Restaurant in Ludlow, United Kingdom
Serious cooking, strong value, book ahead.
A Michelin Plate holder in 2024 and 2025, Mortimers is the most technically accomplished restaurant in Ludlow. Chef Wayne Smith's classically rooted Modern British cooking — built on a CV that includes Pierre Koffmann and Tom Aikens — is served in a formally dressed 16th-century townhouse on Corve Street. At £££, the tasting menu offers genuine value; the three-course carte is the smarter call at lunch.
Mortimers is the right booking for a serious meal in Ludlow. A Michelin Plate holder in both 2024 and 2025, with a Google rating of 4.7 from 171 reviews, this 16th-century townhouse on Corve Street delivers classically rooted Modern British cooking at £££ pricing — firmly in the territory where the tasting menu needs to earn its place. It does. If you are travelling to Ludlow specifically for the food, book here first. If you want something more casual or less formal, Charlton Arms is the better call.
The building has accumulated more culinary history than most restaurants manage in several lifetimes. Claude Bosi, now of Bibendum in London, opened his first Hibiscus in this listed townhouse. Will Holland followed, running it as La Bécasse. Current chef Wayne Smith trained under Pierre Koffmann and Tom Aikens — two of the more technically demanding kitchens in British cooking , as well as under Bosi himself. That lineage is relevant because it sets a floor for what to expect: the technique here is not incidental. The room, with its thick carpets, neutral palette, exposed stone, sloping floors and wood panelling, reads as quietly formal. The atmosphere sits closer to Gidleigh Park in its composure than to the more relaxed country-pub-with-ambition model you find at Hand and Flowers in Marlow. Come prepared for a proper sit-down occasion rather than a convivial dinner that happens to have good food.
The venue takes its name from a local forest, and the 16th-century bones of the building do the heavy lifting on atmosphere without any theatrical staging. The kitchen-to-table distance here is short in every meaningful sense: ingredients are well-chosen and presented without unnecessary complication. Dishes are picture-perfect in composition and balanced in execution. Reported highlights from the menu include a scallop starter with gazpacho, aubergine purée and ratatouille , an eclectic combination that works , alongside more classically European plates such as beef with confit onion mash, shallots and baby leeks, and corn-fed guinea fowl with peas and baby gem. Desserts lean rich and comforting: dark chocolate and hazelnut with caramel ice cream is the kind of finish that vindicates the tasting menu format. The artisan British cheeseboard has drawn specific praise from diners. Wines start at £32.
This is where the decision gets interesting for the food-focused traveller. The seven-course tasting menu and the three-course carte share considerable overlap in ingredients and execution, which means the choice between them is largely one of pacing and price rather than access to different cooking. Mortimers includes amuse-bouches, three bread varieties and a pre-dessert across both formats , the kind of supplementary generosity that materially improves value at the £££ tier. Compared to tasting menu operations at a similar price point , L'Enclume in Cartmel or Moor Hall in Aughton , Mortimers is meaningfully more accessible in both price and booking difficulty.
For a weekday lunch, the set menu format at a venue of this standard typically represents the strongest value in the building. You get the same kitchen, the same sourcing, the same attention to plating, at a session length that fits a Ludlow afternoon. If you are combining a meal here with broader exploration of the town , or pairing it with a stay and a look at Ludlow's hotel options , lunch is worth serious consideration over dinner. The formal atmosphere is marginally less pronounced at lunch, which suits first-timers or anyone who finds the evening format a little stiff. Dinner earns its place for a special occasion where the longer arc of the tasting menu, the fuller wine programme, and the room at its most composed all reinforce each other.
Worth noting for the food-focused visitor: if Mortimers represents your main reason for coming to Ludlow, the tasting menu at dinner is the fuller expression of what Smith's kitchen can do. If the meal is one part of a broader day, the three-course carte at lunch delivers the same quality ceiling with less commitment.
Mortimers is at 17 Corve St, Ludlow SY8 1DA. Price range is £££. Booking difficulty is moderate , plan at least two to three weeks ahead for weekend dinner; midweek slots and lunch sittings are more accessible. No phone or website data is available in our current record; check directly via search or the venue's booking platform. For broader planning, see our full Ludlow restaurants guide, our Ludlow bars guide, our Ludlow wineries guide, and our Ludlow experiences guide.
Quick reference: 17 Corve St, Ludlow SY8 1DA | Modern British | £££ | Michelin Plate 2024 & 2025 | Google 4.7/5 (171 reviews) | Booking: moderate difficulty, 2–3 weeks ahead recommended.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortimers | Modern British | £££ | Moderate |
| Charlton Arms | Traditional British | ££ | Unknown |
| Forelles | Modern Cuisine | £££ | Unknown |
| Old Downton Lodge | Unknown |
Key differences to consider before you reserve.
Plan two to three weeks ahead for weekend dinners at minimum. Mortimers is a Michelin Plate holder with a strong local and visitor following, so prime Friday and Saturday slots go quickly. Weekday tables are more accessible, but don't count on last-minute availability for a special occasion.
At £££, yes — particularly on the seven-course tasting menu, which includes amuse-bouches, three types of bread, and a pre-dessert. The three-course carte shares considerable overlap with the tasting menu and offers solid value in its own right. For a Michelin Plate restaurant in a market town, the pricing is fair by any reasonable comparison.
The tasting menu is the stronger format here: more courses, better pacing, and the full range of Wayne Smith's cooking. If you go à la carte, don't skip dessert — the cherry Bakewell tart is specifically called out, and the artisan British cheeseboard has drawn consistent praise. The wine list opens at £32.
The room is formally dressed — thick carpets, neutral tones, quiet elegance — so this is not a casual drop-in. The 16th-century listed building on Corve Street has housed serious restaurants for decades, including Claude Bosi's original Hibiscus. Come expecting precise, classically rooted cooking with a modern edge, not a relaxed bistro.
Forelles at Fishmore Hall offers a hotel-restaurant setting with similar ambitions and suits visitors who want accommodation alongside their meal. The Charlton Arms covers a more accessible price point with a pub-dining format on the River Teme. Old Downton Lodge, a short drive out of town, is the comparison for those wanting a rural destination feel over an in-town address.
It's one of the stronger cases for a special occasion in Shropshire. Two consecutive Michelin Plates (2024 and 2025), a chef with CV credits including Pierre Koffmann and Tom Aikens, and a formally elegant room make the setting credible. Book the tasting menu rather than the carte to get the full experience.
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