An exhaustive guide to the best food shops, delis and restaurants across Britain and Europe – as chosen by leading chefs and food writers.
Angela Hartnett MBE, chef with the Gordon Group for 12 years, chooses the Real Eating Company as one of her favourite places to eat “A small chain of lovely restaurants serving real, seasonal favourites. Go for lunch of dinner or just for a slice of cake in the afternoon. They’ve also got a bakery serving a mouthwatering array of delicacies”.
"Women do their own thing” Eve Magazine
The deli-entrepreneur
‘I get such a buzz from running my own business’ says Helena Hudson, 40, owner of three deli-cafes in Sussex. ‘Every time the door opens, there’s a surprise’. Helena was managing an ad company with a turnover of £75 million when she moved to Brighton ‘for a quiet life’ and spotted a gap in the market for a café that did interesting, authentic food all day. 'We’re always thinking of ways of presenting old favourites’, she says. ‘Learning about restaurant legislation has been a steep learning curve, but now I’ve opened two more sites, the hard work is paying off’.
Easy Living Magazine
The Good Life
Helena Hudson opened the Real Eating Company last year. She lives in Hove with her husband, Kevin, and two children Freya, ten and Peran, seven. A former advertising executive, Helena Hudson says that even after a day sticking labels on jars, lugging crates of wine and dealing with suppliers, nothing would tempt her back to her old job. “It’s no less stressful” she admits, “but the highs are much higher – it’s great doing something you’re passionate about”.
It was moving from Islington to Brighton three years ago and struggling to find a decent food shop that first sowed the seeds of Helena’s deli ambitions. She found a former art gallery which she thought was perfect for her new venture. “I had 19 months of battles with builders and planners and there were times when I thought ‘I can’t do this’ “ she admits. But she’s now the proud owner of a stunning light-filled deli-cum-café.
“What I’m trying to do is sell fantastic British produce” she says. She also makes and sells her own traditional cakes, pies and own-label jams, jellies and pickles. Thankfully, Helena’s work is less consuming than it was in the early days. “But the children are still suspicious of day trips” she smiles “because they know it’s somehow going to involve a farmer’s market”.
You Are What You Eat
Brighton and Hove have long been known as havens for the healthy eaters: the two over-lapping towns are awash wth foodstores and snack bars promising vegans, vegetarians and organic delights. But after a day on the beach or shopping in the Lanes, you might want something a little bit more substantial thn a sarnie and a shot of wheatgrass juice. In which case, you could do a lot worse than head for the Real Eating Company.
The elegant wrought iron windo frames and antique-looking sign give the distinct impression that this shop and restaurant might have been established circa 1900. In fact, it opened just over a year ago, the brainchild of Helena Hudson, whose aim to 'provide real food for people who love to eat, cook and buy good food'.
The well-stocked shop sells goods from local producers, hand-made specialities from around the world, and some rather tempting breads made in the on-site bakery. If you want to minimise the impact on your pocket, though, it's best to save your shopping for after lunch.
Mums with babies, professional-lookng couples and multi-generational families occupy the non-smoking restaurant's 35 seats, which are split between the shop-side window area and a sky-lit space at the back. A few foodie pictures decorate the walls and tables are set simply - the light, airy surroundings leave you to concentrate on your meal.
The menu isn't too long, nor too complicated - you're not overwhelmed with details of every dribble of garnish you'll see on your plate. Never the less, the dishes on offer cater for everyone from the peckish vegan to the could-eat-a-horse carnivore (kids have their own menu or can choose half portions from the main menu). Drinks include everyone's favourite Sussex bubbly Nyetimber, some organic ales and ciders, and wines ranging from £11 to £39.
My companion and I shared two small plates of salads for starters: tomato, avocado, red onion and basil, and carrot and guindilla - a piquant green pepper. It's fresh, tasty and organic, and leaves us feeling virtuous enough not to hold back on the mains. The waitress tells us that all the meat is organic and locally-sourced: reassured, I opt for the venison casserole, which comes in a rich mushroom-and-onion gravy, with mash and perfectly cooked kale. There's a real 'aah bisto!' moment when my companion's cod, spinach and parmesan bake arrives steaming in its earthenware dish. A side order of green beans is livened up neatly with garlic and almonds. It looks good without being fussy and the natural flavours are wonderfully combined. Portions are generous but we still sent two clean plates back to the kitchen.
We haven't quite got room for a plate of award-winning British cheeses, but we manage to squeeze in a dessert. When the chef discovers that the homemade tamarillo sorbet hasn't yet set, I'm offered an alternative on the house: the passionfruit meringue mess I have instead is light, the sharp fruit offsetting the sweetness nicely. My companion's chocolate fudge sundae is wickedly indulgent, packed with cream, pecans and walnut biscotti.
If ever there was a case for keeping it real, this company is it.
The food and coffee was as good as any fine London café, but within easy walking distance of home. The café is combined with a unique food store and deli, so good Italian risotto rice and keens cheddar was also just a walk away”.
Olive Magazine
Food remains an art in this former gallery. Spread over two floors, it is a relaxed deli–wineshop–charcuterie, fromagerie–café. Shelves heave with local goodies, especially cheese – Flower Marie is a stinky treat from Lewes.
The Real Eating Company opens in Brighton this month. Housed in a former art gallery, the company was set up by advertising high flyer Helena Hudson and besides selling great fresh food has a 35-seater restaurant.
Named by Grocer magazine as one of the 50 to watch, Helena Hudson's deli balances excellent quality stock with unusual ready-made items such as custard, jelly, soups and pesto. Local cheeses are well represented, with Flower Marie and Golden Cross both in stock. The bakery on site makes traditional goods such as flapjacks, millionaire shortbread and farmhouse loaves. The manager recommends the "droolsome" raspberry tartlet: a handmade pastry case coated in dark chocolate, filled with a white chocolate mousse and topped with glazed raspberries. The white-washed basement acts as a cafe during the day and at night is set with candles to welcome diners.
Fits the Bill – Olive Magazine
Two-thirds deli, bakery, foodstore and wine shop, the Real Eating Company opened in 2004 when London escapee Helena Hudson decided to jack in her advertising job and start up the kind of place she’d enjoyed in London but couldn’t find near her new home in Hove. Breakfast and lunch is popular all week and from Tuesday to Saturday the tables in the white-washed basement are lit with candles and laid for dinner. Stylish Mediterranean menus are based on the ingredients sold upstairs with plenty of locally sourced produce. The fish comes from the day boats further down the coast and lamb and rose-veal is Sussex-bred.
Helena Hudson of the Real Eating Company was nominated as the regional finalist from Brighton to go through to the Grazia 02 X Awards, which showcases some of the UK’s most successful female entrepreneurs. The awards aim to highlight and celebrate businesswomen who have a strong passion for innovation, determination to push the boundaries in their field and do business in a different and individual way.
Observer Food Monthly
Readers of the Observer voted the Real Eating Company as one of the best food retailers as well as one of the best places for breakfast in the South East.
Olive Magazine
Food remains an art in this former gallery. Spread over two floors, it is a relaxed deli–wine shop–charcuterie, fromagerie–café. Shelves heave with local goodies, especially cheese – Flower Marie is a stinky treat from Lewes.
"Home-made pies, brownies, soups and cakes are dispensed on the ground floor, while on the first floor there are Jabugo pata negra hams, salamis, oils, wines and this Capunti Pugliesi pasta."
The Real Eating Company's desirable picnic hampers are delivered only within ten miles of its deli-and-restaurant HQ in Hove, East Sussex. But now this seriously good food store offers online ordering and nationwide transmission of gourmet goodies (many of them organic), including among the cheeses, Madonna's preferred proper buffalo mozzarella and authentic unpasteurised-milk feta, barrel aged on a small family farm in Greece. Visit www.real-eating.co.uk , or call 01273 221441.
The Real Eating Company is a stylish new delicatessen in Hove, East Sussex, selling the best of gourmet local and organic produce, plus a large range of home-made foods. My fave: the wonderfully glutinous, savoury flaky-pastry pies (£3-£4 each) - the fillings change on a weekly basis - and the valrhona chocolate brownies, (£1.50 a piece).
Setting: Gourmet superstore and restaurant housed in a bright, four-storey Victorian building that used to be an art gallery. It's just a couple of minutes from the sea and a 15 to 20 minute walk from Brighton town centre.
What's it like? This is a friendly and relaxed restaurant serving a short, sharp menu with an emphasis on food that is fresh and seasonal. Display shelves are filled with sculpural gourds and pumpkins. The trendy, modern décor features lovely window seating in the upstairs deli that offers a great vanatge point over the bustling streets.
Talking point: The fantastic deli sells the best of local produce as well as exotic, handmade specialities which are sourced from all over the world. Cheese fans and meat lovers, ahoy! There's a mouth watering cheese counter and a top-notch charcuterie.
Expect to see: Actress Cate Blanchett, DJ Fatboy Slim and singer Nick Cave have all been spotted here, along with the usual Brighton trendies.
The Times Magazine - "The Real thing"
"The South of England has a new champion of local produce in the Real Eating Company, a "gourmet superstore" in Hove with a deli, takeaway lunch counter and 35 seater restaurant over four floors. English wines, cheeses, ice creams and cold meats take pride of place alongside the usual continental delicacies any self-respecting Brightonian would expect."
"The Real Eating Company, 86/87 Western Road, Hove (01273 221444) is already proving to be a favourite with the local residents. The beautiful 19th-century building has a ground floor cafe, and exquisite, painstakingly selected food on four storeys. The cheeses are mostly British, the lemons come from Sorrento, the pears are ripe, and the vegetables, salads and herbs are locally grown. The bread is among the best in Brighton, and there are sauces, pies, salads and smoothies to take away."
The Real Eating Company, Brighton's first four-storey gourmet superstore, promises excellent local produce, including Sussex cheeses and treats from all over the world. Have a seat while you browse through its cookery book section or try the restaurant, which is open all day and offers boiled egg and soldiers for breeakfast, crumpets for tea and fresh juices to go.
