Viva Brighton Issue #77 July 2019

FOOD
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Barney’s Deli
Standing apart
Barney’s Delicatessen is overwhelming. Two of
Viva’s finest visited the shop on a precariously
sunny Saturday afternoon in early June, and we
were stunned by the cornucopia of picnic titbits
on offer.
Offers include a ‘Brighton Cheeselover’s Box’
(made to order from £15), as well as vegan
‘cheese’ and local cheese/charcuterie cones
designed for heading to the beach with. We
go for a do-it-yourself pick’n’mix approach
however, which worked very well indeed.
We were offered free cheese tasters and we were
impressed with their patience in chatting us
through the options on a busy Saturday. Kelly
leant towards the milder side of cheese, whereas I
was more interested in the charcuterie: we walked
on to the Pavilion Gardens after stocking up.
Top billing goes to Perfectly Preserved’s
plum jam with star fennel seed (£3.65 a jar), a
memorably sweet treat we both loved, and one
that could go with anything. Caring not a jot
for traditional pairings, we feverishly tried it
with anything and everything, including bread,
cheese, crispbreads, meat.
And we had plenty to get our hands on. Kelly
was particularly fond of the Irish Porter
(£2.85/100g), an unusual looking cheddar with
a brown mosaic pattern. Made with stout, the
effect was “rich, tangy and delicious”. The
Sussex Brie (£2.25/100g) was creamy and sweet,
while the Wyfe of Bath (£3.45/100g) was a
succulent and nutty semi-hard cheese, mellow
and reminiscent of gouda.
The Milano Salami (£4.80/100g) was fantastic,
heartily seasoned with white pepper, whereas
the Coppa (£7.60/100g), from the neck of the
pig, is marbled with fat and went well with
thick bread to soak up the flavour. Both come
Photo by Kelly Mechen
from the Mangalitza pig, bred locally in North
Chailey. Sussex Gourmand’s Wild Venison
Bresaola (£9 for approx. 50g) was rich, tasty,
and more generous in portion than you might
assume from the packaging. I also tried Weald
Smokery’s Smoked Mackerel Pâté: a salty, fresh
and lemony delight.
Peter’s Yard’s selection of three crispbreads
(£6.95) were fun to try in their own right: the
spelt & poppy seed variety was our favourite.
There is a wide selection of cold drinks
available too: I liked the kick of my Gran
Stead’s Still Lemonade with Root Ginger
(£1.25) whereas Kelly preferred the fizzier,
organic Lemonaid (£1.75).
For dessert, we tried the handmade orange
straws (£3.50): preserved orange peel coated in
dark Belgian chocolate, which put Jaffa Cakes
to shame. Some gingerbread from Horsham
Gingerbread Bakehouse stood apart too: an
incredibly strong, almost spicy flavour but still
fantastically buttery (£1.75).
One of the main things to note is how you
can walk in at any time, plunder a lot of lovely
food, drink, spreads and more (all ready-to-eat),
and then simply go picnic. Some costs a little
more, but some costs even less than standard
supermarket fare, and this stuff is markedly
better. Artisan, locally produced food is no
mere branding exercise at Barney’s: the staff are
clearly knowledgeable and care about their work,
and the effort shows. Delicious and surprisingly
affordable. Joe Fuller
39 Kensington Gardens, barneysdeli.com
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