My Perfect Weekend in Brighton, England

Jewellery Designer and Brighton resident Sarah Fenton on her perfect weekend:

 

Ideal weekend companions:

Clive, my partner and our new baby. We can’t wait for some lazy days with the baby in the sling, mooching about undiscovered corners of Brighton.

 

Best places to take them:

To the Sunday flea market in Brighton Marina – brilliant for cheap antiques and quirky vintage finds. I find great props for our Jewellery photoshoots, as well as vintage rolls of ribbons, furniture and lots more.

 

A walk on the seafront from the Pier towards Hove is always a favourite – stopping at the recently renovated Victorian bandstand to listen to a band in summertime or watching beach volleyball.

 

The North Laines has fabulous little boutiques and delightful little cafes and tapas bars.

 

Great meals:

Breakfast could be at the flea market -huge hefty slabs of cheese on toast from the breakfast van - or if I’ve had a lie-in (the flea market is an early start!) breakfast at Ethel’s Kitchen in Hove. It has a thoughtful menu, like you’d cook for yourself at home if you had time. There's an amazing display of cakes and homemade treats too.

 

Lunch would be Unithai – there’s a small café in the back of this little oriental supermarket that serves great Thai food.  Top tip is 6c – creamy seafood noodle soup, Tom Yum-style; same, same but different!

 

Favourite dinner spots include: Riddle & Finns Fish restaurant. It has a lovely setting with candles and high marble tables with stools to perch on; or Terre a Terre for amazing inventive veggie food to inspire you to be less of a meat eater.

 

One weekend item you couldn't be without:

Our Bongo is perfect for making trips out to Rye or the New Forest.  This is our Japanese Mazda import that converts into a camper van - we simply stay the night if we fancy it as the back seats become a bed. All we need is a duvet!

 

The perfect end to a perfect weekend:

With a movie at the Duke of York's - a great old fashioned cinema with velvet seats & homemade brownies for sale in the foyer.

 

Further information:

• Ethels Kitchen (59 Blatchington Road, Hove, BN3 3YJ - 01273 203204)
• Unithai (10 Church Road, Brighton, BN3 2FL - 01273 246)
• Riddle & Finns
• www.terreaterre.co.uk
• Duke of Yorks Picturehouse Brighton

 

Sarah Fenton, designer and founder established Scarlett Jewellery (named after Scarlett O’Hara, whose romance and spirit inspired the award-winning British designer) in London in 1998.

Scarlett began with a market stall at Portobello then moved on to Spitalfields. Eventually the early morning starts were left behind as shops began to order.  By 2007, the collection was stocked in over seventy stores nationwide, including Harvey Nichols.  In 2008, Scarlett moved to Brighton to a gorgeous Mews workshop in Hove, just minutes from the sea. Scarlett’s talismanic designs are  created to be symbolic, meaningful to the wearer and totally original. Sarah has picked out the modern-day St Christopher "as the perfect accessory for any lady adventurer"

(Image of Duke of York's Cinema courtesy of Dominic's Pics and image of Brighton Flea Market courtesy of Dave Bleasdale).