Medieval Newport flourished with trade in leather, wool and notably fish. The area around the town was part of Lake Lapworth. This was formed from the melting glaciers and covered a vast area of North Shropshire.

Newport cheese is named after the Shropshire market town, in the north of the county. Matured for 3 to 4 months Newport cheese has a unique flavour derived from the shropshire pastures where the cows graze. The rind of the Newport cheese is brushed with local rapeseed oil to aid maturation. The resulting cheese is pale tangerine in colour, Newport has a mellow buttery taste and flakey texture with a subtle aromatic sweetness.