Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray Melton Mowbray () is a town in Leicestershire, England, northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham. The town is on the River Eye and the River Wreake and has a population of 25,554. The town is best known for its culinary speciality, the Melton Mowbray pork pie, and it is one of the six homes of Stilton cheese. Melton Mowbray is promoted as the "Rural Capital of Food". The name comes from the early English word Medeltone – meaning "Middletown surrounded by small hamlets" (and therefore has the same origin as Milton and Middleton). Mowbray is a Norman
Melton Mowbray zone around Melton, and using uncured pork, are allowed to carry the Melton Mowbray name on their packaging. On 6 April 1837, the 3rd Marquess of Waterford and his hunting party went on a "spree" through the streets of Melton, causing much damage. This event was recorded in the "London Examiner". Henry Alken's pictures "A Spree at Melton Mowbray" and "Larking at the Grantham Tollgate" are said to illustrate the event. The events were depicted in a play called "The Meltonians" at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1838. Melton Mowbray is home to Melton cloth (first mentioned in 1823),