At the weekend I escaped the city (along with a lot of other Londoners on the hour-long train it seemed!) and spent a day out in Brighton with a friend. It was a lovely sunny Saturday, the sun was shining and the sky was a brilliant blue – we walked and wandered around, ate and chatted over coffee, and poked about the vintage shops in the Lanes.
Once we got off the train, we headed straight to the seafront, taking in the views of candy-striped deckchairs and breathing in the sea air. It was a typically British seaside scene – ’99 cones, the smell of fish and chips, carousels and well, ALOT of seagulls… A trip to Brighton wouldn’t be complete with a stroll along the pier, taking in a game or two, and a few pennies spent in the kitsch vintage arcade underneath the seafront arches. As it was busy and bustling, we escaped the crowds and headed to Kemp Town, a cluster of small antique shops and independent coffee shops to the east of the pier, where we ate lunch. Last time I came I stayed in the beautiful boutique guest house in Kemp Town, Fab Guest.
After lunch we strolled around the Lanes, passing by 42 Juice, which sells 100% raw, cold-pressed juices in a rainbow of colours and flavours, as well as the beautifully created shop Workshop Living. Workshop sells ‘simple designs for everyday living’ from beech chopping boards and stoneware bowls, to recycled glass and soft linen textiles. ‘We believe in products created with care and craftsmanship using materials that stand the test of time,’ they say.
Apparently Brightonians are the biggest coffee drinkers in the UK, according to a survey, spending an average of £177 per person a year, so if you need a caffeine-fix head to: The Lanes Coffee House, Small Batch Coffee Company and Silo Brighton (see more below) to fuel up following a promenade on the pier or a shopping spree in the Lanes.
The highlight of the day was a trip to Silo, a zero waste restaurant, bakery and coffee house (I previously wrote about its design by Baines&Fricker here). They mill their own flour, make yoghurt and culture cream, roll oats and bake bread, as well as brew vinegar and beer, grow mushrooms and cure meat. On the menu you’ll find curious dishes such as heirloom tomatoes and smoked black quinoa or whole partridge with smoked sweet potato and fermented ramson (around £8-12 for lunch), followed by foraged fruits, nettle jelly and iced elderberry (£5). We had iced coffee, perfect for the hot weather, and the most delicious, fruity, apple and pear cake and a sweet beetroot cupcake, sitting on benches outside in the midst of rows of antique and bric-a-brac stalls of Upper Gardner Street. A lovely day out.
All images my own
