AN edition of the BBC Radio 4 food programme Kitchen Cabinet recorded in Ludlow, was broadcast on the Saturday after Christmas.

The programme was recorded at Moor Park School not long after the food festival in September but when it came to be broadcast it was done so as a Christmas programme with festive related questions.

Presenter Jay Rayner made reference to Ludlow’s place as a centre for excellent food.

The panellists were food and drink experts Sophie Wright and Kim Anderson along with food historian Polly Russell.

Ludlow butcher Andrew Francis spoke about his love of sausages and how he has taken part in the Ludlow Food Festival sausage trail for the past 25 years. This year he came up with a sausage recipe that includes cider apples, cranberry and pepper. Successful sausages in previous years have included a traditional breakfast sausage and a spicy sizzler.

Also featured on the programme was Ludlow publican John Saxon.

One of his pubs is in his own home and is open three nights a week on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

It was explained that in the 1830’s it was possible to get a licence to sell beer from a home provided that only beer was sold.

This was because at the time a lot of gin was being sold and drunk and quite a lot of it of dubious quality.

The idea had been that it was better to encourage people to drink beer as it was less intoxicating than gin.

Mr Saxon talked about how he brews his own beers made with recipes found in an old pub ‘The Trotting Horse’ that used to be opposite the old Ludlow Brewery.

Richard Wakford from Tenbury asked the panel what one cookery tip or skill they would like to pass on as a Christmas gift.

Sophie Wright said it would be to teach people to sharpen knives properly and Jay Rayner added that he would like to see chefs having to plate food on plates.

The most intriguing recipe from the programme was provided by Sophie Wright who explained how to cook a delicacy known as a ‘Rocky Mountain Ouster.’

With less delicacy she explained that this was a bullock’s testicle sliced and soaked in beer before being fried in butter.