DRINKERS will be spoilt for choice with nearly 200 different brews on offer at the Ludlow Spring Food Festival this weekend (May 10/11).

Although drinking and driving are not to be mixed a major attraction at the event in Ludlow Castle will be the Marches Transport Festival.

The festival will include 190 glorious beers from more than 50 local brewers available to taste over the weekend.

For those not so keen on beer there will also be cider, perry, fruit flavoured liqueurs and local wines.

There will also be plenty of artisan producers too.

The talks and demonstrations area in the Inner Bailey has been a roaring success over the last couple of years and there will be a full programme throughout the weekend.

Suree Coates, from the multi-award winning King and Thai; world cheese awards founder Juliet Harbutt; and TV chef and Brompton Cookery School owner Marcus Bean are among the celebrity chefs taking part.

There is also a plethora of hands-on workshops from baking to Indian cuisine, cheese and cider matching to pottery classes, as well as kids cookery.

The beer and food are accompanied by a wealth of music from jazz and blues to Latin and folk.

Vehicles on display at the Marches Transport Festival include pre-war gems right through to modern days classics of the 70s and 80s.

The rare Swallow Doretti will be among the cars taking part as the club which runs the transport festival celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Outside the castle their will be pate and pudding trails, while Ludlow Brewery will be running tours throughout the weekend.

This year’s Ludlow Spring Festival is on Saturday and Sunday (May 10 and 11) with a ‘Meet the Brewer’ event tomorrow evening (Friday May 9).

This provides an opportunity to talk to brewers about their beers and sample the full selection.