See also 'Throughout the weekend'

In the town | In the castle | Food & Drink Fair times and prices

In the town

LUDLOW SAUSAGE TRAIL
Britain's most amazing food event

Start from 9.30 am to 2 pm Saturday only: Tickets (£3.50 each) available on the day (only) from the Festival Box Office near the entrance to the castle.

No sausages served after 3 pm.

Sponsored by The Ludlow Sausage Company

Price includes sausage in a bread roll from the Festival Sausage Stall by the castle on completion of the trail. Ticket/voting forms with full instructions available from 9.30 am on the day from the Festival Sausage Stall near the castle entrance. Some are also available from the butchers earlier in the week. Numbers are limited to 1,850.

Explore Ludlow and visit its celebrated independent butchers, who are each making their own recipes for the Festival Sausage of the Year. At each butcher's shop, taste the sausage and award it points out of ten.

The sausage with the most points wins the 'People's Choice' award, with an 'Experts' Choice' award to be judged by a special panel at 4 pm at the Festival Sausage Stall. Results will be announced at around 4.30 pm on Saturday, the awards will be presented in the castle at 3.00 pm on Sunday.

THE FESTIVAL LOAF
10am - 4 pm Saturday. Tickets £1 each from the Festival Box Office near the entrance to the castle, or any participating baker.
The bread trail around the bakers of Ludlow. There is also a competition taking place for Professional Craft bakers and also enthusiastic home bakers with fantastic prizes!

REAL ALE TRAIL
sponsored by Wye Valley Brewery
Friday (a limited number of tickets is available), Saturday and Sunday, during pub opening times (trail finishes 4 pm Sunday)

Entry form £6.50 from the Festival Box Office (by the castle entrance), on sale from Friday at 4 pm.

• Map showing suggested trail route, list of participating pubs and bars, tasting notes, marking card.
• Free souvenir 90 ml tasting tankard
• Free taste of qualifying real ale in each outlet
• Free bottle of ale to entrants completing the trail

Full instructions and information on the ticket. Expect to visit 12 pubs or more, and a brewery. Award each beer marks out of 10 to vote for the People's Choice Festival Ale of the Year. There is also an Experts Choice, which will be judged at 5 pm on Saturday in the Talks Marquee by a panel of 'experts'. Please note: Age 18 or over only. Do not drink and drive.

LUDLOW COUNTRY MARKET
Women's Centre off Quality Square.
Saturday and Sunday 9 am - 12.30 pm
Selling a wide range of cakes and savouries, plus pre-serves, vegetables, flowers, plants and various crafts

PUDDING TASTING
10 am - 5 pm Ludlow Methodist Church, Broad Street. Also 2 - 5pm Sunday
The much-acclamied pudding tasting takes place in the upstairs schoolroom, refreshments are in the lower schoolroom. The church is also open to view.

THE CHOCOLATE GOURMET
Castle Square, Saturday and Sunday 1 pm - 3pm
An opportunity to taste superb chocolate sauce combined with fresh fruit and other delicious morsels.

EVENING FOOD, FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT
From 3.00 until 7.30 in the square outside the castle - music, fun and entertainment for all the family.

TASTING DAY AT MYRIAD ORGANICS
Myridad Organics, Corve Street. Tel: 01584 872655
Tasting of local organic foods.

In the castle

FOOD & DRINK FAIR in Ludlow Castle
and other castle events
10 am - 5 pm

See Throughout the weekend for details and admission prices.

List of exhibitors

INCLUDING

Talks and Demonstrations - full details

Slow Food Marquee - full details

A TASTE OF NORMANDY
Saturday all day in the Food & Drink Fair (no extra charge), also Sunday.
Sponsored by HUMBERTS Estate Agents, Ludlow

Ludlow is twinned with La Ferté-Macé in Normandy. Students and teachers will be bringing top-quality local food products, such as cheeses, bread, vinegar, ham, a cheese bread, calvados, cider, perry, and other Normandy products. Always a star attraction of the Festival.

A TASTE OF ITALY
(also on Friday and Sunday) - in the Food & Drink Fair (no extra charge).

Ludlow is also twinned with San Pietro in Cariano, which is ideally situated in northern Italy between Verona and Lake Garda. Meet wine producers and others from S. Pietro, find out more about the area and sample some of the best Valpolicella Classico wines and some typical food products from the area.

WAITERS RACE
Saturday, 3 pm in the Castle.

A bottle of champagne - and possibly more - awaits the winner of this race with a difference. It's not just an obstacle race: when the run is over, your professionalism is tested to the utmost when you try to satisfy some very odd customers in the shape of the Old Dic Theatre Company, who have yet again temporarily escaped from the Bull Hotel.

The Ghent connection: once again Erwin Biliet, who organises the International Waiters Race Competition which takes place in Ghent (Belgium), will be present as our guest and will be accompanied by Koen, the winner of that race. The winner of the first prize in our race will also get the opportunity to travel to Ghent to take part in the International Waiters Race.

· All waiters and waitresses are welcome to join the race - please phone us on 01584 873957, or send us an e-mail or else just turn up 10 minutes before the start.

In the Demonstration Marque and the Talks Marquee:
Demonstrations, talks and workshops