The Castle Café boasts an enviable position, nestled in the walls of iconic Ludlow Castle. For those of you who haven’t tried it – it’s a real find as the food matches the special location! In recent years the café has gone from strength to strength, serving both visitors to the Castle and the people of Ludlow. We chatted to owner and head chef Damien McNamara to find a little more about his foodie credentials and what we can find on the menu today…
Tell us a little about your journey leading up to The Castle Café
I am from the Republic of Ireland and my wife and I moved to Ludlow 10 years ago with the mind set of having my own restaurant in Ludlow. I started out in hospitality as a kitchen porter working for my father when I was 16. My cooking career started to take shape when I was working in Ballymaloe in Co Cork Ireland. It was there that I gained a lot of experience in the importance of fresh and seasonal ingredients, which is what The Castle Café is all about.
What makes The Castle Café such a unique venue
Being inside the historic walls of Ludlow Castle; its appearance is very deceptive as it is much larger than you would think.
What is your favourite local ingredient to cook with?
If it’s the summer it has to be peas, they have a particular sweetness that’s so good. I get my peas from the The Fruit Basket, just off the Castle Square, which is stocked with fresh produce. We only get them when they are in season of course, so the window when they are at their best is very short. One of my favourite pea dishes is onw In have been developing over a number of years – chilled pea and mint velouté, pea and tarragon mousse finished with a crushed pea, lemon and mint crostini.
Talking of your seasonal menu, what is your favourite season for fresh ingredients?
The crossover of late summer into early autumn, the abundance of fruit at the start and then all the wonderful root vegetables that allow so many different combinations for an exciting menu.
The Castle Café has recently introduced an evening menu – what are you looking forward to bringing to the diners of Ludlow
For our Monday and Friday night menu it is an a la carte menu with the same principles of seasonality. This also applies to our 4/5 course set menu on Saturday nights. The most important thing to us is that we want the customer to sit, relax and enjoy the setting while my team serve wine (or other drinks!) and delicious food- it really is that simple. I want you to enjoy my cooking and my business.
What is your favourite cake (from the menu) to enjoy with a cuppa
It has to be the fruit scone with clotted cream and our homemade jam – the order in which it is layered doesn’t matter to me!
Has the history of Ludlow Castle ever inspired your cooking
I want the food to match the majesty and grandeur of The Castle.
Make sure to visit The Castle Café on your next trip to Ludlow. Open from 10.00am daily for coffee and cake, 12 noon for lunches and 6.30pm for dinner (Mondays and Fridays only). For bookings telephone 01584 878796 or email thecastlecafeludlow@outlook.com
Follow them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheCastleCafeLudlow/
and Instagram @thecastlecafe_
