THERE was standing room only at the Assembly Rooms on Monday night when, at the invitation of the Ludlow Civic Society, chef Shaun Hill gave a talk spiced with wit and modesty.

The town now boasts three Michelin-starred restaurants but it was Shaun's foresight and appreciation of what Ludlow had to offer that led him to open The Merchant House nearly a decade ago.

Sean told his audience the basis for Ludlow's reputation was the quality of the local butchers and availability of excellent provisions.

"Small is beautiful" in Ludlow with "chef owners" cooking for relatively small numbers and offering world class food. In turn, they attracted a clientele with an appreciation and pleasure in "good nosh", he said.