Louth Food Town

Louth can justifiably claim to be a Good Food Town. Its rich soils and proud agricultural heritage combine to yield outstanding produce. The range of its locally-grown food is evident throughout the town’s shops, many of them award-winning family businesses. Add to this three street markets a week, two farmers’ markets a month and Lincolnshire’s only remaining cattle market, and you have all the ingredients of a true food town.

This recognition is not new. In the early 1950s Lincolnshire historian John Bygott wrote of the area’s produce being sold in Grimsby and Cleethorpes “where ‘Louth-grown’ is a hallmark of excellence”.

Nearly 60 years on, in their Food Tour of Britain, the Hairy Bikers declared: “Louth is a great foodie centre, full of wonderful shops.”

Louth’s fledgling Town Partnership was quick to acknowledge the town’s food credentials. Set up in late 2009, the Partnership was only weeks old before it established a Food Group to promote this aspect of the town’s many assets.

Volunteers with broad-ranging backgrounds, the group was brought together by a mutual love of good food and drink, especially that grown and produced in the local area.

The group, now known as the Louth Food & Drink Group, has a brief to promote the town locally and nationally as a food town of excellence using the brand slogan “The Larder of Lincolnshire”. 

“Our aim is to put Louth firmly on the map as an authentic food town and an integral part of a complete shopping experience,” says Group chairman Patrick Neville.

“We are fortunate in that so many of the traditional family businesses here are well supported by the people of Louth and its surrounding villages.”

Unlike many market towns whose high street specialty shops have dwindled in recent times, Louth has a wealth of high quality artisan food outlets.

There are six butchers (one specialising in game), several bakers and cake-makers, a fish shop, cheese shop and a range of businesses selling a combination of health foods, vegetarian products and local specialities.

All the traditional Lincolnshire favourites – sausages (Louth folk say they are Britain’s best), haslet, stuffed chine, samphire and plum bread – are made and sold in Louth, virtually all from local ingredients. 

Plus there’s a brewery and a range of restaurants, cafes and pubs all using the products of local farmers and food manufacturers.

Patrick says that he had been to some towns that had achieved success in branding themselves as food towns. “But in my view many do not match Louth in the variety of their independent retailers and the range and quality of the local food they sell.

“There is immense pride among everyone involved in the town’s food chain from the farmer through to the distributor, retailer and consumer,” he says.

“We really do have something special here. While these are early days in our promotional effort, already we are steadily gaining recognition through favourable media comment, word-of-mouth and ensuring that we introduce a food element into our Partnership events.

“Louth undoubtedly is a good food experience and we intend to let it be known far and wide.”