If I had to describe my happy place I would always say beside the sea, closely followed by the countryside. I'm sure you'll agree there's something incredibly special about hearing the waves crashing on the coastline that make me feel at peace with the world. After a less than perfect few months Craig, Sadie and I were ready for some serious down town and Brighton couldn't have been a more perfect anecdote if it tried. If you frequent these parts often you'll know it's my second time in the seaside resort (get the original low down here) but this jaunt was all the more special as I went with my two favourites.


With r&r at the forefront of our minds we decided planning every last minute of our trip wasn't the way to go which I'm sure you'll know all about if you have an almost toddler in your life (they sniff out a plan like quicker than an Organix carrot cake bar and see how they can 'alter it'). The only item on my agenda was to visit as many foodie recommendations as possible from my scrambled together list, tell me I'm not the only one who plans their staycation around places to eat out? Huge props to Carrie who gave me some real corkers but more on that later. Naturally Craig, Sadie and I ticked off all the Brighton must dos including a walk along the sea front where we all dipped our toes in the cool blue waves before hitting the promenade, riding the carousel and numerous Sadie sized rides, not forgetting to devour the Brighton shop filled centre and Pavilion Gardens.


As with all good mini breaks the real pull factor for me is the accommodation, I've always been a bit of a boutique hotel girl at heart but since Airbnb came along I've surprised myself at just how much I enjoy living the life of a local and the flexibility of staying in someones home. Our Brighton abode did not disappoint and was just as beautiful in real life as it was online - I'd be one happy bunny if the bedroom wallpaper and dressing table could find its way into my home pronto. Oh and I'd be ecstatic if the little mid century rocking chair with faux fur rug could wiggle its way into my cottage too, Sadie absolutely adored it. Our apartment was just a ten minute walk from the seafront which was absolutely ideal for family Wild and our host was superb so I'd highly recommend checking out our Brighton pad.


Now if you're anything like me you'll want to know all about the food (priorities right?) so without further a do, let's talk food - on Sunday evening we headed to Wahaca for Mexican fodder and a much deserved mojito or two, which is a serious treat for me as I cannot remember the last time I enjoyed a cocktail. The staff were lovely and the children's menu was brilliant so even though its a chain it definitely deserves a mention. 


Monday morning called for a brunch to end all brunches so the Breakfast Club it was and boy it didn't disappoint. The soundtrack was on point resulting in mum dancing (thank goodness Sadie isn't old enough to get embarrassed), the orange juice pitcher was ideal for juice guzzlers like Craig and I and the banana bircher which I ordered for Sadie was an absolute treat. I was almost willing her not to eat it all so I could tuck into it too. It's definitely a breakfast I'm going to try and recreate in our new kitchen.

Lunch was all about vegetarian Food for Friends which may just be my favourite eatery out of everywhere we visited, our server went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and the food was out of this world which is saying something coming from two meat eaters. If only there was one in Sheffield... Also a huge shout out to Bluebird Tea Co which I got to try with my pudding at Food For Friends, the Gingerbread Chai was so good we Google mapped it to the store and bought some to take home straight after our meal. With a day full of dining out we decided to get Deliveroo for dinner, partly to have a more relaxed evening and partly because we were dying to try a burger from Meat Liquor. I haven't had a proper burger in forever so I don't know whether I enjoyed this so much more because of this, maybe you need to be in the restaurant to get the true Meat Liquor experience.


Tuesday morning began in style with pastries and iced coffees on the beach from Small Batch Coffee, I mean can you think of a better way to start your final morning in Brighton or any morning for that matter? In an attempt to counteract the pastries we enjoyed a pre lunch smoothie each at 42 Juice. This teeny juice and smoothie bar is a bloggers dream and I wish I'd of taken some snaps and tried one of their infamous charcoal juices but with Sadie taking a power nap I was enjoying taking a quiet five minutes with Craig.

For lunch we stumbled upon Mange Tout, somewhere I'd seen Suzie recommend and although it doesn't look much from the exterior both Craig & I were blown away by the food. Now French eateries aren't usually our go to but something about this restaurant was just right, the menu was paired back but delicious. Craig even declared it was the best steak he'd eaten in a long time and that's saying something from a man who comments very little when dining out. He also remarked that many places right now are all about creating fancy and elaborate dishes but there's a lot to be said for establishments that do simple dishes really well. I couldn't agree more. 


Before our journey home we decided to line our stomachs with our first ever Franco Manca pizza, the result was heavenly although the service was a lot more in-n-out compared to the note worthy experiences we had in the other restaurants we tried. Another must visit if you ever find yourself in Brighton is Boho Gelato where we wolfed down the most Italianesque gelato outside of Italy not once, but twice. The flavours Boho Gelato produce are just magic think salted caramel, carrot cake and chocolate rose and you'd be on the money.

 For me Brighton is a dreamy destination for a family mini break with the perfect blend of cool shops and stand out eateries to keep the adults happy and enough throw back charm to bring out the child in you/keep your own children entertained. If only we could go back and do it all again tomorrow. Until next time seaside...

 Have you ever been to Brighton? Which of our foodie must visits would you try?