A foodish day in Brighton (well Hove, Actually)

Kitty has been on the receiving end of Mummy-Lite for the last few weeks due to rather a lot of cake related business. So I decided to take her over to Brighton for the day, to do a park/playground crawl and check out some food spots on my "must visit" list on the way. 

First on the list was breakfast at the wonderful veggie/vegan cafeteria in the North Laine called Iydea. It's had rave reviews on tripadvisor and a whole fistful of awards. So it was with eagerness tempered by expectations-of-disappointment that we arrived. It was great - really delicious, inexpensive and innovative food, genuinely friendly staff and a great atmosphere. It's the first time I've eaten a vegan breakfast and wanted more !

     

We then hopped on the 81B bus up to St Anns Wells Garden where they were holding a Spring Fair. My Mum, who comes from Hove told me later that she and my Aunty used to walk along to the Gardens in their lunchbreak from school in Wilbury Road. We particularly enjoyed the rather odd man to the rear of the photograph on the left - who was engrossed in "conducting" the brass band ! I also enjoyed taking in the eclectic mix of architecture on the way - including the beautiful Art Deco Furze Croft apartment block. 

Next point of call for Food Mecca was the inimitable Audrey's Chocolates in Holland Road. All their chocolates are hand made on the premises - and when I say handmade I mean that they actually make their own chocolate from actual cocoa beans. My parents have been buying chocolates from Audreys for as long as I can remember and in my opinion they are the best chocolates in the UK. One of my favourite children's books "Hetty", written by Brightonian Barbara Willard, features a scene in a Hove chocolate shop with its inspiration firmly in Audrey's. I'd take one small box of Audrey's champagne truffles over 200 boxes of Thorntons any day. They were training a new shop assistant in the finer points of customer service while I was there - down to how to tie a perfect bow in harmonising colours to the chocolates inside. 

The final flourish, as a reward for spending two hours in a magnificent seafront playground by the twisted remains of poor old West Pier, was a gelato in boho gelato. Well, I had Pier Doughnut and Pink Lemonade, Kitty had Chocolate and all I can say is...

Yum, yum and more yum !!