Brighton Food Tours at Christmas - Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

Brighton Food Tours has launched a special festive edition of their walking tour and we were invited along to try it out.

I knew vaguely what this tour would be about because, well,  the clue is in the name! But I didn't know exactly what to expect or how it would work. I'm not going to mention all the places we visited as I think some mystery is a good thing but I will say that I think this tour would suit practically anyone. If you're a resident or regular visitor to Brighton then this is a new way to see the city and will almost certainly introduce you to some great new businesses - even if you think you already know them all! If you are new to the city then you do still get an introduction to Brighton & this gives a real flavour of what makes this such a special place to visit as all the places included are independently run and each has a story to tell.

The tour includes tastings and samples at all of the venues and there are exclusive discounts if you buy anything during the tour. But don't worry this isn't a hard sell and there is no pressure to buy although once you've had a taste you almost certainly will! This tour is great for Christmas shopping although I have to confess everything I ended up buying was consumed by me but hey I deserve a treat too ;)

Mmmm chocolate

As a chocoholic a definite highlight for me was Rainbow Organic Chocolates in The Open Market. The smell as soon as we walked in was absolutely delicious and we were then served a traditional Parisian hot chocolate. This was proper thick, gloopy chocolate with a healthy dollop of cream on top the perfect way to warm up on a crisp, winter's day. As a geek I was delighted to see the Star Wars themed chocolates alongside the other artistic creations. This is a little haven for chocolate fans as there are bars, buttons and boxes of chocolate as well as cakes and other tasty treats. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the prices given the fact that these are all hand-crafted delights.

Bluebird Tea makes us smile!
L-R: Katie M; Ricahrd; Charlotte; Angela (Brighton Food Tours); Laura & Ruth

I've already said I won't mention all the places we visited, partly because there were a lot and so this would turn into a long post but mainly because I want you to do the tour and discover them for yourself. However I will just give a special mention to Bluebird Tea Company, as you have to love a place that immediately hands you a hot toddy as you walk through the door! We had their Mulled Cider tea blend which was delicious. I am normally a coffee-drinker but I was tempted to switch sides after seeing the vast array of teas on offer! As a tea novice I would never have imagined it would be possible to create not only such a huge mixture of blends but also the spin-off products! There are tea crackers & baubles as well teapots, brewers and gadgets but the ones that caught my eye was the cocktail kits. There's a variety of flavours including the MojiTEA a peppermint and lime green tea which you mix with rum then leave for 48 hours for a perfectly blended cocktail.

Just some of the treats you can see & try during the tour.

The joy of visiting these places as part of the tour is not only getting to discover places you may have missed but also getting to meet the owners and hearing the fabulous stories of how they got their businesses going. From the family-run spice shop with stores in Germany, London & Brighton to the Nordic coffee shop and the sausage-roll makers who had a name before they had a product - in fairness Pig 'n' Mix is genius! They are all so enthusiastic and passionate about what they do and Angela our tour guide was every bit as passionate about getting more people to visit these wonderful places.

As you should have guessed by now we had a great time on the tour and would definitely recommend it. There are 9 festive editions throughout December and you can also buy gift vouchers for the festive or the original V.I.B (Very Independent Brighton) tours from their website.

Eat, drink and be merry!

Charlotte