Summer sun, something’s begun...

Brighton's an exciting place to be all year round - and we're honestly not just saying that because we work here! - but it really comes into its own in the summer. Visitors arrive from across the UK (and the world) to sit on the beach, walk along the pier and see the Royal Pavilion. So here's an idea. If you're here for a few days and fancy a picnic on the beach, why not pop in to The Laine Deli and ask us to make you one? Order it in advance and we'll have everything ready for you to pick up on your way down to the seafront.

A quiet Bank Holiday

The 43rd Brighton Festival comes to an end on Sunday, so we reckon there won't be much happening in our neighbourhood... which is why we're taking Bank Holiday Monday as a rare day off. Enjoy the weekend; we'll see you at 8am on Tuesday.

Jamie's on his way

Jamie Oliver, 'naked chef' and already owner of one Brighton restaurant - Jamie's Italian - is opening his second venture in the city on Monday. Recipease combines a food shop with a kitchen shop and a cookery school. It sounds a great idea; we spotted the shop being fitted out a few weeks ago when walking down Western Road. And Jamie, if you're ever in the North Laine area, we'd love to see you for a coffee and a piece of cake!

We've been here for a month!

Our first day running The Laine Deli was 21st April - which means we've now been here for a whole month. A big 'thank you' to every single one of our customers for making it all so enjoyable!

Live like a millionaire!

Live the life of a millionaire... for just £1!

We can't promise fortune or fame - but here at The Laine Deli we can definitely promise you a decent piece of cake.

Coffee shortage to be followed by tea shortage?

First we were warned about a possible coffee shortage. Now the papers are talking about problems with tea production. It's heavy rain that's affected coffee growers, whilst droughts have caused the tea shortages. However, these tea shortages were first reported by the BBC back in March... so it all seems like a bit of a storm in a teacup (sorry!) to us.

The Laine Deli is rated "very good" by Brighton & Hove council

We recently had a visit from Brighton & Hove City Council's Food Safety Team. They're the 'environmental health' people who turn up unexpectedly to make sure we're sticking to the rules for preparing and selling food.

At the end of the visit we were delighted to be rated "very good" which, to quote the official rating, means we have a "high standard of compliance with food safety legislation" and "robust food safety management".

Our rating is now on display in the deli as part of the national "Scores on the Doors" information scheme.

The Brighton Festival: two weekends left

The Brighton Festival and Fringe started a fortnight ago, which means there's just over a week of entertainment still to come. It also means Brighton is halfway through the four weekends of Artists Open Houses. As we mentioned earlier this month, we're surrounded by a cluster of open houses on Kemp Street, Trafalgar Street and Tidy Street. In fact, we're well placed as a coffee or lunch stop if you're wandering round the Central Brighton Artists trail today or next Saturday. And if you're not sure which addresses to visit, we still have a few copies of the Open Houses brochure left - feel free to pick one up when you're in the area.

Chocolate & Amaretto Brownie

It's Friday afternoon. You've had a busy week. Go on, treat yourself!

Summer's coming

The weather forecast may say otherwise but we're still convinced that summer is on the way. As well as our eat-in and take-away salads, we're also serving our home-made tarts and quiches with a choice of salad items. Enjoy lunch on our patio when the sun's out... or sit inside and watch the world go by.

Is there a coffee shortage on the way?

There was a bit of bad news from Management Today yesterday. (Yes, we read the business press occasionally!)

Apparently the wholesale price of coffee is going up - and the price of sugar is increasing, too. It's mainly down to crop shortages caused by dodgy weather. We've not heard anything from our suppliers, so we're hoping the shortage won't mean any price increases for our customers. In fact, at the moment it's possible to pay even less than usual for your daily cappuccino, latte, espresso or americano from The Laine Deli. Pick up one of our travel mugs and you'll save 10p a cup... then pick up one of our loyalty cards and you'll get every 9th cup completely free!

Coronation Chicken

Coronation Chicken. Should we?

One of our customers is keen... but we're not convinced there's enough demand for Coronation Chicken to be a regular item on our sandwich menu. In case you're wondering what we're talking about, Coronation Chicken combines cooked chicken a with curry-flavoured mayonnaise-based sauce. It was created (in a somewhat more luxurious form) for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953 by Rosemary Hume from London's Cordon Bleu Cookery School and Constance Spry of the Winkfield Domestic Science School. However, it wasn't a new idea: George V's Silver Jubilee in 1935 had a similar dish called - yes, you've guessed - Jubilee Chicken.

So there's plenty of history there. But that doesn't answer our question: should we add it to our menu or put it on the 'specials' board?

Save money on every cup of coffee

Remember our excitement about sourcing the perfect takeaway coffee cup? Remember the launch of The Laine Deli loyalty card?

Well, did you know you can save 10p on every cup of coffee by returning with your own mug? Get started by picking up one of our tough travel mugs. They're just £2.00 each - and, combined with our loyalty card, will help you save even more!

Summer salads

We're doing our best to believe that summer really is on the way. And to help you get into the summer vibe, The Laine Deli is offering a choice of salads to eat in or take away. Everything's on display in our chilled cabinet; simply let us know which salad ingredients you'd like us to combine.

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.

Two weeks

It's now two weeks since we took over The Laine Deli - and we've ended the fortnight with an exciting weekend. Not only did the Brighton Festival start on a particularly sunny Saturday, we also had a busy Bank Holiday... and Monday's anti-war protesters marched up Trafalgar Street as well. Fortunately there was time at the end of the day for a spot of baking, which means our flapjacks are back on the menu again.

The Brighton Festival

The Brighton Festival kicks off today, as does the 'Fringe'. We're probably not going to have much time to see many events but we're definitely planning to call into the local Artists Open Houses. There are a couple on Tidy Street (numbers 26 and 40), which is just down the road and round the corner, there's one up on Kemp Street and there's another up the hill on Trafalgar Street. Most of the houses are open for the first four weekends in May, although the old pub at 40 Trafalgar Street is also open on weekdays.

Sandwiches

Sometimes we all need a little inspiration. That's why we've put The Laine Deli sandwich menu on our website. You can now download it and keep it pinned to the office noticeboard or stuck on your fridge. Of course, we don't insist that you choose a sandwich from the menu. We'll happily create any combination of ingredients for your lunchtime treat!

To download our sandwich menu as a printer-friendly pdf document, simply click here or visit our website.