FEEDBACK
It ’ s summer in the city and whether you ’ re going to Pride or the beach , you ’ re bound to pack up a picnic . Where can you avoid the plastic pots , the factory-farmed ultraprocessed meats and climate-changing waste in this eco-city of ours ? And where is it not going to cost a fortune ? We ’ re all about the true cost of food in The Whistler , but where can you get your hamper filled without resorting to the supermarket ? We asked the good folk of Seven Dials and West Hill .
‘ The Hellenic Bakery for spinach pies !’ says Yannis from Goldsmid Rd . ‘ They ’ re straight out of Athens !’
‘ I find snacks and picnic ideas soo expensive that I end up making everything myself ’ says Lou from West Hill . ‘ A big old quiche or portable tortilla , some crisps , some pimped up olives , cheese and bread ..! If I had some extra cash , I ’ d say the sausage shop in
Gloucester Place for cheeses and jars of delectables or Barney ’ s in Kensington Gardens .. And always Real Patisserie for bread and cheese straws !’ Simon from St Ann ’ s Wells thinks you can get your bread closer to home . ‘ The seeded brown sour dough at The Flour Pot on Seven Dials is the best bread in town .’ Jenny from Vernon Terrace adds ‘ The sausage rolls at The Flour Pot - vegan and meat - are amazing ’.
Caroline says ‘ Clearly , the best ( and only , if we ’ re talking about just the immediate Dials area ) deli is Ricci ’ s . They ’ re gaspingly expensive - those Tony ’ s Chocolonely bars you get for £ 3.50 at Sainsbury ’ s are around £ 4.95 here - but the stock is lovely , and their sandwiches delectable .’
That ’ s two delectables , and we ’ ve barely left home . Sara Clifford shouts across from Lewes via Facebook , ‘ Cheese
Please on the High Street !’ Philippa joins her . ‘ The Sussex Peasant in Hassocks !’
It ’ s a good call ; the mobile farm shop which takes its truck across Brighton and Hove including St Ann ’ s on Fridays and outside The Chimney House on Sundays , has moved out to Hassocks since we last had a chat with them for The Whistler . They buy locally and seasonally , and although some of their prices are eye watering , be assured that it ’ s going back to the farmers .
“ We believe that farming and consuming local well farmed food is a social and cultural glue , and understanding this is key to underpinning key values of society and life ’, they say , and we ’ re right behind them . ‘ The Open Market ’ s fruit and veg stall ’ says John from West Hill . ‘ It ’ s really good value . You can often get bowls of slightly older fruit that ’ s still perfectly good to eat for £ 1 .’
What ’ s your favourite restaurant , cafe or bar ? Every review published gets a free copy of The Whistler and a box set of The Fall : The Complete Peel Sessions 1978-2004
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LETTERS
Dear Sir , I ’ d like to follow up the letter you recently published about electric cars and parking spaces . Perhaps your letter writer would like to consider whether they should have a car at all . What ’ s wrong , I ask you , with a bicycle ? What ’ s wrong with a bus ? If we made the city a car-free zone wouldn ’ t that really be better for our Green credentials ? It ’ s all very well for your smug writer to talk about their electric car - no doubt used mainly for driving to the end of the road to buy their loaf of organic sourdough - but why not walk ? People like your writer spend so much time congratulating themselves about their eco choices , but if they did less of that and instead thought some more about what ’ s actually good for the environment , the world - and our streets - would be a better place .
Robert Johnston , Seven Dials
Dear Sir , You recently publssssished a letter from someone moaning about parking permits or something . Well , why not make everyone who wants a parking permit plant a tree to offset their car emisions ? So when they apply and provide proof of address , they also have to provide proof of planting .
J . L . Hooker , Seven Dials