broadfield Court Farm for their Whole Moo World milk – now available at vending machines in the county
Woofys Brewery – 2 awards for ale and porter
Black Mountain Roast for their Expresso Blend Coffee
Wild by Nature for their Grass Fed Beef Snacking Salami
Herefordshire Sauce for their Herefordsfire Sauce (stocked at the Nest)

And from just over the border in Worcestershire, McNeil’s Smokehouse have won a number of awards for their smoked fish products.

Go to https://greattasteawards.co.uk/results/ for more details and in many cases to links to stockists including local shops and farm shop outlets.

August 7, 2023December 17, 2024

Life on an Organic Dairy Farm…an Invitation

Sustainable Ledbury invite you to learn about the experiences of a modern-day dairy farmer in a talk on Monday 21^st August.

Farming is going through challenging times and dairy farming is no exception. Join us to hear more from Claire Howlett.

In 2018, she and her brother Daniel, were awarded the Organic Milk Suppliers’ Cooperative’s (OMSCo’s) Farm of the Year.

Claire will be talking about life on the farm and will be happy to take questions. Their farm is powered by renewable energy, the cows are grass fed and there are areas for wildlife.

Claire will be bringing their Halloumi style cheese, Apple Juice and Apple Jam to sell.

Admission is free with donations welcome towards the cost of the hire of the hall

Date: Monday 21st August

Time: 6.30 p.m.

Place: The Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury

Nearest Car Park: St Katherine’s, Bye Street, HR8 2AB – Free after 6pm

sustainableledbury@gmail.com www.sustainableledbury.co.uk

July 31, 2023December 17, 2024

A Joyful Ledbury Celebration!

If you came to the Ledbury Celebration on Sunday 9th July many thanks for coming and supporting the event – we were pleased to see you!

If you were not able to come this is what went on…

The weather was kind for The Ledbury Celebration last Sunday (9th July), Ledbury’s celebration of the local food and drink of Herefordshire and its neighbouring counties with an added menu of music, poetry and our historic heritage on the last day of the Ledbury Poetry Festival.

Held in historic St Katherine’s, Ledbury, the event featured 18 local food and drink producers selling both street-food to enjoy on the spot and specialities to take home. Trade was good thanks to the support of those who came to the event. New this year amongst the mix of street-food were “Afghan Pizzas” created by a local Afghan refugee family.

The entertainment “menu” included poets Emma Clowsley and Chloe Jacquet, and several youngsters nurtured by Ledbury Poetry. Beth Calverley’s magical Poetry Machine spent the afternoon creating intimate poems on demand.

The musical menu featured Four Crying Out Loud – Ledbury’s own fisherman’s quartet, George Montague, guitarist and singer/songwriter, The Hey Yahs reviving old classics and The Rohans mixing musical genres.

The Town Mayor of Ledbury, Councillor Helen I’Anson, visited the event and met many of the stall holders.

A raffle of prizes generously donated by local businesses raised £115 for Ledbury Food Bank.

The day was brought to a colourful close by Ledbury Border Morris who demonstrated five traditional dances – and then it rained!

This event was a partnership between Ledbury Food Group, Ledbury Poetry, and Ledbury Town Council.

Please provide us with your feedback at ask@ledburyfoodgroup.org

See pictures from the event below…