Brighton gets Real

Helene Hudson gets excited about cheese. She likes all types from all countries, but she's particularly keen on those that are locally sourced and of the highest quality. Which is why, when she moved to Brighton, she was so disappointed.

"When I first moved here people would recommend a "fantastic delicatessen" somewhere in Brighton so I'd go and it would be awful - cheddar cheese wrapped in clingfilm and everyone wearing plastic gloves," she says. "I found the delis here weren't anything like those I was used to shopping at in London. The best place to buy cheese was Waitrose."

It didn't end there. A devoted foodie and cook, Hudson became frustrated by the lack of local Sussex produce, farmers markets, and high-quality specialist ingredients she was used to purchasing in London.

"You presume these places exist, but when I came down here I couldn't find anything like the delis you can find in London. I think there's a real need for reasonably priced food here. I'm more likely to find good-quality Sussex food in London than here," she says.

Not to be deterred from her quest, Hudson decided to take matters into her own hands. The former advertising executive had moved to Brighton to spend more time with her family and consider a career change. Opening a restaurant and deli was something she had considered in the past and she was convinced the market was there.

She started looking at footfall in the area, and studying the Brighton market. She had heard that 60% of new property transactions in Brighton were made by Londoners, and that convinced her of the need for a deli and restaurant. With advice from Granita owner and friend Vicky Leffman she started looking for a site.

The right site proved to be at the Hove end of Western Road. Opened at the end of last month, Hudson's Real Eating Company is a chic deli and restaurant, and arguably Brighton's one and only "gourmet superstore". Housed in a listed four-storey Victorian building on the premises of a former art gallery, the project has already attracted the critics' gaze and the Brighton public's interest.

The Real Eating Company consists of a downstairs deli - with 35-seat restaurant attached - selling breads, cakes and savouries, organic fruit, herbs and vegetables, take-away meals, sandwiches and sauces and specialist goods. Upstairs is a charcuterie, cheese counter, tasting room - plus wines and cookbooks. The floor above houses the kitchen, where head chef Cass Titcombe prepares an all-day and lunchtime menu, as well as goods for sale in the deli.

The produce on offer is both local and sourced from further afield. British produce includes gingerbread from the Lake District, cheeses from Neal's Yard in London, and local fruit and vegetables. There are also salamis and hams from Italy and Spain - including Pata Negra Ham - and breads from Poilâne. Sussex produce includes beers, cream, eggs, and apple juice, but nothing makes the grade purely on the basis of its origins. "I want to offer the best, not just offer stuff because it's British or from Sussex," Hudson says. "Anything I bring in here from this country has to compete alongside the best."

The restaurant offers a lunchtime menu with four starters, four puddings and five or six mains. Dishes from the menu - including crab and fennel tart with samphire, and lamb, celery and prune pie with mash and Savoy cabbage - will also be sold in the shop as take-out. Alongside the lunchtime menu is the all-day menu, offering comfort food such as pancakes, sausage sandwiches, boiled egg and soldiers, plus salads and sandwiches.

It's all good-quality stuff, but Hudson also knows she's got to keep the prices down - this is Brighton, not Kensington. Average spend in the restaurant is about £10 for lunch, and between £3 and £5 for sandwiches. "I'm bearing in mind the local market and turnover," she says. "I want a lot of people to spend some money, not a few spending a lot. It's about repeat business: I want the place to be busy."

Hudson raised 50% of the capital to set up her concept, while persuading the bank to cover the remainder of her costs. Designer LSM, whose previous work includes Carluccio's and Pied à Terre, has created a bright and classy feel to the interiors, while Hudson herself has ensured a strong brand concept for the store itself.

Marketing and advertising expertise is the key, she believes. After 16 years in marketing and media communications, working with blue-chip clients at major advertising and media agencies, Hudson is confident that she can make this work, despite having no previous experience in restaurants or retail.

"I don't find the change from advertising that great," she says. "I've been responsible for lots of budgets and managing people so I feel good about running the business side of the project. But I've also got some very good people around me. If you put your mind to it, you can do it."

All going well, Hudson is considering new sites already - in towns such Tunbridge Wells, and Chichester. A website is about to launch and an outside catering arm of the business isn't far away.

lunchtime menu

Starters, £4-£7

• Cockle and mussel chowder with leeks, potatoes and parsley

• Crab and fennel tart with samphire

• Watercress, pear and hazelnut salad with Lancashire cheese

Mains, £7-£10

• Deep-fried herrings with roast beetroot and horseradish

• Lamb, celery and prune pie with mash and Savoy cabbage

• Pappardelle with butternut squash, sage and pinenuts

Desserts, £4-£5

• Blood orange jelly with vanilla ice-cream and shortbread

• Gingerbread with rhubarb and custard

• Cashel blue with pears and oatcakes

factfile

The Real Eating Company
86-87 Western Road
Hove BN3 1JB
Tel: 01273 221444
www.real-eating.co.uk

Opened: January 2004
Proprietor and director: Helene Hudson
Head chef: Cass Titcombe
General manager: Carole Hossack
Staff: 10
Seats: 35
Average spend: £10

the food

Head chef Cass Titcombe's menu is based on comfort food as well as the produce offering in the shop. "The challenge here is trying to tie in all areas of the shop, so I make a point of using the charcuterie and cheeses in the menu as well as the fruit and vegetables," he says.

"The prices also have to be kept low, so I use more slow-cooking and braising cuts, and I do all my own butchery. I cook a lot of comfort food - things such as posh pies and mash - and make sure there's a good balance on the menu."

from the deli

• Valrhona chocolate and pecan brownies.

• Chocolate and beetroot cake, tarts, shortbreads, doughnuts and muffins.

• Breads made on site include buttermilk soda bread, dark rye and caraway bread and foccaccias.

• Savoury baked goods include smoked haddock, mascarpone and tarragon tart; chorizo, red pepper and chicken pie; and lamb, celery and prune pies.

• Pre-packaged items include baked salt cod with caramelised endive, pinenuts, capers and sultanas; calves' liver and wild mushroom faggots; duck, chickpea and apricot tagine and pork and sage meatballs with spiced apples.