Sussex is undeniably popular with tourists, and Londoners in particular. Its seaside towns fill up in the summer, with visitors enjoying the region’s lush South Downs and Eastbourne’s nostalgic seaside atmosphere. But, although parts of Sussex feel like stepping back in time, its chefs and producers are anything but backwards looking. Producers have been taking advantage of the region’s lush landscape to grow everything you can think of, including coriander seeds, edible calendula and Hokkaido haksap. In fact, in 2022 two of the six nominees in the BBC Food and Farming Awards producers categories were from Sussex, Tablehurst Community Farm and Sugrue South Downs, with Tablehurst going on to win their category.

One of the most well-regarded farms in Sussex among chefs is Trenchmore Farm. Trenchmore beef from Sussex-Wagyu cross cattle is loved by chefs across the country, including Michael Bremner of 64° and Ben Wilkinson of Ben Wilkinson at The Pass at South Lodge. Andrew and Joanne Knowles, who started Trenchmore in 2012, rear a cross between Akaushi (a breed of wagyu) and Sussex cattle at the farm. Andrew and Joanne have worked hard to reduce the environmental impact of their herd, and 80% of their food comes from grass grown on the land using crop rotation to keep the soil healthy. They also collaborate with local producers to turn bi-products of other farms into the remaining 20% of the cattle’s diet. Apple pomace from cider, linseed cakes from linseed oil producers and brewer’s grains from breweries are all used to feed the animals. If you want to try their incredible beef for yourself, you can order it online or pick it up at the farm.

Sussex’s proximity to London has had a big impact on the region’s food and drink scene – almost more so than its proximity to the ocean. This is partly because of the influx of tourists but also because it has enabled the mixture of hyperlocal ingredients with imported ones, which is a mainstay of menus around Sussex. Ben Wilkinson, who came down to Sussex from Cumbria in 2022, emphasised that easy access to London wasn’t just an advantage of the region for tourists, but for chefs too. South Lodge’s location has allowed Wilkinson to design menus which mix food from local suppliers with niche French and Spanish ingredients you can only really find in London.

Another company taking advantage of Sussex’s proximity to London is Shrub, who supply produce from small, sustainable farms around Sussex to chefs in London and Sussex. Chefs often have well-established connections with certain producers – Michael Bremner admitted during our interview that 'I'm pretty stuck in my ways as far as [producers] go. If I have someone that I really enjoy working with I probably wouldn't change that ever'. Steven Edwards of etch. went so far as to say that the 'dialogue between [chefs] and our suppliers is what makes us chefs...it's about talking to our suppliers and making sure that we're putting our dishes on the menu at the right time'. However Shrub, which was only founded in 2020, has quickly become key to allowing chefs to work with smaller producers who might otherwise struggle to have the time to get their products to chefs spread across a wide area.

Ben Wilkinson said that when he first moved down to South Lodge in Sussex from The Cottage in the Wood in Cumbria, it was summer – and a bad time for making new connections with farmers. 'They don’t want to be doing deliveries,' he explained, 'because they’re just so busy.' Acting as a middleman between high quality sustainability-oriented producers and chefs, Shrub has allowed even very small producers to work with high-end restaurants like The Pass, without either chefs or farmers needing to sacrifice too much time.

But perhaps the most well-known pioneering producers in Sussex are its winemakers. The region is home to many of England’s top winemakers – Ridgeview, Rathfinny, Tillingham and Nyetimber to name just a few. It speaks to the quality of British wine just how quickly those two words have gone from feeling slightly oxymoronic to being said with pride. In 2010 Ridgeview’s Grosvenor Blanc de Blancs 2006 won the Sparkling Wine Trophy at the Decanter awards, beating traditional French Champagne houses, and since then Sussex’s wine scene has only continued to soar both in popularity and quality. In fact, between 2017 and 2022 production of British wine doubled, and the U.K. now produces about 12.2 million bottles of wine per year. Although this is tiny compared with the Champagne region of France – which produces over 300 million bottles per year – it is clear that British wine is on the up.

Sam Weatherill, a sommelier and Restaurant Manager at etch. in Hove, spoke to me about the growing success of British wine. 'There’s been real bumper years. Last year was pretty good but 2018 was kind of the real showstopper year for Sussex and a lot of the U.K, where there was just perfect weather throughout the entire growing season and the quality was the best we’ve ever seen.' He also said that he’s noticed customers no longer raise an eyebrow at etch.’s extensive menu of British wines, and that English still wines, particularly English bacchus, were also getting more recognition. 'Now there’s really very little questioning of the fact that we list English wines for still and sparkling,' he adds. 'We don’t sell any champagne, we only sell sparkling wines that are made here in the U.K. We used to have a couple people a few years ago that were a little bit annoyed but generally now it’s got a lot more name recognition I suppose.'

Local Sussex vineyards are fantastic places to learn about wine as well as buy it. Most vineyards offer tours, from the enormous Rathfinny to the tiny Tickerage, and Albourne Estate is just 20 minutes from Brighton. If you’re interested in spending longer than a few hours at a vineyard, many also offer accommodation. Tillingham, a natural wine specialist, has rooms for guests to stay, a pizza restaurant on site and frequently runs special events such as foraging courses and summer barbecues.

If you’re interested in spending your time in Sussex somewhere slightly more urban, Brighton is an excellent place to be based. Michael Bremner – who has shared his favourite restaurants in the city with GBC – owns two outstanding restaurants in the city: 64° and Murmur. Bremner, who moved to Sussex twenty years ago, says that he loves being based in Brighton because 'the food scene is so diverse – similar to [Brighton] itself actually', naming etch., Palmito and Chilli Pickle as particular favourites.

Steven Edwards of etch. says that he thinks that 'the food scene in Brighton and Hove has just got better and better. It's only a good thing for restaurants as well to have that collection [of other good restaurants] and that choice because it just puts Brighton on the food map.' He emphasised that the city itself had remained a distinct identity from London, despite its proximity to the capital, and agreed with Michael Bremner that it had a brilliantly diverse restaurant scene. 'I mean I’ve always called it London-on-the-Sea,' he jokes, 'but I think deep down [visitors] want to have something different as well. I don’t think they’re expecting to come down to Brighton and think ‘Oh wow this is just like London but with a pebble beach.’'

One of the ways Brighton maintains its identity is the huge number of small, independent restaurants. 'A lot of restaurants in Brighton and Hove especially are independent,' says Steven, 'and not just independent but chef run, which is so important. There’s obviously going to be chains in a city but Brighton is very unique. I think you’ve got every food style ticked off. If you want to grab a fish and chips and have it on the beach, you can do that and if you want a fine dining tasting menu you can do that also, and everything in between.'

The geography of Sussex is also diverse – the enormous South Downs, as well as being home to vineyards like Ridgeview and Breaky Bottom and farms like Saddlescombe Farm, acts as a buffer between the coast and inland regions. Being on the coast, Brighton has always experienced rapid changes in weather, but climate change has made storms more severe and frequent. 'As soon as we get storms the boats don’t go out,' Steven says of local fishermen, 'We all talk about the hot weather, but volatile weather is the one producers will talk about. Storms will destroy crops or they’ll prevent people from going out to farm or fish. Being on the coast, you’re susceptible to that change more quickly.'

The impact of climate change can already be seen in Sussex’s vineyards. British wine is often pointed to as a ‘benefit’ of climate change, and indeed Sussex’s climate is now close to the climate that Champagne used to have several decades ago. 'There has been a slight rise in the average temperature throughout the growing season from I think 14°C to 15°C which does make a difference in terms of the phenolic ripeness you’re going to get in grapes over a growing season,” Sam Weatherill explained. But, despite this, he pointed out that 'there’s not any winemakers that I know that are trying to encourage climate change It’s going to produce a lot more very variable weather patterns which is definitely not something you want for growing grapes, or any weird storms at different times of the year.' Storms can destroy vines and harsh frosts later in the season damage crops. And, in Champagne, the number of days from flowering to harvest has already shrunk from a hundred days to eighty-five. However, despite the challenges, British winemakers continue to flourish, weathering storms (literal and metaphorical) as they come.

Whether you're looking for walks along the South Downs, relaxing getaways in scenic vineyards or a weekend spent on the beach, Sussex is sure to have something to offer, and something a little unexpected to explore.