Going slow in Ludlow Print E-mail
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Linda Hart follows the Slow Movement from Italy to Ludlow – at a leisurely pace, of course.

As a WI member you’re unlikely to read this article while eating a Big Mac or bolting a Chinese takeaway before rushing out to a WI meeting. But we do live in a culture that believes “faster is better” and its effects can be insidious. Almost without realising it, we expect instant cures, immediate results, overnight deliveries, timesaving devices and quicker Internet connections.

But change is on the horizon, and it’s significant enough to be called a movement – the Slow Movement. It began on the Continent and has been growing gradually but steadily for 20 years, attracting people who don’t want to rush through life and would prefer to move out of the fast lane. The Slow Movement has now reached Britain, and Ludlow in Shropshire is the epicentre.

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Ludlow Food and Drink Festival, held in the castle grounds the second weekend in September.
But I had better approach the subject slowly, i.e. from the beginning. In 1986 a branch of McDonald’s opened next to the famous Spanish Steps in Rome. Many Italians were horrified at this threat to their culinary traditions. Carlo Petrini, a journalist, came up with the idea of repelling the fast food invasion with the concept of ‘slow food’. He and his friends drew up a manifesto, deploring the frenetic pace of modern life: “Our defence should start at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavours and savours of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of fast food.”

Italians began setting up local convivia, or branches, of Slow Food. The branches organised tutored tastings, cooking courses, farm tours, restaurant meals and visits to artisan producers of cheese, ham, bread etc. The Slow Food philosophy slowly embraced related ideas, such as safeguarding local cuisines, traditional products, and vegetable and animal species at risk of extinction.

It supports a new model of agriculture, which is less intensive and healthier, based on respect for the surrounding ecosystem. The Slow Food movement, with a snail as its logo, spread to other countries – slowly, of course. Today it has a worldwide membership of around 83,000, with 800 branches active in 65 countries.  

What is Cittaslow?

It’s an international movement that grew out of Slow Food. It provides a set of goals and aspirations for towns that want to:
  • Encourage diversity not standardisation;
  • Support local culture and traditions;
  • Work for a sustainable environment;
  • Promote local produce and products;
  • Improve the urban fabric;
  • Encourage healthy living.

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Mousetrap Cheese, one of the town's many small, friendly, specialist shops.
At a Slow Food event in Orvieto, Italy in 1999, a few mayors discussed the possibility of applying the Slow Food philosophy to small towns. The word Cittaslow – meaning “slow town” – was coined, various goals were set out (see above), and an organisation was created to vet prospective Cittaslows. Once approved, a town will proceed at a slow pace, perhaps over several years, to meet Cittaslow goals. Some towns might focus initially on traffic-free zones, a farmers’ market and less noise pollution, while others might focus on waste recycling, public green spaces and protecting old buildings.

Fortunately, the Slow Movement has travelled from the Continent to Britain at something faster than a snail’s pace. If there was one town perfectly suited to welcome the movement with open arms, it was Ludlow, situated on the banks of the River Teme, on the southern edge of the Shropshire Hills. A list of its attributes includes the following:
  • Medieval market town with 500 listed buildings;
  • Well-preserved Norman castle, open all year;
  • Large traditional open-air market several days a week, plus book, craft, antique and other specialty fairs throughout the year;
  • Huge variety of small, independent shops giving personal service;
  • Sustainability projects promoted through Agenda 21 (Ludlow 21);
  • Two-week Green Festival with events and stalls all around town, every May;
  • Two-week Arts Festival, including Shakespeare in the castle, every July;
  • Three-day Festival of Food and Drink every September;
  • Several Michelin-starred restaurants;
  • An official Fairtrade Town;
  • Wide range of community groups and activities.
 

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