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Andrew Kay relaxes at The Swan in Kemp Town over a simple but delicious supper

The Swan in Kemp Town, swanned in, swanned about a bit and then, sadly, swanned out again. The owners, though, have had second thoughts and re-opened, and this time they are sticking to their guns and going for a simple concept, which was their original intention. And a good idea it is. There are plenty of places serving fancy food prepared by ambitious chefs. Much of it is good too, but a lot of it is just that bit too ‘fancy pants’ for a simple supper when you just want to get out but don’t want to push the boat out.
The newly re-launched Swan offers just that. The menu is short and simple, there are no fireworks or whizz-bang surprises here, and it’s all the better for it.

Mr R and I joined Mr G for a relaxed supper – relaxed being exactly what we both needed and got. I started by knocking all the sharp corners off a tough day, yes I do have them, it’s not all foie gras and pink icing. Mr R had a vodka and coke made with Pinky vodka, so just a bit camp, and Mr G had a spritzer.

The menu is divided into nibbles and sides and then a selection of dishes, some of which could be starters and some that can be ordered in two sizes. I was relieved, there are those moments when the prospect of three courses on a school night is just daunting. We ordered some olives – a good choice for me as the other two don’t like them – and some homemade parsnip and sweet potato crisps. The latter came to the table hot and highly seasoned and lasted no time at all as they were totally moreish. The olives were huge and infused with lots of chilli. I was happy and almost polished off the lot.

“A perfect place to pop in for a midweek supper when you simply can’t be bothered to fire up the cooker”

Mr R wavered over a main course, dithering over mussels but finally settling on gammon with fried eggs and homemade chips. And he loved it; it ticked all his little boxes that range from comfort to scale. Mr G had the halloumi salad, which was also very generous and packed with plenty of prime ingredients.
I threw caution to the wind and chose the inside out burger. I am an occasional burger buyer, too often they are such a disappointment, greasy, or gritty, or under-done. All too often I think they’re too big a risk – but I was in the mood and fancied some chips too.

I need not have worried, the burger was blooming lovely, well seasoned, with a nice bun and relish and some home-pickled cucumber too. The chips were hand cut and properly cooked and the salad was tasty and well dressed. The inside out bit was a pocket within the meat of melted American cheese. When cut into it poured out like dairy lava. The chef had, I was told, tried it with Sussex cheese but it didn’t perform as well under the grill. I was glad; there are moments when that weird American cheese simply fits the bill, and this was one of them.

Mr R finished off with strawberries Romanoff, which contained a huge slosh of vodka. I was fascinated by the idea of a grapefruit and pomegranate posset. Mr G recommended it and ordered one too. Strange it may sound but totally delicious and grown up, bitter-sweet, rich and sharp and served with shortbread. I confess that the shortbread looked shop bought but the chef informed me, looking hurt, that it was all homemade and forked by hand. If the langue de chat that topped Mr R’s dessert were anything to go by, he was telling the truth. They were excellent and when I said so some more were produced.

We drank a great bottle of white Rioja from a clever list supplied by our old friend Henry Butler. The list has a lot of delicious and affordable choices, and this is were The Swan scores high: decent food, decent portions and decent prices. Nearly every main course comes in at under £10, and there’s nothing skimpy other than the price. The place looks good too, the new opening seems to have given the place a new lease of life and the staff are friendly and relaxed.

It’s a perfect place to pop in for a midweek supper when you simply can’t be bothered to fire up the cooker and an equally good idea for parties and larger groups who want good food at affordable prices in fun surroundings. Totally without pretensions, I rather like The Swan’s easy alternative to supposedly fine dining.

The Swan, 9 Rock Street, Kemp Town, BN2 1NF, 01273 606138

Brighton Foodies Festival sets your taste buds tingling with the very best food & drink

The first in a series of seven UK Foodies Festivals bursts into Brighton at Hove Lawns on Saturday 30 April, marking the start of the taste-tingling summer celebrations which launch over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

The festival visited Brighton in 2009 and will return with a mouth-watering showcase of food and drink, new featured live cooking demonstrations, hands-on masterclasses, pop-up cook schools and celebrity culinary talent.

This is all packed into a three-day festival filled with almost 100 of the country’s best food and drink exhibitors.
Top chefs from the region, including Michelin-starred Neil McCue of The Curlew, Brighton favourites Sam Metcalfe of Sam’s of Brighton/Sevendials and Michael Bremner from Due South, will cook their favourite seasonal dishes live in the Chefs Theatre and share cooking secrets, hints and tips.

“The locations of the festivals have been chosen due to the population of local chef talent and the great variety of fresh local produce,” says Sue Hitchen, Foodies event director. “We are excited to bring Foodies back to Brighton and are delighted to kick off our biggest foodie season yet in the lively coastal town.”

Visitors can partake in the pop-up Cook School, where they will enjoy hands-on cooking and tasting sessions, with guidance from top chefs and food experts. For budding young chefs the Cooking With Kids Theatre allows future foodies to get messy and try new cooking experiences.

The Drinks Masterclass Theatre will host, ‘mixing and shaking’ or ‘nosing and tasting’ sessions, where visitors are led though the complexities of speciality beers, wine and cocktails.

Almost 100 exhibitors will showcase the finest local, seasonal produce and speciality food and drink. Visitors can sample and buy while meeting artisan producers. A dedicated ‘Free From’ Marketplace will introduce visitors to these products, with tasting sessions and advice on living a gluten, dairy or allergy free lifestyle.

The new Great Taste Market, from the Guild of Fine Foods, will feature stallholders whose products have won a prestigious Great Taste Award in the last three years.

Visitors can indulge in dishes from around the world in the Restaurant Village, accompanied by a glass of bubbly or seasonal cocktail from the stunning Bar Pagoda Tents, while enjoying a line-up of live music entertainment.

Foodies Festival, Hove Lawns, 30 April–2 May 2011, £10/£8, tickets from Seetickets: 0871 230 5573 and online at www.foodiesfestival.com

Andrew Kay is out and about at the Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival’s Spring Harvest

What could be more local and seasonal than the Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival and its ‘Spring Harvest’? Kicking off with a pancake race on the pier the opening event was the first Hotel du Vin Beer Festival held in the ballroom of Pub Du Vin.

A variety of local brewers turned up with a fantastic range of ales, from the delicate to the hefty – in both flavour and in alcoholic strength. I felt it only fair to give them a good thrashing and came out with my favourite: a black cherry mild from the Kissingate Brewery – a dark, fruity beer that was easy drinking for those of us who like a beer that packs both flavour and punch. After a roast pork bap I was fit to hit the ciders and perry too, all of which were good but strong, and before I had done too much damage I retired home, not injured but exhausted.

The following morning was the first of what I hope will become a regular feature of the Sussex food scene: a gourmet tour of the county on a vintage Routemaster double decker bus. How that bus brought back memories, and, I have to say, how comfortable the journey was! We set off at 10am and headed for Cocoa Loco in West Grinstead, where the owners, Rory and Sarah, gave us a talk and demonstration about their business. There was plenty of their delicious organic chocolate to go round and an opportunity to buy more before boarding the bus and heading to the Dark Star Brewery in Sayers Common.

Here the glasses were waiting and the owner was ready to give us his potted history and layman’s guide to the brewing process. Free from jargon, it was an entertaining and educational romp accompanied by a few glasses of their excellent ales. Again, there was the chance to buy.

Back on the lovely red bus we were all in merry mood by this point and ready for a spot of lunch. In Cuckfield, The Talbot was ready and waiting.?We ate a delicious lunch of fresh mackerel fillet in a nettle lasagne with purple sprouting broccoli and a nettle foam, followed by South Downs lamb with gnocchi, curly kale and a spinach puree. Totally delicious stuff delivered with style by chef Ben and his brigade. But with no time to lose, organiser and food guru Hilary Knight was shepherding us back on the bus and off to the High Weald Dairy in Horsted Keynes.

High Weald Dairy makes a variety of cheeses and while one half of us went on the guided tour and learned about the cheese-making process, the others gorged on their delicious cheeses. I love their soft goats cheeses but more recently have become hooked on the St Giles, which is not unlike a Port Salut, but made here in Sussex. At half time we swapped and few left without having purchased at least one lump of this delicious cheese.
Back aboard the bus the Sussex countryside did what it does so well in spring: it shone. A great reminder of how lucky we are to live here.

Our last port of call was the Ridgeview Estate at Ditchling Common. Ridgeview makes award-winning sparkling wines that knock the competition out of the water, even the French!

We arrived a little late but our guide was ready and full to the brim with information of how and why Ridgeview has achieved such international acclaim. We saw the vineyard, a tiny 16 acres of vines that they supplement with more Sussex-grown grapes to meet demand, then we saw the winery and the cellars before finally getting a glass or four to taste.

Such generosity was indeed a keynote to the success of the day, that and the good company of all on board. The same too could be said of the Champagne Festival on Sunday, again at Pub du Vin. I spent a happy day sipping champagne, attending tutored tastings and polishing off a dozen top class oysters, a pork pie and a scotch egg. I tasted all of the local sparklers and have to say that they are all pretty damned good, excellent even. But if I am honest I was completely taken by the Lanson Gold label vintage, which had exactly what it takes to put a broad smile on my face.

So far the Spring Harvest has proved to be a rip-roaring success, the biggest food market to date in New Road, which sadly I missed, and of course the start of Brighton and Hove Restaurant Week. Hats off, then, to the Brighton And Hove Food and Drink Festival and to eating and drinking local.

www.cocoaloco.co.uk, www.darkstarbrewing.co.uk, www.thetalbotcuckfield.co.uk, www.ridgeview.co.uk, www.brightonfoodfestival.co.uk

Andrew Kay loves the robust cooking at The King’s Head in Lewes

Three cheers for good old-fashioned cooking. Much as we all love the legacy of Mediterranean cuisine left behind by Elizabeth David, how great is it that modern chefs in the UK are rummaging through our own culinary history and reviving great dishes from our past before the pressure came to feed us convenience foods. Now chefs seem very keen to braise and stew and steam for us once again and the easy fix foods that blighted menus for almost half a century are disappearing fast. Read the rest of this article »