Norway sends contingent to Shropshire food festival to see how it's done

The delegation from Randaberg Municipality will be visiting Ludlow Food Festival this weekend. 

The group will be travelling to the south Shropshire town to learn more about the organisation, community involvement, and producer collaboration that have made the festival one of the most celebrated food events in the UK. 

In its 31st year, Ludlow Food Festival, based within the walls of the historic Ludlow Castle, is believed to be the UK’s longest-running food festival.

The Norwegian visitors represent three local farms and two festival organisers, alongside representatives from Randaberg’s municipal administration. Their backgrounds reflect the breadth and strength of Randaberg’s food culture, including a small dairy producing artisanal cheese, an award-winning cider producer,and a thriving community-focused farm shop.

Randaberg is Norway’s smallest mainland municipality, but also the country’s largest supplier of vegetables. In terms of inhabitants it is roughly the same size as Ludlow. The municipality is developing its own food identity through initiatives such as Tour de Taste, Randaberg’s local food festival, and sees Ludlow’s success as a source of inspiration.

The delegation is particularly keen to learn how Ludlow Food Festival collaborates with local producers, engages the wider community, and creates a festival experience that celebrates regional food culture.

Project leader Nathalie Wiberg Sande, said: “In 2023, we started a tourism project for Randaberg, where one of the key focus areas is local food and drink. Local produce has always been very important to Randaberg - Norway’s smallest mainland municipality, yet one of the country’s largest suppliers of vegetables. 

"One of our partners suggested that the Ludlow Food Festival was a must-visit, as it reflects the same vision we have for developing our own festival. We are therefore very excited to have the opportunity to visit Ludlow Food Festival this weekend and are truly looking forward to learning more about how the festival has developed, as well as Ludlow’s food culture and history.”

Martin Clemmey, vice chair of Ludlow Food Festival, said: “We are thrilled to welcome visitors from Randaberg to Ludlow. It’s incredibly exciting that they are travelling all this way to learn from our experience and share their own stories of food and farming in Norway. Collaboration and exchange of ideas are at the heart of what we do, and we look forward to learning from each other.”

The visit marks the start of what both parties hope will be an ongoing exchange of ideas between Ludlow and Randaberg, strengthening international ties through a shared love of food and community.