I buy my shoes from 'Vegetarian Shoes' in Brighton, a small city on the south coast of England. It was developed by the Victorians as a seaside escape from London, and now has about 8 million visitors per year. But even before the Victorians arrived, Brighton had a quirky history - the Indian-style Pavilion, below, was built by the Prince Regent over 200 years ago.

We used to live along the coast and I could go in to try on the shoes, but since we moved further north I buy them online ( www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk )

Last November I was in Xiamen, China, with my friend Susianto from Indonesia. I showed him the logo in my shoes -"I don't suppose you get these in Indonesia" - "no, but I buy mine online from them too" - which kinda put me in place, the age of the internet knows no boundaries... (Susianto is organising the next IVU World Veg Congress in Jakarta - www.wvc2010.org )

Brighton has been in the news again recently - it elected the first ever British Green Party MP (Member of Parliament) - Caroline Lucas who has represented Brighton at the European Parliament since 1999. They have lots of Green politicians in Europe but the antiquated UK electoral system is designed to keep the establishment in power, and they have clung on to it - maybe that will begin to change with the new coalition government, we'll see...

Caroline got elected because of the significant 'alternative community' living there, rather like a smaller version of San Francisco in its hippy heyday. As one national newspaper reported: "after the eight-hour count to victory, the exhausted new MP sat with supporters to toast their victory with fair-trade champagne and a vegetarian fry-up."

But they have top quality veg cuisine too, as this 5-star review by a non-veg food critic from Times Online last week shows:

"AA Gill reviews Terre à Terre

Food ***** Atmosphere ***
[ http://www.terreaterre.co.uk ]

... We were here to eat at Terre à Terre, which has picked up a hand-made reputation for good food cooked by Amanda Powley with Philip Taylor. ...
Nothing on the menu is anything you've eaten elsewhere. ... I was so intrigued by this food that I bought the cookbook,... And it's vegetarian!" Yes. Didn't I mention? This was meatless and fishless. Quite a lot of it actually vegan, ... it's incredibly good food, and I mean that in a credibly defying sense.

This is most probably the best vegetarian restaurant in Britain, but it's also better than that ghetto accolade. It is singularly and eccentrically marvellous."

full article: www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/eating_out/a_a_gill/article7115474.ece

The more usual image is summed up in this extract from a Brighton City Guide, also from the news last week from a non-veg band called 'Blood Red Shoes' :

"... THE COWLEY CLUB is a venue but more important an all-round cultural centre, it's run by an anarchist co-operative and has all kinds of shows, club nights, protest meetings and more. it sells books and has lots of free courses, for example english courses for asylum seekers or meetings about breaking up BNP rallies or electoral plans. it's also a super-cheap vegan cafe in the daytime. it rules basically, and pretty much summarizes what i like about brighton.

...blood red shoes is not even remotely vegetarian, which actually makes us the minority in a town like brighton.

... HAND IN HAND is up around an area called kemptown - which is generally worth checking out anyway as it's pretty cool - this place is tiny and brews its own ales in the basement. it also sells cheap pies which are freshly made by a local muso, the thai vegetable ones are ace.

...get on the BIG LEMON eco-friendly vegetable-oil fuelled bus and get into town [photo right: the bus ready for a wedding]. ... a town with a rich history of insane, hippy, lefty, drug maniac, eco-warrior, nocturnal, organic vege, oh-so-bohemian ridiculousness."

full article:
drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4139781-local-knowledge--blood-red-shoes-brighton-city-guide

Hazel and I are planning a visit sometime this summer, so I'll post an update, and stock up on shoes while I'm there. Meanwhile, if you're planning to join the 8 million visitors heading to Brighton this year you'll find plenty of veg places for food and accommodation, just do an online search and can't miss it. Meanwhile here's the pier:

FACEBOOK COMMENTS: