Some Interesting Facts about Melton Mowbray

Sit down with your nice latte, espresso, capuccino (that's my choice) and put your feet up for 5 minutes. I'd love to share a few of the photos I have of Melton.

When I was researching for "Last Chance, My Love," I visited the market town of Melton Mowbray, where the story is set, quite a lot and took a fair amount of photos. I just thought you might like me to share a few with you, and what it felt like, since many of you won't have been to an English market town.

Melton is a moderately sized small town/large village and until recently the centre of the English foxhunting obsession. The Quorn hunt and the Charnwood hunted near here, and Melton Mowbray served the needs of the huntsmen for much of its existence.



That, and the local farmers and landowners. The market came out of the auction market. This was where livestock was sold, every Tuesday. Everything from cows and sheep (Leicestershire was made wealthy by sheep) to chickens and quails, pigeons and sheepdogs. It still is, and now they've added pet animals to the mix so you can go there and buy canaries, budgies, kittens, fancy rabbits, guinea pigs and even hamsters. These are now the Cow and Sheep market and the Fur and Feather market,

Over the years, the farmers' wives came to the market, too, and they used it as a chance to sell their home-made produce, such as butter, eggs, cheese and home-made pies. Miranda has a frightening experience when she visits the market in "Last Chance, My Love."



The hunting scene led to the development of some fine pies and cheeses. It's said that Stilton cheese was first sold here, as well as at the Bell Inn in nearby Stilton, by the farmers' wife who sold it. Because of the popularity of Leicestershire as a hunting and recreation area, and because Leicester was an important stop on the Great North Road, Stilton's fame soon spread until it became the King of English Cheeses. Miranda, the heroine of my book, gets a taste of Stilton in the market.
Melton Mowbray is the home of the pork pie, popular with everyone these days, a raised pie made of hot-water pastry, filled with chopped meat, and sealed with aspic jelly. For the inn, the "Blyth Arms," in "Last Chance, My Love," I chose a building across the road from the Original Pork Pie Shop:

As you can see, Melton still has a large number of old buildings. The parish church is a magnificent example, larger than average, and endowed by some of the most important local families. Daniel and Miranda attend a service here. Well, wouldn't you?

Anyway, thanks for letting me share the pictures with you. I hope that enhances your enjoyment of the book, and when you come over to England, you might spare a few hours to visit the town of Melton Mowbray. It really is worth the trip.