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Food & Drink

Award-winning produce from our food and drink industry is in demand and enjoyed around the world.

Less than an hour from London by train or car, and with its close proximity to European markets, East Sussex offers a strong supply chain and distribution network, meaning it has the potential to support opportunities for new investment.

The last few years have seen an unprecedented interest in our wine industry as well as wine and culinary tourism in East Sussex. With the warmest and driest climate in the UK, varied soils and stunning countryside, East Sussex is not only ideal for growing grapes but also for tasting and enjoying wine. Wine sales, and wine tours, award-winning pubs and restaurants, fantastic farm shops, markets, festivals and craft breweries - are integral components of the county's tourism industry, which generates over £1.4m to the local economy.

Photo: Susannah and Craig Hewett, Eggs to Apples by Caitlin Lock

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In this section

Eggs to Apples

Hurst Green

Award-winning farm shop and café, selling the best, affordable local produce in Sussex and Kent. Founded by Susannah and Craig Hewett. 

Ridgeview

Lewes

Placing English sparkling wines on the global stage, award-winning Ridgeview paved the way for global recognition of our thriving wine industry.
 

Folkingtons

Wealden

Producer of artisan tonics, juices and mixers that have unique provenance and authenticity. Folkington’s was founded in 2012 by Paul Bendit.

Burning Sky

Firle

Mark Tranter's Burning Sky voted 4th Best New Brewery in the World 2014 by Ratebeer, and ‘Brewer of the Year 2014’ by The Guild of British Beer Writers.

Harveys Brewery

Lewes

The oldest independent brewery in Sussex. It's pubs and beers can be found throughout the south east. Voted ‘UK Brewer of the Year' by the International Beer Challenge 2017.

Rathfinny Wine Estate Vineyard

Alfriston

Established in 2010 by owners Sarah & Mark Driver. RIBA nominated, state-of-the-art winery is capable of producing over one million bottles of Sussex Sparkling wine annually.

Prince & Sons Tea

Uckfield

Simon & Kate Prince are making everyday tea exceptional. The finest ingredients from around the world blended into award winning teas and tisanes.

Hastings Ketchup Company

Established in 2013 by Graham Ainsley as a home-based enterprise focused on bringing Hastings Original Lemon Ketchup to homes, restaurants and bars.

Fierce Botanics

Lewes

Apothecary tonic water brand founded by Amanda Saurin in 2018. Made with the very best quality organic ingredients and stocked in Harvey Nichols.

The Proper Tea Co.

Hastings

The Proper Tea Company is a small, independent tea merchants formed in 2013 by Peter Wiggins, based in the East Sussex village of Pett, near Hastings.

Mayfield Gin

Created by James Rackham, founder of artisanal spirits company, Emporia Brands, liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Distillers and resident of Mayfield.

Weald Smokery

Flimwell

Weald Smokery is among a handful of traditional artisan oak smokers in the UK and provides award-winning hot and cold smoked food to buy online or to order.
 

Gun Brewery

Gun Hill, Chiddingly

Independent microbrewery produces a range of craft beers into cask, keg and can, using water from a natural spring. Founded by two friends, Toby Smallpiece and Mark Berry.

Sham City Roasters

Hastings

Dave Cullern of Sham City Roasters went from a psychiatric nurse to coffee roaster to owning his own coffee shop and vegan/veggie cafe at The Clockwork Crow.

Alsop and Walker

Mayfield

Launched four years ago, self-taught cheesemakers Arthur Alsop and Nicholas Walker's award-winning Lord London cheese, served at the breakfast table at a royal wedding.

Rowdy & Fancy's

Forest Row

Made by chocolate lovers for chocolate lovers, Rowdy & Fancy's was born out of a desire for a high quality, natural product that looks and tastes delicious.

BD Foods

Hastings

Food manufacturer employs over 100 people with a turnover over £7m. Supplies an extensive range of sauces, dressings, dips and soups to an impressive client list including Nandos.

The Three Legs Brewing Company

Brede

Independent small batch craft beer brewery. They also have a popular brewery tap where customers get to sample its full range of beers by either enjoying a drink in or taking away in a reusable 'flagon'. 

Gusto Organic Drinks

Bexhill

Voted no.1 ethical cola in the UK. 200 UK stockists including the Tate Galleries, the company also exports its drinks to ten countries worldwide.

Foodhaven Bakery

Newhaven

Winners of Britain's Best Loaf 2018 at the British Baker Awards for its white seeded sourdough. Launched 2015, produces artisan bread for its six Bake Out cafes in Sussex.

The Crown Pub

Hastings

Voted the best place to drink in the UK in 2017. Owners Andrew Swan and Tess Eaton and the team at The Crown, are winners of the Observer Food Monthly award.

Battle Brewery

Battle

Craft brewery producing beers & real ales in the historic town of Battle, East Sussex. Serving bottled and cask beer to 1066 country and beyond.

Cellarhead Brewery

Framfield

Award-winning microbrewery founded by Chris and Julia McKenzie in 2017. Their traditional brewing methods use native malts and hops and their own strain of historic Sussex live yeast.

Tillingham Wine

Rye

Ben Walgate is creating a buzz in the wine world for his Pet Nat natural wine made using biodynamic farming methods and fermented in a Georgian qvevri. His first vintage sold out in days.

Fox & Fox

Mayfield

Award-winning boutique grower and producer of English sparkling wines run by husband and wife team, Gerard and Jonica Fox. Set amongst the beautiful area of the Sussex High Weald.
 

Davenport Winery

Rotherfield

Will Davenport's winery in East Sussex is capable of making 80,000 bottles of wine per year. Will produces natural wines combining traditional techniques with the latest equipment.

Sedlescombe Organic Vineyard

England's oldest organic wine estate established in 1979 by Roy Cook producing 30,000 bottles of ‘Estate Bottled’ English wine annually. 

Oxney Organic

Beckley, Rye

Kristin Syltevik and Paul Dobson's organic farm and vineyards, with over 21 acres of vines planted in 2012 and 2015. 

360 Degree Brewing

Sheffield Park

Customer focused craft brewery, bringing clarity and winning kudos from consumers with their variety of beers.

Bignose & Beardy

Framfield

Award-winning cider-makers’ Phil and Steve are brewing incredible small batch Sussex cider on a beautiful farmstead on the outskirts of Uckfield.

Storm Coffee

Hastings

Artisan coffee roasted and blended from around the world, based in Hastings Old Town. Their vision is for Hastings to become the South East's 'coffee capital'

Bluebell Vineyard

Uckfield

With nearly 100 acres under-vine across East and West Sussex, this family-run vineyard and winery have a passion for producing premium still and sparkling wines.

 

Brewing Brothers

Hastings

It’s not just a pub, it’s a micro-brewhouse, serving craft beers brewed on-site alongside the finest craft ales from around the UK accompanied by wood-fired pizza.

Good Things Brewing

Eridge

With their goal to be the first closed-loop brewery in the world, they offer modern beer, true to style with sustainability at its core.

The Pished Fish

Berwick

Scandinavian inspired, rich in quality and smoked to perfection, The Pished Fish offers a delicious range of slow-cured booze-infused smoked salmon. 

Generation 11 Gin

Lewes

Sharing a passion for quality ingredients and great flavour, this gin distillery celebrates the resurgence of gin in all its glory.

Jeavon's Toffee

Newhaven

The creators of delicious vegan toffee, Corin and Lesley Jeavon, have opened the world's first Toffee Towers in Newhaven.

Breaky Bottom

Lewes

Winemaker, Peter Hall, produces world-class sparkling wines in Breaky Bottom, a beautiful, wonderfully remote vineyard planted in 1974.

Busi Jacobsohn

Eridge

After falling in love with the English countryside and its thriving sparkling wine production in 2015, Douglas and Susanah's family-led vineyard is rooted in the beautiful High Weald.

Ascension Cider

Polegate

Founder, third-generation hot air balloon pilot and cider aficionado, Matt Billing, has three goals, 'to fly high, be good to people and make awesome cider.'

Hidden Spring

Horam

Established in 1986, the vineyard has a wealth of experience in high-quality wine production, providing award-winning wines across the country.

Off The Line

Hailsham

A winery and vineyard producing three variations of still rosé made from grapes grown at the beautiful south-facing site in the Sussex Weald.

Beacon Down

Heathfield

Family-led Beacon Down is an exciting vineyard producing award-winning wines and occupies 18 acres of the beautiful High Weald.

South Downs Cider

Wilmington

Crisp and refreshingly real cider and perry made with fruit sourced from local growers and small orchards in the surrounding areas.

Tickerage Wine

Uckfield

Located in one of the smallest commercial vineyards in England, the award-winning business produces sparkling Sussex fizz and offers a truly individual insight into viticulture.

Rumbustian

Hastings

Small batch, handcrafted spiced rum. Created in the heart of Hastings Old Town. Rumbustian is a blend of aged Caribbean rum-infused and blended by hand.

Spotlight: Brewing

East Sussex is fast becoming a popular destination to set up a microbrewery.

Find out why

East Sussex: The heart of the UK's wine industry

It is an exciting time for the English wine industry. UK wine sales have reached 40m and set to rise to £1.4bn by 2040, according to a recent trade survey. On a national scale, the South East is the largest wine producing region in the UK. Wine made in Sussex accounts for about a quarter of the total wine produced in England and with over 50 vineyards, Sussex produces more wine than any other county.

East Sussex wineries have steadily grown a national and international reputation. Sussex sparkling wine, in particular, has drawn comparisons with Champagne and is regarded as amongst of the best in the world. Wine tourism is booming. Each year, hundreds of thousands of people visit East Sussex in search of wine and culinary adventures and to enjoy everything that East Sussex has to offer.

Award-winning wine estates including Oxney Organic and Rathfinny, Bluebell Vineyard and Ridgeview Winery offer visitors unique experiences set in stunning countryside in areas of outstanding natural beauty. There are also many smaller, vineyards and hidden gems to explore where visitors get to taste small-batch vintages often only available in the winery’s tasting room. 

While there is a big demand for sparkling wines, demand for experimental natural wines is on the rise. Using organic and biodynamic farming methods, two of the most exciting natural wine producers in the UK are based in East Sussex: Ben Walgate's Tillingham Wines and Will Davenport in Rotherfield, East Sussex.

Winemaker Ben Walgate based near Rye uses grapes bought from local growers and leaves as much as possible to nature. He doesn’t add any yeast to help with fermentation, instead relying on natural yeasts from the grapes to do the job. The first vintage of Tillingham sold out in days. Ben studied at the UK's leading centre of excellence in viticulture, wine research and innovation, Plumpton College, East Sussex.  

Read More +
image of ridgeview grapes blue
Simon Ridgeview head wine maker looking at a grape

Sussex Wineries

Sussex Wineries is a collaboration of inspiring wine estates responsible for producing some of the most innovative and diverse wine styles in the UK today. Featuring award-winning East Sussex producers Bluebell Vineyard Estates, Oxney Organic, Rathfinny Estate, Ridgeview, Sussex Wineries promotes the high-quality sparkling and still wines from across the county.

Sussex Wineries encourages everyone to discover our wines, cellar doors and tasting rooms, winery cafés, vineyard accommodation, wine tours and experiences. 

Visit Sussex Wineries Website

Plumpton College: Centre of Excellence

Plumpton College farms over 2500 acres of land and the outstanding estate has grown to become one of the leading centres for land-based education in the UK.

Established in 1926, Plumpton has developed and built a curriculum and business support framework across the south-east, with now over 3500 students and 2500 businesses across its four centres (Plumpton, Stanmer, Netherfield and Flimwell). 

The College has an excellent reputation for delivering vocational skills training and education for the land-based sector and rurally located businesses. It works with employers and businesses to develop programmes to ensure new entrants develop the right skills, knowledge and attributes to enhance the performance of their business.
 
With the rate of the population growth increasing all of the time, it is vital that we find ways to produce food in adequate quantities and sustainably. Plumpton has an excellent range of courses that inspire and give students the necessary skills and knowledge they need to succeed. 

Wine

Whilst agriculture is a flagship curriculum and the most specialist of its kind across the south-east, Plumpton is renowned for being the UK’s centre for excellence in wine; providing vital access to first-class education, training and research. Students benefit from excellent links with wine producers and distilleries, including visits to the world’s key marketplaces in wine which help kick-start careers in this competitive industry. Plumpton College also provides industry training for vineyards and wineries through its WineSkills extension programme. 

Food

If you're passionate about food, Plumpton has excellent facilities at all of its centres. Whether you are already in the industry or hoping to master a new skill Plumpton has a range of food skills courses to suit. Food industry students have access to an onsite Dairy Processing Unit where they pasteurise milk and produce various cheeses, yogurts and ice cream,  and butchery students have a fantastic off-site butchery school in Robertsbridge.
 

East Sussex Fishing Industry

East Sussex has a rich fishing heritage. Our close-knit fishing communities possess the skills and knowledge in the ways of the sea acquired over many generations. Small boats land fish daily from the shallow, high-salinity waters of the East Sussex shoreline, rich in minerals washed down from the Wealden soil, ensuring the freshest fish and seafood of the highest quality is available within hours of being caught.

Commercial fishing fleets operate along the entire coastline in East Sussex with the main fishing fleets of Eastbourne, Hastings, Newhaven and Rye. 

Low Impact

Fishing activity is mostly undertaken by beach boats setting nets from the low water mark out to 6 miles offshore. This style of fishing is known as ‘low-impact’ as it has a very little effect on the seabed or marine habitat.  Most local boats land daily and catch are sold to the public via fish stalls or taken to Rye, Hastings or Brighton markets. 

The fishing fleets rely on seasonal fisheries native to the area and catch fish depending on what quota is available. The fleets work closely with local authorities to enable consumers and the community to benefit from sustainably caught fish and shellfish. Campaigns such as Hastings Fish helps to support a 1,000-year-old fishing industry and promote local, sustainable species to the public.

There are lots of pubs and restaurants serving up fresh fish and seafood dishes around the county, if you’re a seafood lover you’ll love what East Sussex has to offer. 

Supporting the food & drink industry

Whether you are a grower, manufacturer, co-operative, retailer or caterer, we can help you at each stage of your growth journey. If you are starting up or trading, or thinking about restructuring or passing on your family business, we can help you to grow your food and drink enterprise. 

Many businesses in this sector operate from one or more premises. Whether factories, offices, retail units or mixed-use our commercial property, we can help find the right space. 

Looking ahead

There are different needs between mass market producers and small specialist producers. Large producers face ongoing demand from supermarkets and their customers to provide high volumes of high quality, low-cost produce. These producers have to utilise science and technological methods and skills to reduce waste, develop energy efficient production systems, and minimise the use of pesticides. 

Ethical consumerism is generating market opportunities for specialist producers, but this will necessitate effective leadership and management skills to implement and maximise these avenues. 

Innovation

We can help businesses to access cutting-edge academic research partnerships, and a skills pipeline as this sector is likely to become more focused on science and technology due to the pressures of climate change, environmental regulation, food security and demographics, as precision agriculture and sustainable intensification is implemented. Knowledge of the sciences and application of ICT, mainly technical and engineering skills, are therefore likely to be key future demands. 

If you're a food and drink business in East Sussex looking for funding contact us to check eligibility and chat through available options.

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