The Merchant House - basic facts.

Ludlow, set in the Welsh Marches, is an historic town still showing its medieval origins. The Merchant House is an old Jacobean building at the northern end of town. It backs onto the Corve, the smaller of Ludlow's two rivers, in what was once the tanning district. Most recent of its uses has been as our home and restaurant. For detail on how to find us, taxis and local accommodation, click location.

We open for dinner, Tuesday to Saturday, from 7.00 pm. and for lunch on Friday and Saturday, from 12.30 pm. There are seven well-polished tables, with linen place mats, and a log burning fireplace. There’s room for 24 diners, but a maximum table size of six. I cook alone, and my wife, Anja waits with just one assistant; so we cannot properly, look after very large parties.

Dinner is a simple fixed-price menu of three courses at £35.00 (service included), which generally gives four choices in each course. Changing frequently, the menu features whatever fish, meat and vegetables are best that day. Click to see a sample dinner menu. Lunch is the same pattern, but with just three choices per course, and priced at £29.00. We take Visa and MasterCard.

The list of about 90 wines goes for quality over quantity, grouped by style, and basically what we would like to drink ourselves. If there is a theme, it is the interesting, and the great growers, from wherever. More artisan than blue chip. From Italy’s Allegrini, who has given Valpolicella respect; to Zind-Humbrecht in Alsace; maybe the world’s finest white winemaker. It’s also the AA Winelist of the Year 2004.

Wine service in restaurants can be quite elaborate, but our approach is straightforward. We offer you a taste to check the condition, and then leave it up to you.

I have to tell you, in the wake of some seriously positive publicity this last few years, we are seriously booked until we retire from here in Spring 2005. It may seem absurd to you, as it does to us! However, there are bound to be cancellations with bookings made far in advance, so it’s always worth giving us a call. Helpful booking info and PDF fact files to download, are on the contact us page.

Shaun Hill, November 2004.