My daughter’s American dream has come true. So instead of being at boring old home for the summer she’s got three days notice of her flight to the States for her post as camp director with Camp America. It seems teens these days don’t let the grass grow under their feet.
Other people have different dreams. I first met Cameron at a Brighton Explorers social during the winter where she spoke avidly about her new cafe venture that would be opening soon. Fast forward a few months and Milk No Sugar is now up and running.
Sitting on the north side of Trafalgar Street just down from the station bridge it catches the sun most of the day through the large windows. Billed as an artisan coffee maker, Cameron is extraordinarily knowledgeable about coffee making and is rightly proud of her skills with the full low down on how it should all be done. Tea drinkers have not been forgotten though and there’s plenty of choice here too of quality tea varieties.
The style of the cafe is the minimalist 
industrial look but the warm welcome from Cameron and her team softens the edges of this pare-backed style. There are loads of freshly made on site sandwiches and they also have breakfast and brunch specialities such as bacon baps and lots of tasty stuff on toast all listed on the chalked up blackboards. Their cakes and cookies contain much of the gluten and wheat free variety and I sampled the almond and rose cake which had been made by their very own multi-talented barrista, pictured right.
There are lots of nice touches like the charity library of paperbacks stacked up along the window ledge. In the centre of the large space there’s a table that will seat eight that Cameron tells me is popular for meetings and has all the day’s newspapers laid out to choose from. But if you don’t fancy catching up on the day’s news there’s always the constantly changing panorama that is Trafalgar Street to watch outside. From skateboarders whizzing down the hill to vintage styled fashion students parading their individual look all of Brighton style is there to see.
Cameron has lots of ideas to make full use of the large cafe space she has available to her . She’s already hosted a yoga evening and has a Buddhist introduction talk as well as art house foreign language film evenings planned. A loyalty card will be introduced soon which will be a must for all lovers of great coffee.
So as the new kid on the block, Milk No Sugar has plenty of competition in this cafe packed street. However, with their unique selling point of producing an artisan cup of coffee it looks like they’re having no trouble attracting the coffee cognoscenti. It’s hard work and long hours starting up a new cafe business but Cameron obviously loves what she does.
My teen daughter is starting out on her dream very soon which will be hard work and a great adventure. Wonder if she’ll mind me popping in for a quick visit and a chat…..
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It’s all change again in my household with my teenage daughter back home again after her first successful year at University. I have to adjust to having a teenager around and she has to adjust too to living in a family home rather that in halls amongst her newly made friends. Teenagers are known for their ability to sleep long and sound. So by mid morning, after being up a couple of hours myself, I left a sleeping daughter behind to cycle further into Hove.
At the corner of Pembroke Gardens and New Church Road sits Hove Museum and Gallery. Their tearoom has had a bit of a makeover since my last visit so while I had a look at the menu I took time to see what changes have been made to this classically traditional favourite.
There are still some lovely oil paintings from the museum’s collection hanging on the walls. Chosen and positioned with some care to reflect the tearoom surroundings and overlooking the museum’s gardens. There are some food still lifes and picnic scenes portraits as well as some Sussex landscapes. There are also collections of decorative teapots, jugs and teacups and saucers in glass display cases around the room.
Immediately I recognised the blue colour on the walls as being the same hue as that of my hallway at home. It was a colour inherited on purchase of the house and one we’ve kept as there seemed no reason to change it. I was told by the waitress that the paint colours used are Farrow & Ball Cook’s Blue and Cooking Apple Green. With the dual south and west aspect there’s loads of natural light and the colours work really well to give a warm yet fresh feel.
The shaker style counter is artfully topped 
with ceramic cake stands laden with a tempting range of cakes and cookies which seemed different from other selections available in local cafes. My tea comes served in an unusual black cast iron teapot with integral strainer chosen from a large selection of loose leaves. The selection of teas include Snow Queen White tea, Pu’erh 9 year, Green Jade Pear amongst many so this is a stop for the tea connoisseur. Other drinks are sourced too from artisan producers like the Chapel Down Curious Brew Lager and the Dittsham Plum Fruit Liqueur.
Looking onto the Museum Gardens through the large windows in this quiet and leafy suburb of Hove, I noticed that the absence of music also contributed to the relaxed feel and allowed a rare appreciation of the sounds around instead.
On my return home my student daughter was up and ready to go out with friends. Staying at my home now for her is just a transitory phase until she returns to her University town. So Farrow & Ball paint colours in the hallway or not, there’s not a lot to entice her to hang around for long. And that was something we’re both just starting to get used to.
I’ve never been to Barcelona but I’ve seen images of the amazing Gaudi mosaics and artwork that abound there. As I’ve got older I seem to have much less of a travel bug than I had when younger, preferring home comforts to new exploration. Nowadays a lot of my travel is done vicariously either through books or films and sometimes I get to feel as if I have actually been to a place so well is it portrayed. I’m thinking here of the Woody Allen film Vicky Cristina Barcelona When the filming and photography are this good do you really need to physically go there too?
When you’re looking for a cafe with a little outdoor terrace with a Spanish feel and one that’s tucked back from the buzz of the North Laine then you’d do well choosing Inside Out. At the corner of Kensington Place and Gloucester Road there’s one of those quieter corners with an elevated decking area where if you’re lucky enough to get an outside table you get to sit in the shade and watch the world go by. The terrace’s walls sport a colourful Gaudiesque mosaic in bright hues of red, green blue and yellow. There’s an artful railing and a touch of greenery which all added together make this one of Brighton’s great outdoor spots that hint of of that great Spanish city.
Inside the mosaic theme continues 
on the tables with cool tiled flooring and bold white walls giving a summery Mediterranean feel. Retro styled chairs are another quirky touch but it’s the mirror to the back of the cafe, that inspired the cafe’s name, that’s the feature to check out. The loo is just behind the mirror and only those that venture here will find out what freaky revelation is to be discovered. It’s worth a visit for this alone.
Meanwhile out on the decked terrace we tucked into some superb roasted vegetable wraps and mozzarella melts all amply garnished with tortilla chips, sour cream and chive dip and mixed leaves and cherry tomato salad. British summers may not match those of the Med but it was just about warm enough to sit outside. Maybe it’s time to get out my copy of The Food of Love by Anthony Capella to experience a balmy week away in Italy for a bargain price and to be transported straight there.
I’m sure I will still take the time and effort to travel out of my comfort zone here at home now and again but in the meanwhile I will continue my itinerary of vicarious traveling including just popping into a Brighton cafe and using my imagination.
When your laptop is in for some serious repairs and you need to get online then there is only one option available. That was why I could be found on a wet and grey day walking along Church Road in the search for an internet cafe. I’d often spotted the cheerful orange, brown and cream frontage of Cafe 3000 while cycling along this busy road but had never any need before to check it out.
I was glad enough to get in out of the grim weather and take a seat inside. The deal is when you buy a drink you get 15 minutes free internet access. I booked a further 45 minutes so I’d have time to catch up on emails and all the other things we do on the web these days.
PCs sit along the counter top by the full length windows so it’s a light and spacious area to work in perched on your high stool. You also get a good view of all that’s going on in Church Road outside. The interior is painted bright white with light wood furniture giving a fresh, clean feel. My mug of hot tea was welcoming on such a wet day as the temperature had dropped quite a bit with the rain setting in.
I didn’t try any of the food 
but it looked to be fairly good value with all day breakfasts a speciality as well as felafel wraps and freshly made to order sandwiches. The chilled counter was amply laid out with fresh salad fillings and fruit ready for juicing.
As I usually gen up on the news by radio it was a bit of a novelty for me to watch the continuous news streaming on the TV for a bit, getting to see what some of these personalities in the news actually look like rather than just recognising them by their voice.
Hopefully my laptop will be back in service soon but at least I now know the best place to go when I’m in need of a welcoming on line connection.
Us townies have a particular view of the countryside. The green space beyond our city boundaries we see as for leisure and recreation. For centuries the countryside was a place of heavy labour and food production, and still is, but to a much smaller proportion of the population. To stride out along time-worn pathways and through ancient tiny villages is to converse with the narrative of the landscape.
Not far from Hampden Park station we took a steep path signposted to Jevington. The climb was worth the exertion with fabulous views from the top near the old trig point overlooking Eastbourne and the coast. You could see the Brighton & Hove bus number 12 trundling along the Beachy Head road in the far distance. An easy downhill followed along the well worn track of the South Downs Way into the sleepy valley below and the village of Jevington. When I come across places like this I often wonder if I really am living in the crowded south-east so as the setting is so peaceful and deserted. A picnic stop by the centuries old church in shade of a beautiful tree in full pink blossom set us up for the next few miles of walking.
Just one more climb up out of the 
valley passing woodlands pungent with sweet wild garlic. Then we crossed over Lullington Heath with its golden yellow gorse bushes in full bloom, one of the last remaining heathland areas on the Downs. Downhill again towards the village of Litlington sitting in yet another tranquil valley and on spotting the church spire from the top of the hill we knew we were reaching the end of our walk.
Apart from the feel-good factor of being in the great outdoors, the other reason for all this rambling was Litlington Tea Gardens. These quaint tea gardens were established around 150 years ago and still retain much of their Victorian charm. The large gardens are surrounded by mature trees and have loads of little nooks and crannies so it’s worth having a bit of a look around before choosing your spot. As well as the tables and benches on the lawn there are plentiful summerhouses surrounding the gardens providing bountiful private seating areas.
Litlington are proud of their cream teas and home made cakes. We sampled some of their chocolate cake and apple and blackberry pie with ice cream washed down with pots of tea served at the table on huge trays. Its the perfect spot on a sunny day. Litlington also have a nursery, crystal shop and gift store all worth a browse before catching the Cuckmere Valley rambler bus back to Berwick station for the return train to Brighton.
I’ve just finished reading That Summer at Hill Farm by Miranda French which tells brilliantly through fiction the dichotomy of living in the Sussex countryside and it’s not all rosy down on the farm. The countryside will always remain for me a place for walking and cycling and not for living in as I’m a city dweller at heart. Though I love to know that the rural idyll is just on my doorstep.
Cafe Dharma 