‘Til I’m fit to burst

What will you travel long distances for?

Some people will sit on a train for hours just to take in the wonders of an art gallery at the other end. Individuals will fly half way around the globe to spend time with loved ones. What does a FGV make the effort for? Music and food, of course.

Martin Rossiter back in the (blurred) spotlight

It was these two top hobbies of eating and listening that resulted in me traveling to Brighton last week. Gene, one of my favourite bands of all time, disbanded many years ago and their former lead singer is only now returning to organised solo performing. Martin Rossiter was booked to appear at the Brighton Unitarian Church and I just had to be there. Josh and I packed up the car and made haste to the iconic seaside town.

We arrived to our destination with several hours to spare, so of course we hunted down the nearest food outlet serving vegan dishes. The Brighton Loving Hut supplied us with a feast consisting of a fry up, burger, chips and vegan candy.

This franchise of the international Loving Hut brand is housed in a pre-fab building quite like an old school cafe. The store is on the tiny side but there are ample seats outside and a massive playground area to the rear.

Tea at Loving Hut

Vegan breakfast at Loving Hut

After we got the pleasantries of tea out of the way, it was down to the serious eating business.

I went straight in for the full English fry up without even thinking. It is such a rare dish to find, I get it every time I am able. I adored the Loving Hut version of this standard. Sausages, bacon, mushrooms, beans, hash browns and toast… all for £3.80. It was great to see them using the fabulous Redwood products, too.

Impressive vegan burger with chips

Josh liked the look of the burger and so did I as soon as it was brought to our table accompanied by a side order of chips.

Everything on his plate was freshly made and delicious. How do I know? I badgered him for a bite of the burger and it’s rude to stop at one chip once someone offers. Right?

This meal was under £5 and will be my next order on my return.

We could have stopped there, however cake and candy were calling to us.

Carrot cake by the slice

A moist and generous slice of carrot cake made its way to our table for Josh. Once again, this dessert was of an extremely high standard.

My sugar dreams came true with the discovery of my old friends Go Max Go Foods candy bars. Not readily available in the UK, I snapped up quite a few of these vegan delicacies. They were perfect, as always. Do they give awards for vegan chocolate bars? They should.

Worth the trip alone for Go Max Go

After such an amazing meal, I didn’t think my trip to Brighton could be improved on. I was wrong. Martin Rossiter delivered a powerhouse performance that I will treasure always. His voice is staggering in its ability to swing from tender whispers to soaring yelps and back down to ferocious growls. He impressed the crowd with the occasional Gene memory, but it was his perfectly-crafted solo tunes that had everyone on the edge of their seats.

Loving Hut in Brighton will probably be around for a while, but click here for directions if you are in a hurry to try their food.

Martin Rossiter is currently finishing off his solo tour. I am attending his sold out show in Manchester on Friday, while super keen people can go the extra mile for the Saturday Glasgow gig by clicking here for tickets.

Loving Hut Brighton