The Laine Deli... not the Lane Deli

As we're sure you've noticed, there's an "i" in "Laine". That's because we're in the North Laine area of Brighton. But what's that "i" doing there, we hear you ask?

Well, we've done a bit more historical research. Laine is an old word for a plot of farming land: a type of field, really. There's some debate about whether it's simply another way of spelling "lane" - and no-one's really sure whether it was once "North Laines" instead - but this unusual word has been applied to the North Laine area for hundreds of years. These days North Laine is officially singular and, as any local resident will proudly tell you, isn't anything to do with "The Lanes" that border North Street in the middle of the town!