The Italian Wine is a new delivery service offering unique collection of limited production wines handpicked from small production vineyards in Italy. Often these come with a hefty price tag but because of TIW’s buying power direct from the vineyard, you get them at a much better cost. Based in Brighton, but with national coverage, the local/Italian link was a perfect fit for me to share with you.

Italian wine is brilliant (yes I would say that) but like everything you consume from this country it often comes with a story or passion behind it, be it the source of the ingredient or a multi-generational link. There are many niche grape varieties and small producers, Italian wine is really more than just Montepulciano or Prosecco. The wines come with a back story and technical information if you are interested, which you can use to impress/bore your mates with (limited to 5 as this goes live - thanks Boris) or just enjoy it, but the knowledge of provenance really adds to a product’s appeal to me. Yes I am that person that drives 126km for a particular truffle.

I tried a bottle of the Pinot Nero Brut Rosé from Conte Vistarino. Carlo Giorgi di Vistarino introduced the Pinot Nero grape from Burgundy to Oltreò Pavese, the north-west Italian region of Lombardy, between 19th/20th century. So successful, the region remains to this day Italy’s largest Pinot Noir cultivation area.

The Vistarino family have gone on to improve and hone their wines since the work of Carlo Giorgi di Vistarino in 1850, gaining well deserved awards and recognition. Leading the winery into the present day is refreshingly a woman from the family, impressively named Ottavia Giorgi Vimercati di Vistarino, a big plus for me and something I hope to read about more. 

This is a wonderful new shopping addition to Brighton. Appealing inside and out, their timeless products have been cherry picked for their equal balance of style and function.

Beyond the luscious navy exterior (that logo!) you'll find a great selection of Nick Membery stoneware all handmade in Llandeilo, South Wales. His plates, cups and bowls are is fantastic quality and would bring a bit of luxury to the everyday table. Their other kitchenware is also beautiful with lots of plain stoneware, enamel and divine wooden tools. I need that French rolling pin in my life for sure.
Prices are surprisingly affordable which is handy as you'll want it ALL.

This is the first in a series of posts where I feature my favourite Brighton shops that are candy for the foodie. Most are off the beaten track away from the main shopping areas so I thought they'd be helpful to visitors and even locals who haven't come across them yet. Credit cards at the ready!

Utility is one of my absolute favourite local shops, utterly unique and, as the name suggests, full of useful British made stuff, both vintage, end of line and reproduction. It stocks the sort of stuff your badass gran would have scrubbed the living hell out of her house with and crockery that will outlive us all. The muted, grey shades of the products are relevant today as the fashion for industrial style seems to be going nowhere. I'm slowly turning my whole house grey and using harder materials for finishing.

If you're a clean freak like me, their durable bushes, dusters and soaps are worth a look. Their no nonsense crockery, Brown Betty teapots and vintage cutlery are all a pleasure to use as well as nostalgic. Utility also have the larges selection of classic enamel bakeware in the city, plus their own brand of enamel mugs for taking to your "glamping" weekends away. And I never thought I would lust after a loo brush but their concrete holder and hardy bristle has my name ALL. OVER. IT.









www.utilitygreatbritain.co.uk (online shop available as well)
28A North Rd
BN1 1YB

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Graphic Foodie Great Finds | Brighton Shopping
A series of articles featuring stylish kitchenware and lifestyle shops in Brighton

I've always had a soft spot for colourful Italian design kitchenware. Going to the showrooms over there as a kid was such a thrill, seeing the counters glistening in jewelled coloured sugar bowls or toothpick holders, often taking the form of animals, figures or unusual geometric shapes. The beige and practical kitchenware always looked so boring back in the UK! But now the kitchen area here has become a lot sexier, with people investing in well designed kitchens. And along with them some products and appliances that marry aesthetic and function, objects to display and enjoy as well as use.

The big names here are probably Guzzini and Alessi. Fratelli Guzzini was established in 1912, creating objects from ox horn. But their innovative approach to using new materials and investment in design research have ensured their long term success from the introduction of Plexiglas in the 30s, acrylic injection moulding in the 60s and gas assisted injection moulding in the 90s. They now combine modern materials with porcelain, glass, metals and wood and work with leading international designers to keep their products fresh and relevant for today.

Alessi wasn't far behind, stating in 1921 and specialising in metal but now also use porcelain, glass, wood and plastics. Their ethos has always been to produce hand-crafted items with the aid of machines and this can be seen in the thought behind the products and quality of finish. They also use select external designers, whilst keeping a tight reign on production and quality.



What I like about these companies is that their products are affordable to many, and making design accessible to everyone can only be a good thing! Everyone should recognise some of their products, be it the Juicy Salif lemon juicer by Philippe Starck for Alessi (above) or a classic salad bowl and servers from Guzzini. I suppose these products bring a bit of colour (particularly Guzzini) and joy (Alessi) into our everyday lives.

Ha! Gotcha - it's in a packet from the supermarket! BUT these pies from Higgidy are made (by real people with real hands and everything) down the road from me in Shoreham. Mentally it felt like I was eating any other local bakery product. And the packaging design and branding is rather nice innit? Created by food design specialists Ziggurat Brands, they have used every fold, flap and side, with really sweet messaging "hidden" on the inside. These are accompanied by Quentin Blake-esque illustrations, really making the product ping out from the dreary ready-mades on the shelf.



Now, I’ll put this out there upfront. Apart from my mother’s Easter pie, I am not a pie person. I tend to find something rather deceitful about them, using their hip expanding pastry to cover up inferior quality or questionable fillings. Hey, I just like to know what I’m putting in my mouth. But really, I’ve been disappointed in pies, despite glossy, glistening and golden crusts, fillings are too often too dry, soggy, undercooked. It’s not really my bag which is why I was a little uncertain about accepting to try out a few Higgidy Pies.

But like their packaging, the product is very different too. Full of lovely little touches like poppy seeds in the quiche crust and crumble toppings to add an additional textural and taste dimension.



First up was the rather proud Slow Cooked Steak & Red Wine Pie. Pie-starved King of Stodge, Mr Graphic Foodie, almost cried when he saw this on his plate for dinner. So up his street  it was. The filling was beautifully rich, the meat succulent with no gristle or fatty cuts and the gravy thick. The bits of bacon really added to the flavour of the pie. The pastry was pretty good. In a blind taste I would probably still spot this as the packaged item, but it was very buttery and made for a darn good Monday dinner.

Next was a "Little" (single portion) Spinach, Feta & Tomato Quiche. This was cute. I liked the tomato crumble topping as a twist and the filling was light and fluffy, not overly cheesy and solid. It had a nice balanced flavour, with pretty much all of the ingredients distinguishable. And you know what? It tasted like a home style quiche, but good – luckily not auntie Flo's soggy base home-style.



So weird that the large Spinach, Feta, and Roasted Red Pepper Quiche was quite different as I assumed it was a larger verion of the quiche above. The pastry was identical but the ingredients list varied quite a bit. Although the flavour again was good, I did find this one a little claggy - far stickier and denser than it's fluffy little sister. I think this would have been better heated for me but saying that, compared to most supermarket quiches, it would still win with flying colours.

Worth noting that these pies were not the easiest things to track down. My local Co-op seemed to have the best selection with three quiches and three pies, but even the huge ASDA at the Marina (that I braved especially for this so-help-me-God) only had one pie and one quiche. Waitrose apparently have a decent stock.

Whilst I will never understand the need to purchase pasta sauces, sliced vegetables or pre-packed mashed potato, quiches and pies are laborious and time consuming beasts. So if you had a hankering, a last minute picnic or supermarket sweep dinner, then a Higgidy should hit the spot.

For the full range visit www.higgidy.co.uk

Grow Your Own Calendar, £43.00 + postage

Gorgeous prints from Croatian Etsy seller Anek. Particularly like the "La cucina piccola fa la casa grande" - so very, very true! I want all of them!





via oh joy images from Anek

I came across Papa Stour the other day which sell some beautiful and well priced pieces by Scottish designers and artists. I really fancy the wooden handled silver spoon (bottom right), £54. Perfect for getting to the tricky spot at the bottom of the Nutella jar I say!



www.papastour.com

I came across this wonderful site selling "new, gently used and vintage" kitchenware that I just had to share with you all. Pot + Pantry sell some seriously beautiful and unique things. Unfortunately they are in San Fransisco but one can still screen drool especially at the set of Dansk range of cookware, a brand that I had not come across before.

Very gorgeous little tomato blanket from Hong Kong based Little Factory, a snip at $25. Shipping to the UK would cost an extra $15.

Mr Graphic Foodie is seriously getting into his baking after our class at The Lighthouse Bakery. He wouldn't be seen dead in my frilly cupcake apron plus it wouldn't cover much of him either so I'm thinking he may like one of these lovely, handmade "man aprons" from US based Stanley & Sons. The leather and stud details are are really nice touch. They are a little pricey at $118 with leather details costing an extra $10 but would make a great gift. Shipping the the UK is $25.

Unfortunately not available anymore but love this sweet Ladurée bag charm from Colette. Seen first at Nicolette Mason (one of my top 3 blogs at the mo) but better image of it below via Style and the City.



Also cute is the snow globe (€120!) and more affordable rubber stamps. Trés jolie.





Both images via Ladurée

High expectations, stomach butterflies and squeals of joy or crushed hopes, disappointed tears and slammed doors. And I'm just talking about the reactions to Valentines Day gifts, so you had better get it right, oui? Here are my top gift picks for the food lover in your life, some ideas specifically for Brightonians as well as your chance to win an Amore Hamper worth £55 for that special someone. All bases covered here at Graphic Foodie! Onward...



Top of my list this Valentines would be these lush set of Love Cups from the red Cornishware range £30.00 available from www.tggreen.co.uk



Cuter than a bucketful of kittens is this cherub wing cookie cutter, £5.50 from www.bobbypost.com



I featured Chocri a littlewhile back, where you can personalise and name chocolate bars. Perfect for creating the ultimate Yummy Love Honey Bunny Munchy Munch Munch bar for your little snooky wooky woo woo.



For the serious cookware junky, how about something from Le Creuset Heart shaped range? Cast iron casserole (RRP £95) or stoneware dish (RRP £ £35) as well as some sweet little ramekins are available from www.hartsofstur.com.



If you do opt for the ramekins, you could go one step further and make these easy Chocolate and Amaretti desserts to go inside.

Brighton based



Nothing gets you in the good books more than breakfast in bed and I j'adore the pastries from my favourite patisserie in Brighton, Cocoa. Bonjour Breakfast is a breakfast delivery service in the Brighton area where you can create your own box of goodies or choose from their ready made packages with extras like Champagne and beauty treatments. Allow 48 hours notice. Visit www.bonjourbreakfast.com.



Also, for a kooky idea, ice cream parlour Cloud 9 are offering a free Valentines quick-date dessert menu. A Champagne sorbet plus a selection of mini desserts for 2 will be offered between 5:30pm - 9:00pm on February 14th only. You must book a 15 minute slot table before the 14th. Contact info@cloud9brighton.co.uk or phone 01273 72 30 20.