As we head into an autumn of change , the double whammy of cost of living and climate crises means fewer take away pizza boxes strewn across the city streets ( Ed : you wish ) and less in the bins behind the back of our favourite restaurants as they pare back their waste . And that is not a good look for the birds of Brighton .
But ‘ eat less , but better ’, is what Great Uncle Gull has always told us , reminding us what happened to our favourite childhood treat , the earthworm , when animals were put in cages in vast factory farms . So , your gull has taken flight to check out the latest plant-based kitchens and chefs who care about where their meat , fish and dairy comes from .
This Gull loves little more than good pub food , and particularly when it ’ s a pop up like Kokedama at the Roundhill with glamorous plant-based small plates .
A peck at the leftover Gochujang Panko Cauliflower Wing and the skin-on Fries topped with Apple & Fennel Kimchi , Spring Onions , Gochujang Drizzle , Cashew Parmesan , Wasabi Mayo and Furikake sent your bird ’ s spirit soaring onto a passing thermal to check out its other locations in East Street and Lewes . But not before clocking that Sunday lunch roast is a feather light £ 15 .
Portland Road may seem a long old flight for a hungry bird , but the word on the wing is that Ciaran ’ s is a properly sourced treat for a Sunday lunch . Its crispy belly of pork with sage stuffing , roasted duck fat potatoes , glazed carrots , sautéed cabbage and apple cider gravy all comes from within a 40-mile radius .
The pigs come from Calcot
Farm in West Sussex where this bird has witnessed them larking in fields , playing with their siblings and pals until their time comes . She ’ s also spotted the Ciaran-mobile buying fish from Brighton and Newhaven Fish Supplies , the preferred fishmonger of the most responsible of Brighton eateries .
His dairy is delivered from Bristol ’ s Estate Dairy which Cousin Gus from Southville , Bristol ’ s grooviest neighbourhood , says is the work of a collective of young passionate individuals dedicated to producing and bottling the highest quality milk and cream from the Chew Valley . He ’ s been very picky about the ethics behind his dairy since he developed a taste for ice cream on a brief visit to Brighton as a chick .
It was Cousin Gus who spotted a cool young eco-warrior at Veg Fest back in 2013 , feeding a Bristol crowd vegan sushi burrito and environmental activism like they were baby birds . Anna told them that they couldn ’ t love the ocean if they ate fish , and well , you can imagine how that ’ s gone down in the gull world .
But when Anna moved to Brighton , set up Happy Maki in Pool Valley , the gulls were all over it , as were festival goers throughout the country as word got out about the fake fish that tastes so delicious .
Let them eat fake if it helps them give up junk food . As the tractors harvest the fields of Sussex , this gull is up , up and away to pick at the worms coming back to the cow-mown farms , and breathe in the beauty of animals on the land .
l For more information , see Gilly Smith ’ s article on Sixty Harvests Left on the facing page