Brimfield Restaurant Guide

2024 Review: “Interesting and well-prepared local food” – “now with a Middle Eastern influence” – is on the menu at this idyllic spot from the four Crouch brothers, aka the CSONS. “The pleasure of dining here is derived not just from the good food but also the location at Dirham Weir, beside the River Teme, with wildlife to watch and even the chance of spotting an otter”.

This “wonderful little restaurant” from Olivier & Lynette Bossut in the middle of Ludlow offers a “very Gallic atmosphere”, with “perfectly judged blue-and-white decor”, and “food that’s utterly delicious in the most rustic of ways” – including possibly “the best French onion soup you’ll find anywhere this side of La Manche”. Their spin-off café next door, Marmelade, closed down in autumn 2024.

Chef-patron Wayne Smith “continues to fly the flag for fine dining in Ludlow even if the town’s once-unassailable place as a food lover’s site of pilgrimage has now entered into history”, following the departure of high profile chefs such as Claude Bosi and Will Holland, both of whom operated Hibiscus and La Becasse respectively from these very premises: “a period building with panelled walls and a courtyard close to the town centre”. Smith’s focus is on “traditional but fine dishes using excellent local ingredients” including, appropriately, Mortimer Forest venison (“the Herefordshire beef never fails to delight”, too).