Sussex Exclusive Magazine Issue 6 2023

The January
Antidote
Never mind the twelve days of Christmas,
here are the eight New Year antidotes
No, I’m not about to tell you to sign up to Couch 2 5K. And I am not
going to tell you to give up the booze, go on a diet or get active. Not at
all. January is a long and often grim month, and we need all the help
we can get to survive it rather than make it even harder. So here are
our Sussex Exclusive eight antidotes to help beat the January blues.
1. There are just under 140 vineyards
in Sussex so, why not try a different
Sussex wine every day? Drink
responsibly of course, so share it
with friends. Make it a good mix of
the larger vineyards and the smaller
producers, just to be fair. If you don’t
like wine (what?), then your challenge
(if you choose to accept) is to try 31
different Sussex gins or beers?
2. It would be madness to suggest you
spend January eating in 31 different
Sussex restaurants, but what about
one a week? Here’s some ideas:
Heritage in Slaugham, The Chequers
Inn at Rowhook and Into the Blue in
Shoreham in West Sussex. Then head
east to Forest Brasserie at Ashdown
Park, The Star at Alfriston, etch. in
Hove, or Birchwood in Flimwell, all
in East Sussex.
3. Book yourself into one of our top
Sussex hotels. What about The Grand
in Eastbourne, or The Grand in
Brighton? South Lodge near Horsham
or Amberley Castle, Amberley in
West Sussex? And Alexander House
& Utopia Spa, East Grinstead, is near
the border of West and East Sussex if
you can’t decide which half to visit.
4. What about booking a track day at
Goodwood for a bit of high-octane
thrill!
5. Afternoon tea always works. Maybe
not every day but how about
afternoon tea every Saturday at a
different Sussex venue: try Tottington
Manor, near Henfield, Pallant House
in Chichester, The Spread Eagle
in Midhurst, or Buxted Park, near
Uckfield.
6. Art exhibitions always feel a vaguely
indulgent way to spend an afternoon.
Visit the Towner in Eastbourne
where they have Art Store Tours
and Curator talks in January, or try
Pallant House Gallery in Chichester
or Hasting Contemporary where they
have ongoing exhibitions that should
see you through until spring. And
Petworth is always a good choice for
art galleries and a touch of shopping!
7. Get into golf. Sussex is blessed with
some really high-quality golf courses
set in some of the very best of our
Sussex countryside. We have two links
courses, namely Littlehampton in West
Sussex and Rye in East Sussex (which
has two courses, the Old and Jubilee,
both described as traditional links).
With over 60 golf clubs in the
county in total that include big
names like East Sussex National Golf
and Country Club, West Sussex
Golf Club and the Royal Ashdown
Forest Golf Club, we also have lots
of lesser-known courses that have
great facilities for golfers old, young,
experienced or novice.
8. Enrol on a course! There are some
great opportunities for learning across
Sussex. West Dean near Chichester
offer a host of creative courses which
include interior design, silversmithing,
painting, floristry, photography and
more. Hop on over to Plumpton
College near Brighton and enrol on a
blacksmithing, a dog grooming or a
wine course.
And if cooking is your thing, we
have baking masterclasses at The
Artisan Bakehouse near Steyning, A
G Hendy & Co offer seafood cookery
workshops by the sea in Hastings Old
Town or learn the art of foraging and
sustainable cooking with the Positively
Delicious Team near Chichester.
Happy January! I hope it feels
more doable already!
58 | sussexexclusive.com 59