New food and drink guide gives foodies a taste of what Melton Mowbray has to offer

The guide gives visitors a taste of what Melton has to offer with some great tips on the best places to experience the finest local produce.

If you love gourmet food then the gourmet short break is the perfect option. From cheese tasting and pie making to afternoon tea and a brewery tour, there’s plenty to tantalise your taste buds on this exclusive short break specifically developed for Melton Mowbray - the UK’s rural capital of food and drink.

The short break offers mouth-watering cuisine and fabulous local produce as well as bed and breakfast for just £139 per couple. Visitors can either stay at Bouverie Lodge bed and breakfast, a working farmhouse where they have a wonderful heard of American bison and red deer, or Scalford Hall Hotel, a beautiful country house hotel which balances its heritage with comfort and modern living.

The campaign invites each couple to choose three out of five amazing foodie experiences which includes:

l Cream tea at Scalford Hall

l Tasting session of famed and local Leicestershire cheese and £16.50 per couple to spend on cheese from the Melton Cheeseboard;

l A brewery tour and tastings of a selection of the beers made at Belvoir Brewery, as well as lunch for two adults made with local produce and ingredients by their award-winning chef

l Watch a personal demonstration of ‘hand raising’ a pork pie at Melton’s Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe and enjoy samples of the pies and Melton Hunt Cake plus £16.50 per couple to spend in the shop

l A generous lunch platter for two adults at the acclaimed Red Lion Inn which also includes a complimentary free drink

The guide expands on the attractions available on the gourmet break and offers visitors the chance to explore a wealth of great foodie and gourmet experiences.

It has identified the best of the best in the area with a gourmet afternoon tea trail, quality fine dining restaurants along with some delightful deli’s and fabulous farm shops.

There’s also information on the best places to experience the great British pie, including pie tours at Brockleby’s and a make and bake your own pork pie (evening experience) at Dickinson & Morris.

Champion cheeses can be tasted and bought at the Melton Cheeseboard, Cropwell Bishop Creamery shop and Colston Bassett Dairy and the unique new Gas Tap cask ale and cider house can be found on Melton’s Burton Street.

The new guide is available in most of the establishments listed in the guide, including Ye Olde Pork Pie Shoppe on Nottingham Street, The Melton Cheeseboard on Windsor Street and Belvoir Brewery in Old Dalby but can also be picked up from the reception of Melton Borough Council’s Parkside offices.

You can also download the new guide at www.melton.gov.uk

For details on booking the ‘Stay, Play, Explore’ gourmet short break campaign visit http://www.stayplayexplore.co.uk/gourmet-short-break.aspx

You can also follow on Twitter @visitmelton and visit https://www.facebook.com/visitmelton/