Seven Bees Cafe, Brighton

Seven Bees Cafe in Brighton was formerly Peter’s Cafe, operated day in day out by the redoubtable Peter, and more recently was the Hideaway Cafe. However its original purpose was as a private kitchen for a gambling den that adjoined the premises! Seven Bees Cafe is situated in 7B Ship Street Gardens, one of the original Lanes, which were established over 500 years ago. The Lanes began as pathways between allotments contained within Brighton’s original borders: East St, North St, West St and, you’ve guessed it, South St (you get the impression that Brighton’s founding fathers were no-nonsense chaps). I love the idea that folk have been treading a path past that door long before the door existed, and especially that they were making their way to and from their allotments, pulling juicy roots from the Sussex soil to go in a pot for supper.

As things stand here in early winter 2009, I’m not entirely sure what will be on the menu at the Hideaway in the coming months and years, but it will be tasty and fresh and largely cooked by me. I hope I can do justice to all those Brighton denizens from across the centuries.

* thanks to Flickr user BigTallGuy for the header image