Brighton Pride 2010

It's the Brighton Pride Parade tomorrow, which means this is one of the city's busiest weekends. The parade sets off from the seafront by the pier (Madeira Drive) at 11am and travels through the town before ending up at Preston Park a couple of hours later.

If you're heading to the parade and are arriving by train, do pop in to The Laine Deli for a cup of coffee, a cake or a sandwich. We're towards the top of Trafalgar Street, which is the road that runs under the front of the station - and we have a lovely outside patio if the sun's shining!

Just a couple of minutes from Brighton station

We've previously described The Laine Deli as being just a couple of minutes from the railway station - and now we have proof!

Take a look at this video, which shows a (slightly erratic!) walk from the station to our coffee shop in just two-and-a-half minutes.

Banksy in Brighton

The other day we mentioned the Banksy graffiti on the side of the Prince Albert pub - and, in a minor coincidence, a couple of tourists called in at the weekend to ask where it was.

Well, the pub's on the same side of the road as us but is further up the hill on the corner of Frederick Place. On the side is Banksy's work, protected under a sheet of plastic.

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!

Trafalgar Street

The Laine Deli is towards the top of Trafalgar Street in the North Laine area of Brighton. We often describe the road as "the one that runs underneath the front of the railway station" but - having looked into the local history of the area - that's not always been the case.

It was originally known as Trafalgar Place and just started off with a few houses at the bottom of the hill. When Brighton got its railway station in 1841 the road became busier, with more houses and shops added - and soon there was a bridge across the top of the road.

Incidentally, the Prince Albert pub at the top of the road has (like the station) been around since the 1840s. It's the one with the Banksy graffiti and the John Peel mural. If you're interested in more local history, there's much more about the area on the North Laine Community Association website.

Looking forward to the weekend

The Laine Deli is a different place on Saturdays. Instead of catering to our regular weekday customers with their busy lunchtimes, we're mainly visited by shoppers and tourists looking for somewhere they can sit down and enjoy a break.

Fortunately, we have exactly what our weekend visitors need. We're on the corner of Trafalgar Street and Kensington Place with a large patio area outside plus seating indoors. See you soon!

Alfresco dining

We've previously mentioned our Outside Catering... but here's a different perspective on that phrase. The Laine Deli has a patio that catches the sun when it's out - and it's also protected by a canopy when the weather becomes a bit dodgy. (Not that we ever have dodgy weather in Brighton, of course!)

So treat yourself to a coffee and enjoy some Mediterranean-style living on the corner of Trafalgar Street and Kensington Place.

Trafalgar Street bus stop

We spotted a bus stop outside The Laine Deli at 31 Trafalgar Street and wondered where the buses went. Well, they start from the Meadowview area of Bevendean and go past the Open Market on Ditchling Road before coming past our shop, going to Brighton Station and then heading onwards to Kemp Town and the Royal Sussex County Hospital. Full details about the 38a are on the Brighton & Hove bus company website.