eatshrewsbury.co.uk provides independent reviews and an interactive food map of Shrewsbury and the surrounding area. We show you where to find farm shops, delicatessens, restaurants, sandwich shops, pubs renowned for serving great food, supermarkets, take-aways, fish and chip shops, coffee shops, tea rooms, butchers, bakers, fishmongers, box schemes, farmers markets and more. We live, work and eat in Shrewsbury, allowing us to give you the definitive guide to the region's food.

Local Food Initiative

10th January 2010

An update on the Campaign for Rural England plans to launch a food map of Shrewsbury. Catherine Webster from West Midlands Regional Food Webs has told us a bit more about the project. They plan to look at the businesses who are retailing local food in Shrewsbury, and then research along the supply chains to find out about the environmental, economic and also social aspects of buying local food. With an overall aim to reconnect people and land through local food by increasing access to fresh, healthy, local food with clear, traceable origins. A public launch meeting will be held on Thursday 18th Feb. Details to follow.

Another eatShrewsbury

30th December 2009

The excellent Taste Shropshire website has announced that, "Shrewsbury has been selected as one of just 24 towns and cities across England to have its food and drink businesses identified and mapped". Led by the Campaign For Rural England and funded by the National Lottery it will create a map of Shrewsbury's local food. Taste Shropshire are well aware of eatShrewsbury's food map of Shrewsbury, so perhaps they are going to do something completely different. We will watch with interest and hope they are not spending lottery money on creating something that already exists.

Christmas Dinner from space

12th November 2009

We are cooking up a grand scheme for a large family Christmas feast, catering for vegetarians and omnivores, and would like to source as many ingredients as possible from Shropshire. It has been a bad parsnip and carrot year on the allotment, though we may be lucky and get some red and green sprouts. Pigs in blankets have already been requested and we are thinking some Wenlock Edge Farm bacon and some British Lop sausages from Pigs in Clover. And as a change from the usual turkey, we wondered about goose.

While researching where to source goose in Shropshire we came across Brisbourne's free range geese, located near Nesscliffe, just north of Shrewsbury. With no map on their website as a guide we turned to the aerial photography on the two popular search engines and were amused to be able to spot what must be the Brisbourne Geese from several thousand feet up. Here and here. We are even wondering whether the image taken by satellite shows up some white pixels which may be the geese. So it is a myth that you can see the Great Wall of China from space, but you may be able to see a flock of Brisbourne geese!

Sausages!

28th October 2009

Pigs in Clover the rare breed pig farm out near Cardeston are holding a sausage tasting event at The Bellstone in Shrewsbury from 6pm on Tuesday 3rd November. The event coincides with British Sausage Week and money raised will go to the Rare Breeds Survival Trust.

The evening takes the form of a blind tasting where lots of sausages are numbered and a £2 voting card allows you to taste and vote for your favourite sausages. Most of the sausages will be made from rare breed pigs, with a couple of supermarket bangers thrown in to try to catch you out. Winning sausage will be announced at 8pm. The Bellstone are taking dinner bookings now 01743 242100 and will be serving dishes made with rare breed pork accompanied by discounted ales and ciders. Everyone welcome.

More Bread

20th October 2009

Have you been to Shrewsbury Bakehouse on Castle Gates yet? Almost opposite the entrance to the railway station, this place has the most amazing freshly baked breads. And as of today, they are open two extra days a week! You can now visit them from Tuesday to Saturday and enjoy sourdoughs in combinations such as beetroot and feta, pumpkin, harissa and mint. Sign up for their twitter feed if you want to keep an eye on the daily specials.

Get yourself over to: Shrewsbury Bakehouse

Catering Companies

17th October 2009

We tend to discover new food businesses in waves. For example, we'll not have a cheese producer for months, then we'll get two or three within days. Most recently we have discovered quite a number of catering companies. What is the collective noun for a group of caterers? A compote of caterers? We decided to give them their own category on the map. Whether you are looking for somebody to deliver restaurant quality food at your wedding venue, a selection of sandwiches and cakes to help you get through that big business meeting, or a barbecue or hog roast at a family gathering of any size, this lot should just about cover it.

Take a look at: Caterers in Shropshire

New Food in Shrewsbury

6th October 2009

Great to see a handful of new food businesses opening in Shrewsbury in recent weeks! We have Plat du Jour on Fish Street bringing us a taste of France, directly opposite them at the bottom of Bear Steps is Jabulani offering a variety of South African Foods. And now the building on Victoria Quay that brought us Est Est Est and Grazia, is opening today as Romolo Restaurant and Cocktail Bar.

Shropshire Goats Cheese

2nd October 2009

Sarah from Brockhall Farm has been in contact to let us know about her artisan Goat Cheese, now being produced on her farm at Chelmarsh near Bridgnorth. Because the goats and the cheese are produced on the kept and produced on the farm they are talking food metres, not miles. The goats are free range and are pedigree Pure Saanens.

Read the full interview: Shropshire Goats Cheese

Fareground Antipasti and Gourmet Foods

2nd October 2009

We first heard about Fareground's antipasti style foods through twitter and first tasted their harissa which was baked into some bread from Shrewsbury Bakehouse. We decided to find out more about what Fareground has to offer us in Shropshire...

Read the full interview here: Fareground Antipasti

Scores on the Doors

27th September 2009

Shropshire has a proud food culture, with a vast range of local producers who give us privileged access to the kind of fresh food that would make the rest of the United Kingdom jealous. However, it is not all good news. Worryingly, in one key food area we are being left behind by the rest of the country...

More about Shropshire Food Safety

The Foodies Children's Books

26th September 2009

Take a look at these fantastic books for children: www.thefoodies.org. They are a series of twelve short stories, all beautifully written and illustrated, telling the tale of fruit and vegetable characters and their adventures through each month of the year. We've bought the series and our favourite character is little parsnip who wakes up to a snowy day. This quote from their website sums it up perfectly, "My three year old daughter absolutely adores the books. When she grows up she wants to be a pumpkin!". If you like food and you have young children then these books are a must have. The Author's name is Joanne Roach and she lives just outside Ludlow.

Organic Box Schemes

20th September 2009

Anyone who 'grows their own' vegetables know how much better they taste than those you buy from the supermarket. But with allotment space at a premium and not everyone fortunate enough to have a large garden, getting your hands on good quality organic vegetables may seem a difficult proposition. That is where your local box scheme can help. A lot of people seem to have the misconception that vegetable box schemes are expensive. If you are used to paying supermarket prices, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Get fantastic fresh Shropshire produce delivered straight to your door. Here is a round up of the best fruit, vegetable, meat and fish box schemes the county has to offer.

More about Box Schemes in Shropshire

A taste of France at Le Plat du Jour

9th September 2009

Opposite Bear Steps on Fish Street, Shrewsbury, a French delicatessen opened for business today. The owners will be increasing their range over the coming weeks to include French Cheeses and other delights from across the channel.

More information and contact details: French Deli Shrewsbury

Real Ale Shropshire

7th September 2009

This feature is about Real Ale or Cask Ale production in Shrewsbury and Shropshire. There are quite a number of excellent independent, breweries in the county and they deserve some recognition for the excellent Shropshire beers they produce. Anyone who has enjoyed a pint of Cleric's Cure from Bishops Castle's Three Tuns brewery, the oldest working brewery in Britain, or Hobson's Mild, from the Hobson Brewery in Cleobury Mortimer, which was voted best beer in Britain in 2007 by CAMRA, will heartily agree. Even among the smaller microbreweries there are some excellent local ales to be sampled. We even have our very own Real Ale breweries, right here in Shrewsbury.

More about Shropshire Real Ale

Shrewsbury Market Hall

13th August 2009

The Market Hall at Shrewsbury is a fantastic place to buy your fresh fruit, vegetables and meat from local producers. Shrewsbury has been a thriving market town for centuries, with the original market taking place below the Old Market Hall. By 1965 the market had moved to its present location in the new Market Hall and operated as a pannier market until 2003 when it was modernised to create more space. The market stall holders are a friendly and knowledgeable bunch and between them offer some of the best locally produced Shropshire food. If you live or work in town, why not make the market part of your weekly routine. Opens most days of the week.

More about Shrewsbury Market Hall

Local Food Festivals

12th August 2009

A great way to sample a range of the fantastic produce that Shropshire has to offer is to visit one of the county's many annual food fairs. Online ordering and the availability of produce through farm shops and cooperatives gives people in towns and cities easier access to 'rural food'. Many of the quality producers listed on our map are well worth a journey to visit, but when they all come together at one of the local food festivals, you really do have the opportunity to sample Shropshire on a plate! In this article you will find the pick of the 2009 Shropshire Food Festivals, as well as a small handful of the best events from our friendly neighbours in Powys, Cheshire and Herefordshire.

More about Shropshire Food Festivals 2009