I'm no stranger to the dinner party (still sounds so very 1970s doesn't it?). As soon as I bought my first tiny shoebox flat in Brighton, the kitchen, with about 2 inches of work surface, was thrown open to guests. Heavily laden with ingredients, I'd come home from work on Fridays and start preparing that whole evening and following day. Friends would be shoe horned in, Lord knows how, and cheek to jowl I'd feed them up, course after course after course. I think a few of these spanned until the morning hours where we'd start breakfast service, before I collapsed in a heap. Chefs, I salute you. 

So yeah, I blooming love a dinner party. Then life happens and the luxury of 48 hours food prep is frankly laughable, but my table is still host to friends and family; the love for convivial suppers still running deep, with me generally sweating it out in the kitchen.

La Belle Assiette contacted me to see if I'd try a private chef service with restaurant quality food. I love to cook so it's something I'd never thought of, but the lure of not doing any shopping, prep, graft, or cleaning up was an incredible pull. Imagine, I could just swan in like Margo Leadbetter with just table decorations and guest invitations to busy myself with.

After an additional amuse with homemade spiced flatbread, we started with a bejewel salad of sumac roast squash, mung beans and pomegranate; the feta crumb being replaced with a vegan alternative for a seamless swap.

Star of the show, and I rarely say this, was dessert. A pistachio and rosewater vegan baked cheesecake with fresh figs. Utterly sublime and such a good vegan dessert that everyone was calling to the chef for the recipe.

I've always been one for making dinner the event - I pity the "food is fuel" fools (I said that in a Mr T voice in my own head there). So escalating this into a compete eatcation is exactly how I like to spend my time. Not only do you have an afternoon of anticipation for the brilliant wining and dining ahead, but a whole weekend of it. With so many restaurants a little drive away from Brighton, and lets face it, no-one likes hefty taxi fees or turning down the good wine, an overnight visit is the perfect solution.

As I fired the bullet from the Beretta, I had to acknowledge the fact that this blog has led me to some pretty unexpected situations. But here we all are.


Goodwood. To me, it was a fancy country house and a place that Chris Evans bangs on about A LOT. Something to do with really fast cars. In this instalment of Get Fran Out Of Brighton, I travelled down to discover this estate is far, far more than a riche playground for boys and their toys.

The Kennels

Beautifully ("beautiful" will be overused in this post) furnished and comfortably elegant, The Kennels is the central clubhouse for the estate's sporting members. But even if the idea of sport fills you with horror, social membership is available where you can work, rest, eat and drink. I was so surprised with the fee starting at just £180, which has plenty of additional benefits including access to some wonderful events. Had this been a shorter distance, I would have immediately snapped this up as my new office space, all with a view of Goodwood House, excellent food and a fine gin and tonic. More info.

Afternoon Tea

I think most people would be impressed with afternoon tea in the Goodwood House Ballroom. It's a sumptuous space, walls lined with an outstanding art collection and luxurious furnishings. Again, you'll be surprised with the price tag too; just £25 per person with a tour of the house included, making for a lovely gift and just as good as many others I've had a twice the cost. And it was a very good afternoon tea too with the freshest of finger sandwiches, crumbly scones and a delicious variety of jewel-like cakes. More info here.

Clay Pigeon shooting

I've always wanted to try this but was worried little ol' me couldn't quite handle the weight of the gun and I wouldn't say coordination was a strength of mine. However, following bacon sandwiches and a thorough briefing in the wood lodge, again furnished beautifully and so cosy, we were soon outside taking our first shots. Beginners need not be worried, everything was explained, techniques and tips given, and before long, most of us were hitting the clays, our delighted squeals echoing around the pit. The Beretta was actually quite easy to hold, lighter than expected and the kick back not too bad at all. I left very keen on shooting again, it really was great fun, made so by how good the tuition was. Tailored packages are available to suit beginners or seasoned pros, starting from £144pp. More info

Hound Lodge

I was slightly beside myself with a visit to Hound Lodge, an exquisite 10 bed property, formerly the dog kennels, that you can hire in its entirety for a cool £10,000 a night. However this includes a butler, maid and chef, your food and drink, which when you do the math on potentially 20 guests, isn't too bad at all. The attention to detail was impeccable, from the bedding stuffed with wool from the estate's sheep, to the fragrant floral arrangements in every single room. It had everything you could possibly want, including a fully stocked bar for the party of your life. I was very close to locking myself in the stunning master bathroom and refusing to come out. Book it here (and invite me).

Waterbeach Treatment Rooms

It was during my neck and back massage in the spa, I was mentally rebranding my entire blog to that of a lifestyle one. I could sure get used to this! The Elemis and Elemental Herbology products they use in their treatments are gorgeous.  Have a look at the treatments.

Personal Training

Goodwood Health Club is well equipped, modern and, as I was now expecting, came with the best of personal trainers. A year ago this would have probably had me running away but I have caught the fitness bug so it was a privilege to have been offered a training session with double Olympic gold medallist Sarah Ayton OBE. I've used PTs before and not new to weight training, but I particularly enjoyed the session; informative, effective and fun, as fitness should be, and Sarah was just lovely. I came away from even this first session with tips and exercises to incorporate into my routine. Along with the gym and PT sessions there is a programme of fitness classes, garden studio, a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms. More info.

Horse Racing

It's nice to leave wanting to spend more time in a place; there's clearly a lot to do and enjoy on the estate, even more than I had seen or experienced and just an hour from Brighton. Flying packages, motor racing, golfing and their famous events like Goodwood Revival and The Festival of Speed. It sure is a playground for all.

And I'll be returning soon to dine in their truly sustainable restaurant Farmer, Butcher, Chef which uses produce from their self-sustaining farm.

Sigh, glorious, glorious Goodwood indeed.

Visit goodwood.com for upcoming events and memberships.

I attended as a guest of Goodwood. Words and thoughts, as always, my own. 

Well this is embarrassing. It seems like I’ve written nothing apart from dinners at Pike & Pine, and here we are again with another. The summer break plus a break of another kind has put paid to my reviewing for a while, but here I find myself again, propped up at the marble pass. And it’s not a bad place to get back into the swing of things, that’s for sure.


Where change seems to be the order of the day, Pike & Pine have reworked their menu, bravely in some ways, replacing their taster menus with something altogether more flexible. They certainly don’t seem to be ones for bucking the trend and where everywhere else seems hell bent on the formality of tasters, Pike & Pine are relaxing their vibe. Good news for people who were previously prohibited from a visit due to high cost, but this also opens up the restaurant to non-celebratory dinners. Not many people around these parts can be dropping £££s on meals for no cause, let’s face it. The new format is smart - bites, sharing plates, mains and desserts are laid out for a pick and mix approach so you can come in for cocktails and a few sharing plates, a main and dessert dinner or splurge on banquet of plates from across the menu.

The quality and excitement, thankfully, hasn’t been diluted and save for a few wild cards in there that chef Matt Gillan seems to thrive on, it offers great food with enough twists and surprises to make the meal feel special regardless of what your visit is for.


Don’t disregard the “bites”. The fried XO squid in a devilishly dramatic black sauce are well worth the order and dare I say it, arancini better than any Neapolitan versions I’ve had, soft as a luxury down duvet and topped with fried capers to wake up those taste buds.


The sharing plates were a mixed bag for me. Stone bass ceviche was lively with a chilli and mango salsa, although technically it was sashimi, having not been cured in any citrus. Pork belly sure looked the part and the jammy dehydrated prunes, apple puree and pork scratching powder were perfect with it, but I would have loved the pork belly itself to be rendered more to meltingly tender. A namesake Pike & Pine dish, served in a little bowl that only particularly intimate people could share, was a clever nod to the daytime business - a silky coffee espuma, mushroom puree, truffle and confit egg and a Parmesan crisp. Completely twisting my melons though were the picked blueberries - too much of a departure from the earthiness of the rest of the dish for me.


On to mains and who doesn’t love the comfort of poached and roast chicken? And served with some of my favourite things; wet potent and truffle. The battered leg pieces were also delicious - something that would work well on the daytime menu with the oyster sauce alone.


Just as good was a hunk of halibut, topped with a fennel crust to enhance the sweetness of the fish, served with charred sand carrots (no idea either, but I liked them) and vibrant purees of carrot and basil, this dish was harmonious and nutritious with spiced quinoa.


Desserts particularly shone and were visual masterpieces. Normally I’m no fan of chocolate desserts, but the smooth 63% cremeux with cherry sorbet, marzipan and pistachio paste almost turned me. Almost.


However the lemon and matcha dish was very much my type on paper and plate; fresh, lively and with the right amount of quirk. A ball of lemon cheesecake, matcha meringue and sticks, green tea sorbet, croutons and a lemon curd that brought all of the guns. Perfect.

My drinks writer friend always laments about booze being seen as the poorer sister in a lot of restaurants but here they have been given the attention they deserve. The wine lists are really carefully crafted and cocktails well balanced, unique and worth popping in for alone.



I see from social media that this menu is already being tweaked - perils of attending launches of any kind I suppose, but I’m sure its evolution will still be one of Brighton's most interesting dining options. It's a great move for Pike & Pine and seems a better fit for the environment too. The daytime menu for Red Roaster will also be revamped with a nod to both healthy eating and indulgence which I'm eagerly anticipating - the cafe remains one of my favourite spots to work and brunch from.

Dining events are also still on the cards which is good news. I still think about (and probably talk too much about) the Ridgeview dinner hosted in early September. It was a triumph for food and one of Sussex’s best drinks producers. Next one up will be with renowned chef Brad Kilgore from Miami-based Alter in November. Well work a look up.

Pike & Pine
St James's Street
Brighton

I dined as a guest of Pike & Pine. Words and thoughts, as always, my own.

I love the tradition of proper afternoon tea. Impeccable service, starched tablecloths, someone tinkling the ivories, fine china and silverware and an eye-watering bill to finish. But this has always involved a trip up to London where they have a wealth of options for the experience. Brighton just doesn't have the same attitude to luxury, I don't know why, we just don't seem to do it in the traditional sense - if we do it's always with a twist or quirk and that suits us just fine.

Which leads us onto the newly launched Afternoon Tea at The Salt Room, who are still flying high from that glowing review by Jay Rayner. The interior here is refined with a healthy dose of on-trend industrial aesthetic. Everything is well considered and the staff are stylish and professional in equal measure. Instead of a crisp white jacket and a plummy accent, our waitress had soft pink hair and a flower tucked behind her ear and had such a brilliant demeanour, both charming and fun, that she genuinely added to the experience.


Every head in the room turned as the stand was brought in topped with two candy floss (could it scream Brighton any louder??), the visual is certainly impressive and a nod to The Salt Room's now infamous Taste Of The Pier dessert plate. Noone could help being impressed with this, it was absolutely beautiful.


Starting with the fish-based savoury layer, the Crab Scotch Egg was fragrant with tarragon and a nip of chilli and worked perfectly with the sweetness of the crab meat. I think Truffled Grilled Cheese is quite possibly the nicest things you could put in your mouth. Anything truffle and I'm in - this was glorious and such a welcome break from the finger sandwiches you'd expect. The Salmon and Squid Ink Bun was striking but somehow needed something, more seasoning maybe or more of a hit of flavour in the bun as it diluted the salmon and horseradish filling. A pig to eat was the Aged Beef Tartare & Egg Yolk Jam Sandwich, served between two crisp pastry layers that shattered on bite impact, but utterly, utterly delicious. Egg yolk and raw beef is a classic pairing but reworked into this little gem was inspired.


The little scones, served with home-made clotted cream and strawberry elderflower jam were the perfect size, not too filling and the only real nod to tradition. Still, I was happy they were there.


The sweet layer is a picture right? The crowning glory of the event. Present were the Chocolate Pebbles everyone seems to go crazy for - sugar coated chocolate truffles that are too sweet for me but I'm not a huge fan of chocolates (give me another slice of that truffled grilled cheese any day). Sadly our Rhubarb and Custard Macaroon had disintegrated into the plate - maybe we had been talking too long. Shame as they were nicely flavoured and the dehydrated rhubarb shards that topped them deliciously tart in themselves. Disappointing was the slice of heavy and claggy Pistachio & Raspberry Battenberg, I'm not really sure what the issue was here but Paul Hollywood would have pulled one of his faces for sure. Whilst I think they probably need to bring the sweet elements to the same exceptional standard as the savoury, we ended on a high with the most beautiful Orange & Yuzu Posset, really refreshing and light, served in a delicate meringue case.


I have to say we didn't sample any of the tea - why would you when the bar here is one of the best in town and there's a Champagne option. Plus, I was with the effortlessly stylish Alexis from Style Memos - a dear friend and one serious social influencer, and meeting her always calls for a celebratory drink to supplement our hundred mile an hour chatter.

The teas are from JING and there is a reasonable selection or you can opt for a gin and tonic, Champagne or sweet wine (nice to see an ice wine on the list) or a tea-tail which is a cocktail with tea infused gin and vodka.

As the afternoon tea here is fish based I chose a Gin Mare which is becoming a bit of a favourite. It's slightly savoury with Mediterranean herbs and olive notes and served with samphire. Perfect choice for the savoury layer of food.

Price-wise it's a fraction of the cost of what you'd pay in the capital and excellent value for money too, starting at £24.95 with coffee or tea, £29.95 with gin and £34.95 with a glass of Taittinger Champagne.


I always get asked for afternoon tea recommendations in Brighton and historically struggled, but now there are a few decent options (none in the main hotels you would expect). This one here at The Salt Room would certainly be up there, particularly for its celebration of the city and position by the sea.

The Salt Room
106 King's Road