Green Kitchen

23/03/2024

Today is the first day of the new chapter of our lives. Weekends together again. The first Saturday morning cuppa in bed together for nearly 8 years. I won't be missing out on my friend's family birthday fun later today. We might even stay up late to watch a film tonight, and tomorrow; a lie-in before Catherine is taking me out for a roast I haven't been prepping all week for & won't have to clean the oven after serving. Bliss!

We have had an amazing time being a firm favourite for many on the Brighton vegan scene & thank all our wonderful, loyal customers who have truly supported us week in, week out; recommending us & shouting our praises even if not local. It is you lovely people as well as our incredible staff over the years, that gave Green Kitchen the heart which I believe was unique to us as a cafe.

We have made beautiful friendships in our time & many of our customers are kindred spirits. We've been with customers as their relationships grew and babies came along; as people experienced loss or stressful life moments. And I must say, our customers have also been there for us too. I had such lovely cards, words, gifts and so many teary hugs the last week. It was truly overwhelming & genuinely, my heart was breaking. If anyone wants to follow my FB personal acct it's Katie Gregson-Bourke. I know there are many of you who I want to stay in touch and connected with.

Regulars already know, as of Monday, I will start a new job as a homelessness prevention case worker, which is another inequality issue close to my heart. The job came up and it is THE job I would have dreamed of. We took that as a sign and are grateful we were presented with a choice to make. So, after nearly 8 years, it is time for me to give my body a rest from the hard physicality of kitchen work & running a business. You never know, with a desk job, I might even sign up to a vegan running club!

Thank you for the journey & supporting us to make a difference for the animals & our planet. Thank you for the memories & letting us be a part of your lives. Most of all, thank you for the friendships, which we hope continue.

Katie, Catherine & Pickle

💜💚🐶

18/03/2024

That's it folks, today is our last day.

Katie and Cody are ready to serve you all for the very last time.

Thanks to all our regulars who popped in over the weekend to say bye, for your gifts and very kind words.

It means the world.

14/03/2024

Hey folks!

We are closing up, for good, at the end of Monday. Make sure you give us a call to book in to see us for the last hurrah.

It's been an incredible journey and we thank all of our customers for their support this past (nearly) 8 years. Come say hi one last time. It'll be emotional!

09/03/2024

Tomorrow is your last chance to get your hands on one of Katie's roasts. There's limited availability, so we highly recommend booking.

22/02/2024

Another small vegan biz.😥 they need to sell some bits off if anyone needs what they've got available.

Our super little Rofco B40 Oven is for sale 😢 Out of all SxW equipment, this one really hurts to see leave 💔

Ideal for the small bakery,
With stone baking surfaces.

It runs on a single phase electric supply so can be easily integrated into your production whether it be in a domestic kitchen or a small commercial set up.

B40 3 stone surface model (sole size 48 x 48 cm), approx. capacity for twelve 850g loaves per bake and with all three stone surface featuring its own adjustable temperature controls.

Comes with its own trolley/stand

Needs a new bulb inside.

Still smells of cinnamon buns 😢

DM for further info

21/02/2024

Hey Folks!

We have some big news for you. Locals will probably notice a ‘Business For Sale’ board
going up at the café this week. We wanted to communicate directly with our lovely
customers first.

Long standing customers (and some now friends) will know my wife Catherine, in the
picture and our beloved Pickle. Our dream was for us to work here together as a couple
and sometimes Pickle could hang out too. However, our journey turned out slightly
differently and despite Catherine having to still run shopping errands from time to time
on a weekend when I’ve made a blunder, our working weeks are very much out of sync.

We opened our doors together in June 2016 but for the past 5 years I have run the café on my
own. The social sacrifice for me (Katie) has been huge, but even more so the family
sacrifice. We understood this would be the case running our own business, but as we,
including Pickle, are getting older, I can no longer miss out on time with my wife and
family.

We have met such lovely people through our café and hope we have helped people on
their vegan journey in a kind and compassionate way. We have been blessed with amazing staff, who are still supporting me in this decision, which is wonderful of them.

We shall be taking a break over the Easter period, as I’ll have worked almost three
months without a day off, so make sure you get in before then for seasonal roasts and
all your breakfast needs plus we have limited stock of retail packs. It will be ‘business as usual’ for the time being though, so we
look forward to seeing you when you pop in.

Anyone interested in the sale of the business, please DM or contact Watkins
Commercial.

19/02/2024

Hello! We're sorry but we're having to close early today for a staff meeting.

We'll be shutting at 2.30pm, so pop in before in then if you'd like to visit today. 💚

11/02/2024

It's roast day! Last year's result for us, which was amazing. Get booking to come and see us today and let us know what you think.

09/02/2024

As ever, a bit slow off the mark with shouting about , but as we have had numerous and lovely recommendations this week for being the best vegan breakfast in town, we thought we'd kick off with our being nominated in the 'Best Brunch' category.

Two years running we've hit the no.10 ranking, which is incredible for our tiny little, slightly out of town spot. We really hope we can hold on to that or do EVEN BETTER. Who knows, but with your votes, it's definitely possible. 🗳🗳🗳

31/01/2024

As we start to creep out of hibernation weather and hopefully start to see more of your faces, we thought we'd bring back the salad bar. This week (not featured, as not made yet 🤣);

• potato, apple, walnut & celery,
• red cabbage coleslaw,
• piri piri chik'n, pepper & sweetcorn,
• sumac roasted butternut squash, pistachio & pomegranate seeds, and
• satay rice noodle, brocoli, beansprouts & water chestnut.

Eat in or takeaway.

24/01/2024

Remember 👆, not less than 2 years ago? Brighton holds the record for repeatedly being crowned the most vegan friendly city in the UK. Swipe➡️ for our reality throughout most of January.

We know it's always a quiet month. Post Xmas, rising energy bills, cost of living, overall mood & its just bloomin' freezing🥶. We do know it's not just us & ALL hospitality business are taking a real hit right now. However, many food businesses know they have to appeal to a vegan market, esp in & therefore on the face of it vegan friendly, but the reality is, they aren't.

When you chose a vegan business, you are making to powerful consumer choice to support a vegan family, vegan employees, vegan suppliers (usually other small local independents), even a vegan energy supplier, and the continuation of that vegan business.

I am actually sad to say that we are one of the oldest (bar & ) fully vegan eateries in Brighton. We have seen so many close and learning of two more vegan businesses closing in December, and just last week , literally breaks my heart. These were hugely compassionate businesses, trying to operate honestly & ethically, yet somehow even in Brighton, couldn't.

So, I have some 'do and don't' suggestions for the vegans of Brighton.
Do; just come in..... chose us over the omni chain if you don't need to compromise.
Call us to book, we will try to accommodate if we can, it may mean pre-ordering for groups but give us the chance first.
Recommend us to friends & on social media; it really goes a long way & makes us feel appreciated.

Don't; leave bad reviews/boycott without giving the business a chance to respond first. I guarantee you the business owner wants things done right. The owners & employees take these things really personally, because we care. We are however human & life happens sometimes.

So, as the oldest & now only vegan cafe in Brighton, I hope to see a few more of you for the last week of January and the following months. How many fully vegan food businesses can you count in Brighton? I count 17 fully vegan outlets, which to me are the only truly vegan friendly opts.
Answer 👇

13/01/2024

Lucky us, strikes again. Strawberry cheesecake (GF). Treat after perhaps.... go on!