With its beautiful black-and-white buildings, Ledbury is the classic English market town--but continental cuisine and bohemian boutiques make it hip as well as historic. Zeena Lemon just can't help coming back.

Let me describe Ledbury to you. It is a beautiful English town that hides under the magnificent Malvern Hills. Parts of it are wonderfully preserved and the black-and-white medieval buildings are a sheer delight to look at. When you touch them you feel literally connected with the people of past times.

But Ledbury in 2006 is not just about history and tourist offerings. The Herefordshire town is undergoing something of a renaissance. With tapas bars, delicatessens and designer boutiques, this is the place if you are looking for somewhere to combine culture and history with modern luxuries.

Seven caf-bar and restaurant is a case in point. This welcoming eatery--which serves tapas all day, tempts with fine dining at night and is soon to introduce an organic menu--would not be out of place in any cosmopolitan city of the world. Manager Kate Monk says: "We serve food all day, have comfy leather sofas and see a variety of people come through our doors. We are going from strength to strength and I think that we are indicative of the exciting changes happening here in the town."

Liz Carrington-Stait, partner in one of the longest established businesses in Ledbury, the 55-year-old Isaacs Shoes and Accessories, agrees: "What Ledbury offers is something the large faceless cities don't-- independent retailers that strive to offer something a little bit different.

"We are busier than ever because people these days don't want the bland high street names. They are looking for something special and our range of shoes by the likes of Esino and Lazy Joes and Danish jewellery by Pilgrim appeal for that reason."

It is true that the growing trend away from bland generic shopping and the desire for individuality allows towns like Ledbury to flourish, even though they cannot compete with the mass market.

Kathryn Roberts runs Kitten Boutique in Ledbury, selling handpicked ladieswear including continental designs that cannot be bought anywhere else in the area.

She said: "Ledbury is a proper English town that offers so much, from the gorgeous winding black-and-white streets to the many interesting places to eat.

"It is a sophisticated place but there is still a real community feel.We often see tractors driving through the town as if to remind us that we're actually in the heart of the countryside."

For country living done the English way, a visit to Ledbury is sure to surprise, delight and have you going back for more.

All that, and poetry, too

This year is the 10th annual Ledbury poetry festival, which runs from June 30 until July 9.

The varied programme includes readings, exhibitions, music, walks and talks and workshops. It is the largest festival of its kind in the country and attracts many poets and actors. There is also an international poetry competition and a poet-in-residence.

Festival director Charles Bennet said: "Our aim is to reward emerging talent and provide an outlet for the considerable talent in the region.

"We also have an extremely active schools outreach programme. We are very much a festival of the people."

This year the festival is honouring all things Scottish, as well as local luminaries such as John Masefield and Elizabeth Barrett-Browning.

How to get there

By car: From Worcester, take the A44 (signed Leominster, Malvern, Hereford), then follow the A449 through Malvern to Ledbury. The 16-mile journey takes about 40 minutes.

By train: Services run from Worcester Shrub Hill or Worcester Foregate Street every one to two hours. You'll arrive in Ledbury after a journey of approximately 30 minutes.