A Taste of Brighton

Caroline at work in 'Artisan' in Kemp Town, Brighton [click to enlarge all images]

We do not believe that, by any stretch of the imagination, we can be considered practical. Even in our otherwise reasonably distinguished schooldays, whilst others presented their proud parents with sausage plaits, tapestries and even wooden spice racks, neither of us succeeded in producing anything remotely edible, beautiful or useful. And unashamed as we were, and are, of our later gardening achievements, we were always happiest when dreaming up ideas for others to turn into a reality. It is, therefore, no wonder that we hold the greatest respect for those individuals who are masters or mistresses of their crafts.

All of which takes us to our favourite Brighton delicatessen and coffee house, 'Artisan', a shrine to the delectable, the delicious and, importantly for us, the handmade.

a variety of coffees, teas and sandwiches advertised on the board

Here hand roasted Lazy José coffee is skilfully transformed into Lattés, Espressos, frothy Capuccinos and the 'on-trend' Flat Whites. Plump olives and sun dried tomatoes tempt in large white bowls, quality oils and vinegars are decanted to order and handcrafted loaves of sour dough, rye and wholegrain are delivered daily from a family bakery in Hove. Award winning cheeses, slow roasted hams, spicy salamis and hand raised pies are testament to the knowledge that this is a shop which takes its food seriously.

some of the local and Continental cheeses available from 'Artisan'

And from our favourite table in the window we consider how the 'Artisan' customers are every bit as individual and interesting as the delicacies which are on offer: a former pianist to the youthful Ivor Novello, a local food critic, artists, musicians, students, television personalities [or so we are told], and a ninety-two year old, retired civil servant who, accompanied by her dog, Bunty, hates cooking!

the open door acts as an invitation to passers-by

For, although only in its first year of trading, former banking executive Simon and established painter Stephen, have, together with manager, David, within a very few months established 'Artisan' not only as a superb delicatessen and coffee house, but a meeting place for the wealth of creative talent for which Brighton is so well known. We are lucky, as we despair over our knitting needles, to count them as our friends.