Brighton - HISBE

HISBE stands for How It Should Be and I can't think of a better name for this lovely Brighton shop. They aim to sell local and seasonal food produced in an ethical and sustainable way from small independent producers. What's not to like?

You can tell that their vegetables have been freshly harvested. It's a long time since I've been in a shop and got excited about buying tomatoes!

There's a good range of chilled food and ready meals:

with a lot of vegetarian items. People on special diets are very well catered for here. There's just about every type of flour imaginable, including gluten free, coconut flour, gram flour, rye flour, semolina flour, and spelt flour.  

I'd not heard of Brown Teff before, it's packed with nutrients gluten-free, with a rich dark flavour. 

I remember Marks and Spencer telling us in 2007 that there was no Plan B, and committed they were to building a sustainable future. The last time I went into M&S it was a sea of plastic vessels with precious little commitment to reducing plastic. M&S could do with visiting this shop....

You can bring your own containers. You can choose exactly how much, or little of a product you buy (to avoid waste). If you've forgotten to bring containers there are paper (not plastic) bags. 

I was pleasantly surprised how easy the self service dispensers were to use. They also seemed much more hygienic than some scoop shops that I've visited.

There's an interesting range of drinks, and again you can bring your own container for some lines.

The same goes for their environmentally friendly cleaning products. These include hand washes, washing up liquid, laundry liquids, fabric conditioners and even toilet cleaners.  

I'm sure that there's a joke about recycled toilet tissue, but joking apart it's nice to think that the products you use are sustainable and made without nasty additives.

The shop has a good range of none food items, which would be especially useful for families with babies and young children.

I bought some nice bread from Flint Owl Bakery. It's a small, independent craft bakery. They use little, or no, added yeast, no preservatives, no improvers, and no stabilisers. 

I must visit their baker shop and café next time I'm in Lewes. HISBE were selling unsold bread (from the day before) at half price. I bet that still tasted better than some supermarket cotton wool bread I've endured...

There's a café or, if you're in a hurry, there' some nice snack and cakes by the till - with gluten free and vegan options.

Prices are reasonable and staff (and fellow customers) are friendly. My only complaint about this shop is that it's not closer to my house! I hope others will follow their example.  

HISBE
20-21 York Place
Brighton
BN1 4GU

Tel: 01273 608028

Web: www.hisbe.co.uk