Town's new shop is full of gourmet delicacies

And it's not just restaurants of course. Ludlow also has an enviable reputation when it comes to great food producers, farms, independently run food shops and, of course, it's food festivals.

Yet Ludlow has not lost its capacity for surprise and reinvention . . .

I was walking through town a couple of weeks ago and came across an absolutely brilliant new addition to the Ludlow food scene – Ludlow Cicchetti, in Broad Street – in the centre of town.

It specialises in Venetian tapas and is run by well-known Ludlow restaurateur and chef Martyn Emsen (pictured).

Martyn has run kitchens, restaurants and the Ludlow Traditional Smokehouse for many years. He's got a reputation for authenticity and for doing things properly. His passion for great food is widely known.

Martyn's attention to detail is incredible – all the products he stocks in his deli are hand selected at source. He has then set up the import of them into the UK exclusively for the cicchetti bar. That shows the care, attention and respect he gives to everything.

This even extends to the equipment he uses. For instance, Martyn doesn't use a conventional electric slicer for slicing his air dried hams and salamis. Instead, he uses an old-fashioned one with a rotating handle he had specially imported. It might be a 'chef thing' but this machine is a thing of absolute beauty.

The reason for using this machine is simple – with an electric slicer the heat created by the friction of the blade spinning around causes the fats in the meat being sliced to melt. With Martyn's hand turned slicer he is in complete control of how fast the blade spins, so it doesn't melt the fat. Therefore it results in a better product.

You'll find ingredients at Ludlow Cicchetti that will inspire and intrigue even the most experienced foodies. For example fresh anchovy fillets in olive oil, baby clams, caper berries, squid ink, white truffle honey, candied mustard fruit, chocolate balsamic glaze, air dried duck and ham made from mutton.

With the launch of Ludlow Cicchetti, the town – and one of it's best artisans – have again shown their capacity to provide locals with the very finest produce.

l Will Holland is a multi-award-winning Shropshire-based chef who won a Michelin star before the age of 30 and was a regional winner on BBC TV's Great British Menu.