Happy Birthday to The Laine Deli

The Laine Deli reopened with new management - Natasha and her team - on 21st April 2009. That's exactly a year ago.

So much has happened since then. Thank you to all our customers, to our friendly neighbours in the North Laine area and to our suppliers.

And now we're going to have a slice of anniversary cake before we get too emotional!

Espresso Macchiato

The Macchiato can be a confusing coffee. These days when someone orders one, they usually expect an espresso with a little foamed milk on top. But that's not always been the case. The caffe macchiato (or espresso macchiato) was originally served with a tiny amount of milk - rather like a small, strong white coffee. More recently, the milk has been replaced by foam, making it look like a little cappuccino. Incidentally, the Italian word macchiato means 'marked'... and that's led to some confusion with the latte macchiato - almost the opposite of a caffe macchiato. The caffe macchiato is espresso with a little milk, the latte macchiato is milk with a little espresso!

Call in to The Laine Deli and we'll serve the macchiato that most people expect: an espresso with a foamed milk 'hat'. But we're also happy to make any coffee exactly as you ask - so don't worry if you'd like your macchiato slightly different from everyone else.

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.