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

You'd think that vegetarians would burst into flames on passing the doors of MEATLiquor wouldn't you? Home of those messy, naughty burgers that everyone loves diving into, surrounded by graffiti, neon, chain mail booths and nightclub lighting. There's the name too. But here we are, behind the beast it's a pretty inclusive place.


I still can't get over how much I like it here. Anyone that knows me would probably laugh at this - you wouldn't think it would be my thing, but then my collection of heavy metal normally raises a few eyebrows too!

Although I like the standard burgers, being the carnivore I am, today was all about the vegetarian specials and the "dry" cocktails.


Starting with the "Poppaz", which were cheese and jalapeño croquettes, crumbed and deep fried. Eaten molten hot, there's not really too much to complain about. The ranch dressing served with them helped cool down the spice.


I can't imagine salad is the first thing on any one's mind here but after trying it, I would definitely order the Blue Corn Tortilla Salad again. Probably one of the genuine healthier options, this included a decent portion toward your five a day in the beetroot, corn, cucumber, tomato and lettuce. There was a sprinkling of feta and serious crunch from the crushed blue corn tortilla chips and sunflower seeds. It's a really generous size too - at £6.75 a bargain for lunch.


On the other end of the health scale were the Black Bean Chilli Fries. Beautifully thin fries topped with a well seasoned black bean chilli, jalapeño, finely diced white onion and mustard. (These are vegan without the cheese option by the way.)

Although I really like the chicken Monkey Fingers on the menu, the paneer version made a really nice alternative, the firm texture holding up well. Still slathered in that finger licking hot sauce and served with a blue cheese dip.


As there was so much food to get through, the cheddar and Hobo Beer dip for the tortillas had congealed a bit as it cooled. That savoury beery taste was there though and eaten hot this would not have been an issue.


Drinks were lush and even without the recommended booze addition for each, were really interesting. I hate fizzy soda (cola is the DEVIL), so if I'm not drinking booze I tend to struggle with drinks. Hopefully they'll keep these on past January. Root 69 with it's vibrant colour from the beetroot was fresh and zingy with soda and lemon juice and the Carrot Top with turmeric I could have been drinking in some clean eating cafe for twice the price.


Although people should be well and truly off the January wagon by now (MEATliquor even did a ‘Falling Off the MEATwagon’ package deal to celebrate), don't rule this place out if you are going easy on meat or if you are vegetarian/vegan. There are of course still the vegetarian and vegan options on the burger menus as well as the Setan Fingers and sides you can bolt on to the specials. Whilst I would still opt for a Dead Hippie or buffalo wings on future visits (because, you know...MEAT) I would absolutely consider the meat free options again after trying them out.


(Excuse the odd colour on the photography, the interior is bathed in a red light district ambiance.)

MEATLiquor Brighton
22-23 York Place
Brighton BN1 4GU

I dined as a guest of MeatLiquor. Words and thoughts, as always, my own. 

Afternoon tea can be a very swish affair; the starched, white tablecloths, the silver spoons, delicate china and impeccable, glossy patisserie. Sigh, I'm a sucker for it...bye bye £100. Talk of Tea in Brighton however, is none of those things. Despite having the city's largest tea list with some incredibly refined options, it is very much an "everyday" venue (their words). And it suits Brighton to a, well, tee.

Located right in the centre of town just off Western Road, it's an intimate little space, decorated with little trinkets, mismatched lanterns, fluro orange walls and charming it is too. There's also a sweet little yard with hanging seats for when the sun shines.

The tea menu lists Temi Tea (A Royal Tea from the only tea garden in the former kingdom of Sikkim), Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls and some fine organic Darjeeling. They have a superb green tea choice and many flavoured teas, including some rather unorthodox blends, Limoncello or Witch Blend anyone?

I had the Milky Oolong which is unlike any other tea. Refreshing, sweet and fragrant with an unmistakable milky taste. I can't get enough of it.

I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a business refresh their identity. Honestly, I absolutely despised the mouthful name and the branding of Chocaffinitea. The name set my teeth on edge and logo looked like a 70s technology TV program for heaven's sake. It's the one thing that actually put me off coming for so long!  I just had in my mind that the products would be as amateurish and unrefined as the outside aesthetic was. Which, as it turns out, is not the case. Anyway, it has been happily renamed Black Mocha with a far less quirky look.



Once inside, you'll find one of Brighton's best single origin chocolate shops with a large selection of bars from quality brands like Marou, Roccoco and the slightly bonkers Lobooko. The glorious packaging alone of all the bars is an absolute feast. They also sell Green Valley honey with some really unusual flavours.

Now, I never thought I'd be saying this but I am fully on board this vegan/raw/gluten free cake train. Not that I have any dietary requirements, just that I find them delicious and nutritious, packed full of energy boosting nuts, seeds and fruits. I think it's a textural thing too, I just find them far more interesting, and often less sweet, than a plain old slab of carrot cake. I even have a constant supply of homemade raw cacao energy balls in my fridge. Yes really.



There is always a good selection on offer and the display is really attractive; vegan salted peanut chocolate "snickers" slices, dairy free cheesecakes, chocolate cashew slices, flapjacks, cookies and brownies. It's all here.



I tried a few things now and loved them all. The vegan key lime cheesecake was particularly gorgeous. Funnily enough, I hate traditional cheesecakes but the silkiness of vegan versions I adore.

Although Brighton has a love affair with Small Batch coffee, it's good to have a change and they serve Monmouth brand here along with a large selection of Tea Studio blends. The single origin hot chocolate here is also remarkable. If you try noting else, try this. You will never catch me with one of those creamy, pumpkin spiced seasonal monstrosities from the coffee chains so this hot chocolate is as close as I get to an indulgent sweet drink. I've not had a hot chocolate like it before, full of flavour with a grown up savoury undertone.

But if you really don't have a sweet tooth they also have soups, quiches, salads and sandwiches that look fresh and inviting as well as toasted granola breakfast pots so it's a really useful address to have for an all day drop in.

Also as there is a high proportion of self employed people in this city there is a really useful working space upstairs too although at the time of writing the plugs were broken!


Black Mocha
103 Gloucester Road
Brighton BN1 4AP

I don't often post baking recipes and I don't really do pretty baking either, but these sweet vanilla cupcakes are rather simple to make (my kind of baking) and are on the right side of girly cuteness. AND it's National Cupcake Week you know. Now, I think enough time has passed that cupcakes are ok again. Remember a few years ago when cupcakes were everywhere and piled high American style with nauseating amounts of frosting? I'm seeing more sensible versions now that you do want to eat thank goodness. ("Cake pops" will never be ok in my book though.)

I made these ones for a 1 year old's party as her middle name is Rose but didn't want anything too kiddy. These would be welcome at girly gatherings, tea parties or even wedding cake material. The roses are not difficult to make once you have the hang of them.

Ingredient quality really makes difference to baking. I've experimented with lots of butters and you can tell the difference - buy the best! The white eggs* here are from The Happy Egg Co. whose ethos I like and these are laid by white hens. They have a larger yolk than normal so fabulous for baking with. I also wouldn't be without my beloved OXO Good Grips tools to help me either. You can read more about my product reviews here but they are my go-to for everyday, affordable kitchenware.


Here I'm testing the sturdy mixing bowl* which is exactly what I want; 1. stainless steel, 2. non slip, 3. well weighted. It's perfect and the white exterior is modern and good looking for display (great for speedy chilling too). I was also testing the decorating set but had the rose decoration in mind. I've never got on well with icing kits, either the simple snipped bags or those impossible traditional metal plungers that spew icing out of the sides. The OXO 4 Piece Baker’s Silicone Decorating Bottle Kit* may look a bit bonkers but it was so easy to use and handle. No spills or mess either. The compact nature is a bonus as everything can be stored inside. Even after a quick test, I know I'll be packing my old icing kits off to the charity shop in the morning.

Brighton has had such a ressurgance of quality baked goods that would make Atkins roll over in his grave. Carbaholics like me are positively rejoicing though!

Flour Pot Bakery has been supplying local stores and restaurants with their breads for a while but they now have their own café and bread shop in the North Laine. And a beautiful store it is too. The interior is everything a contemporary bakery should be, with gorgeous industrial copper lighting, cool marble worktops and a unique point of sale unit for the breads. It's predominantly black and white and just the right side of the artisan hipster design trend.


There are just a few seats inside and personally I would have reduced the imposing bar to accommodate more tables, especially in the winter months where their outside seating will be impractical. But for now, it's a good place to perch for morning pastries or a quick lunch although the narrow pavement is entertaining when the delivery lorries pass.

They also don't seem to have a complete website which in this day and age (and the fact they have such a solid brand and beautiful fit out) is nothing short of insanity. Even a single page with opening times and address would do them good, for flapjacks sake. Their Facebook page is better if you can be bothered to navigate through posts to find opening times; 8am until 7pm (9am - 6pm on Sundays, you're welcome.

But hey, if you manage to negotiate the opening times and grab a prized seat then it's well worth a visit. From the small selection of daily treats, I tasted quite possibly the lightest polenta cake on the planet. I thought the one I make was pretty darn good but this was, as it pains me to say, better. Laden with finely ground almonds and drenched in citrus sugar syrup, it was topped with the most beautiful emerald pistachios. You can wash down your cakes and pastries with (obligatory for Brighton) Small Batch coffee.






For lunch there could be more of an offering of sandwiches with just a couple to choose from, but they obviously use their own bread and rolls which is a bonus. The flatbreads didn't really appeal as there is something very off-putting about dried melted cheese. The chunky sausage rolls looked impressive and my dining partner liked his lamb Moroccan inspired version although I didn't get a chance to try it.



I also swung by a week or so later after work to pick up a couple of their loaves; a classic ciabatta and a rustic. Although service was shaky, the bread was decent. The ciabatta had that slightly plastic texture to the dough you'd expect and was fully aerated. The crust was absolutely delicious too. I gifted the rustic to my parents and they said it was excellent, and they are even fussier about real bread than I am. At around £1.80-£3.00 depending on the size of loaf, it isn't too bad a cost to pay for the real deal.



I'm really pleased that Flour Pot Bakery has taken the leap to their own cafe and shop, although the service could do with sharpening up, on three visits there was some sort of niggle or issue but their product is great, which is the main thing.

Flour Pot Bakery
40 Sydney Street
Brighton
BN1 4EP

There are not many restaurants that could be classed as a Brighton institution but English's of Brighton is most definitely one of the small handful. It has existed in the same location since 1945, with a much older fish restaurant on the same premises from the late 1800s. You can even still see the original embossed brass plate on the outside.


Sitting at the oyster bar, it could be any era really, I doubt much has changed looking at the faded framed pictures on the wall, the charmingly worn print on the plates and handwritten old menu. And I love it, few places could exude this type of eccentric atmosphere, and one that cannot be created unless it had been seasoned in place over decades. I only regret not having visited sooner, thinking this was a quaint old place for tourists and the over 60s, the only people that seem to appreciate velour seating.

I suppose I have also been seduced to frequent the handful of other good fish restaurants with their neue lux surroundings (Riddle and Finns) or exciting and accomplished cooking (Little Fish Market).

So before we go ahead, here is my secret. Seafood is the only thing I dislike eating and one mollusc in particular, the oyster. I don't believe that you should "hate" any food (microchips and frozen pizza aside) so have always been disappointed with myself for not enjoying seafood, especially as Mr. GF can devour huge platters of the stuff like a seal. I feel like I have failed as a food appreciator as oysters are so revered, but I do try, and try again in hope.

So the invitation for an education in oysters at English's was exactly the ticket I needed to cure my palette. Oh, and the inclusion of champagne may have been a sweetener too. I KNOW I like that thank you very much.

We were hosted by Jonathan Speirs who has been the head Oyster Shucker at English's for over 10 years and for more than 30 in the industry. Unremarkably, he knows a thing or hundred about oysters. First, we were given a selection of cooked oysters, which I have never tried before, a good move rather than going in hard with raw ones.


Surprisingly, I liked them. The toppings (tempura with a dipping sauce, samphire and hollandaise and and the classic thermidor style) were a welcome taste distraction and cooking eliminated the squeamish qualities of the slippery, slimy raw oyster. Instead was a soft, mild little sea pillow with enough flavour to shine through the other flavours.


Next came the big boys and I will admit I wasn't exactly rubbing my hands together with glee. What was interesting is that we were given a selection of rock oyster varieties and we were told to eat them in a certain order, much like a cheese board based on strength. The Jersey oysters slipped down ok. They were quite firm and mild. I wouldn't say I was quite there with the love but I felt like I was finding my feet. Next were Lindisfarne oysters, a middle ground oyster. Again, I ate these with no issue. The only ones I did struggle with were the Mersea ones, which were so soft and creamy and possibly one texture of slippery too far. One for the oyster pros amongst you.

People say they taste of the sea, and I can't add much more to that. If you like them, you like them I guess and if you want to explore or know more about them, pull up a stool here and chat to the staff. I was happy to learn a little more, what affects the taste like the depth and temperature of the water and so on. Oysters, at the very least, are interesting little creatures.