The small city which has become a hub for foodies

Lichfield is a comparatively small city, but it is one with an ever-growing reputation as a foodie destination.

The icing on the cake this week was the announcement that The Boat had been awarded a Michelin star, joining Upstairs by Tom Shepherd which first won the accolade in 2022.

But it is not only Lichfield's high-end eateries enjoying a taste of success with hungry customers.

The city has become a proving ground for quality street food traders – many of whom who have gone on to take up permanent premises in the area.

Alison Ranwell, who runs Italian deli Mangia Mangia, said there was "lots going on" and that Lichfield had a "very vibrant town centre".

Her business was inspired by her mother-in-law's lasagne recipe, opening in July last year in an old cinema building having previously traded on local markets.

"We grew our customer base, being on the market, talking to people, sharing that real love of food and Italian tradition," Ranwell said.

She grew up in South Africa, moving to London in her 20s, and then to Italy before returning to the UK about nine years ago.

"Lichfield is very welcoming, and has an incredibly supportive atmosphere in terms of new businesses, small business and independent businesses," she said.

Her Italian recipes join an almost global roster of nations whose cuisines are represented in the city.

Among them are Greek, Thai, Italian, Japanese, Ukrainian and Spanish restaurants.

"It's a great place to be as a foodie," Ranwell said.

Despite well-publicised struggles nationally for hospitality firms, Lichfield appeared to be booming, she added.

"You could be a street food trader, you could open a restaurant – the clientele and the people who live in Lichfield are really supportive of that."

Yuliia Kryvenko runs Ukrainian Sunflower. Very much a family enterprise, her husband is the chef at the restaurant and her son and parents help in the business as well.

She initially set up shop in Wednesbury but found Lichfield to be a better location for her business about a year ago.

"It was lively and really beautiful. People are open to tasting different kinds of food, I think," she said.

She added: "We give a little piece of Ukraine, not only to British people but also to Ukrainian people who live in Lichfield at the moment."

Pete Hargreaves, who co-owns Patty Freaks – selling burgers with unusual toppings and accompaniments – is also among the raft of restaurateurs who began with a stand at Lichfield Food Festival.

"We took off. We did really well in the street food scene," he said.

"We owe everything to our beginnings, the people who gave us a chance and helped us out in Lichfield. The foodie scene [here] is second to none."

Councillor Richard Holland, cabinet member for high street and economic development, put the city's success down to attracting "big city talent without the big city costs."

This, he said, meant lower rents than places like Birmingham, but with an affluent catchment area and customers who were willing to travel.

Patty Freaks was among the businesses he cited as an example of "ambitious" independent traders who were able to grow their business and take on physical retail premises.

It was also "wonderful" that a second restaurant in the city had been awarded a Michelin star, Holland added.

"What Liam [Dillon]'s done [at The Boat] is fantastic – he's got an on-site micro-farm, he's got livestock, crops, bee hives – a lot of the stuff is 'farm to table'.

"I'm obviously biased, but there's just a fantastic vibe about Lichfield."

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.