22 November 2007, 14:46 PM

  • The popular Sunday morning rural affairs programme, Countryfile, is to feature the Ludlow Food Centre this Sunday 25th November, at 11.00am on BBC One.

Managing director, Sandy Boyd, takes presenter, John Craven, on a tour of the 4000sq ft regional food store as he investigates the feasibility of buying all you need for the Christmas dinner table from farmers’ markets and local food outlets.

After learning how the Food Centre not only sources locally but produces many of its best selling lines in-house, thereby reducing food miles to almost nothing, John visits the eight busy kitchens and watches Food Centre staff turn cheese, mix Christmas puddings and boil up freshly picked fruit to make quince jelly. Unable to resist temptation he then buys some Ludlow Food Centre mince pies and Christmas puddings to take home.

Following hot on the heels of the Ludlow Food Centre’s appearance on Radio Four’s Food Programme last month, national interest in the store is gathering momentum with recent reviews in Olive magazine and the Daily Mail. The Centre is currently waiting to hear the regional results of the Best Rural Retailer Awards, in which it was nominated as Best Local Food Store.

Situated on the Earl of Plymouth Estate, the Ludlow Food Centre is home to hundreds of locally produced food and drink lines from the four counties of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Powys and features eight glass-fronted production units making a high quality range of bread, preserves, ice cream and deli items fresh each day.