Muesli Mountain is great- if you haven't yet stumbled across it, I suggest you check it out pronto!…read moreHidden away in a yard behind Queen's Park Rd, it is essentially a mini open market, with stalls selling all sorts of yummy food and interesting arts and crafts produced locally. The ethos is basically local local local! It's a really lovely alternative place to pick up freshly made bread (from the Lighthouse bakery) and organic fruit and veg. At the moment there is a stall selling and renting (!) live Xmas trees in pots and there is also a great selection of Christmassy gift ideas. You can even pick up sustainably sourced logs and kindling for lovely winter open fires. The market is open every day except Sunday and if you live in the Hanover area it's a really great resource. Even if you live further afield, Muesli Mountain is worth a trek. It is an inspired project with a lovely atmosphere- one of those little gems that makes you so grateful you live in Brighton.

Think Local, Buy Local, BE Local…read more As straplines go, Museli Mountain Market's is short, sweet and spot on. Run by a team of Hanover residents, it's an open market that aims to provide other locals with a space to meet, chat and learn how to be more sustainable. There's fresh organic fruit, salad and vegetables from local farms and allotments, gorgeous bread from Lighthouse Bakery and store cupboard essentials like pasta, rice, flour and cereals. They also sell local seeds and plants, cleaning products and Ecover refills. As a girl with a sweet-tooth, my only grumble is the lack of fresh and tasty, locally baked cakes!

I like shopping here as they have a good selection of "health foods". Especially ingredients for my…read moremorning Müsli like flax seeds, hemp seeds etc. I also really like their pizzas, which they bake daily and sell by the slice. Service is a bit spotty. Sometimes I feel like the folks working here are not happy? Or, maybe I've lived in the States for too long and just expect to be greeted with a bright white smile ;-)

One of the most expensive food markets in Brighton, even their own branded products are more…read moreexpensive than elsewhere. Good selection though. Half the staff are lovely and half weird and rude.

I love this little simple shop - they have so many good deals in there for organic-ethical…read moreproducts and the owners are super nice and friendly. highly recommended

Just beyond the viaduct on Beaconsfield Road, on the Preston Park side, Sunny Foods is a wholefoods…read moreand grocery shop, and if you have a good eye for bargains, you can pick up some really good food. Typical wholefoods fare is available; organic and eco-friendly variants of standard supermarket items, from washing-up liquids to ready made pies, produced by the poetically named company 'Clive's Pies', which, it must be said, are hearty and delicious. Obviously, a range of dried fruits, nuts, pulses and seeds can be had, as well as soya and rice based dairy alternatives, tofu and and a vast array of juices and sauces. What makes Sunny Foods stand out in the wholefoods market is that, impressively for a relatively small shop with limited space, they have a strong emphasis on their grocery section. Heaps of locally farmed produce, all fresh and in good nick, and some rarities including Italian Cavolo Nero- a delicious dark cabbage which you can use in place of Kale- and various seasonal fruits altogether take up about a quarter of the shop's floor-space. Anyone looking to eat well, or expand their cooking repertoire would be well served to pay Sunny Foods a visit. However, the staff have never been particularly friendly or helpful, which isn't the worst thing in the world, but when you name your shop 'Sunny', you're really setting yourself up for criticism if your disposition doesn't match your projected image. Also, and, in fact, more importantly, the prices in here can feel almost overbearingly high. We have to make allowances for small local businesses, and understand that it's hard for them to compete with bulk-buying chains, but there are many items in Sunny Foods which you could find for less in Pulse, which is an even smaller establishment in the Open Market, so prepare yourself if you're a bit light of wallet.

The famous Cowley Club is situated on the slum fest that is London road, a membership and charity…read moreorganisation. Created as a place for like-minded liberalists to get together in a alliterative venue, to have a coffee and conversation. The place is operated by volunteers and in every aspect, all the mismatched furniture is donated and all staff work for free. The cafe is open Tuesday to Fridays from Midday to 4pm, during this time anyone is welcome. The cafe also entails a bookshop, where works on everything from feminist issues to vegan cooking can be found. In the evenings the bar is restricted to members of the 12 London Road Social Club only, to try & cut licensing costs. If you are interested in joining the organisation full details can be found on their website. If you a liberal activist or just interested in liberal issues and fancy a coffee is a really interesting place to visit. Another one of those gems that you only find in Brighton.

The Cowley Club is a social centre situated on the London Rd. It is run entirely by volunteers…read moreand designed to support local grass roots political thought and action. By day you'll find a vegan cafe and bookshop selling interesting radical literature. In line with the centre's ethos the food is really reasonably priced and any small profit margin goes back into supporting the organisation. The food is far more nutritious and interesting than anything you'll find in the immediate surrounding of the London Rd! By night, the Cowley Club becomes a members bar/venue and I've often walked past to the sounds of ska or punk, though they do all sorts of gigs and events. As well as gigs they hold regular film and pub quiz nights and also do themed meal nights too! My one issue with the Cowley Club is that it can often feel quite intimidating and operating a member's only policy at night creates a bit of an elitist vibe, which I think jars with the club's ethos. However, I think it's worth getting past the intimidation, as this place is doing very important and interesting work and offers an alternative space to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee!

Holland and Barrett makes me feel good. Can't help it...I know I'm a sucker falling prey to a…read moresimple marketing campaign ('Holland Barrett: We're Good For You.'), but I don't care, the fact is they're right, they are good for me! How is it that a shop selling supplements can lift my spirits so? Beats me, but whenever I walk in to the little London Rd store, I feel a little bit rejuvenated! (Might well have something to do with the increasingly depressing state of the London Rd...but that's another story!) Holland and Barrett provides me with healthy treats such as dried cranberries, delicious dried mango and my new favourite, Agave nectar. They also sell a whole world of supplements and vitamins to support a healthy immune system, as well as specific diets and ailments. They have great 'women's health' supplements (a categorization that makes us sounds a little like another species but is very useful nonetheless!) as well as digestive aids, beauty products, even aloe vera toothpaste, which I highly recommend! At the back of the shop they have a great collection of herbal teas, including 'Dr. Stu's' herbal medicinal teas, great for soar throats, sniffly noses and the rundown winter blues! I particularly like this branch because it's small but stocks all the things I need. The staff are also really helpful.

I'm never really sure about health food shops…read more I mean, they just seem so earnest - all those rows and rows of expensive stuff that's supposed to make you all healthy and sparky, but do they really? Has anyone actually proved that spending £7 on a jar of vitamins will really make your life better? On the other hand, there is a nice calming feeling about the idea of going into a shop dedicated to heathiness. Staff are helpful and knowledgable, the aisles are free of irritating teenagers, and the place is free of cheesy piped music.

I've always liked Holland and Barrett. My mum used to shop there when I was a kid, buying stuff…read morelike rye bread (yuk) and cod liver oil tablets (yuk). When I was a teenager I really started getting into herbal tea and Holland and Barrett was one of the only places where I lived where you could buy it. Fast forward ten years and I am still shopping at Holland and Barrett, but now in Brighton and Hove. It still sells all the same stuff as it did years ago, although their stock ha expanded greatly as I guess more and more people have become health conscious over the years. It's a great place to get food if you're a vegan, vegetarian or have any specific dietary requirements (coeliac etc). I often get supplements from here too, and they often have their famous penny sale (buy one item, get another for a penny). It's also a handy place for buying items like almond/coconut flour, dried fruit and herbal sweets.

I willingly travel by bus from Worthing to buy my health food from this shop, that how good it is…read more Brian.

Great selection of organic, vegan and gluten free products as well as all the usual staple health…read morefoods. Will try to source speciality and unusual products in on request. Friendly, helpful and knowledgeable staff. One of my favourite shops in Hove!

Pretty impressive little health food cafe tucked away at the top of Waterloo Street that offers top…read morequality food to take away or eat in and can also design an individual diet for you to follow. Its a nice fresh, clean place with friendly, smiley staff and also does a pretty mean cooked breakfast (healthy of course). They also deliver to office workers too if you phone or email your order through before 10.30am. Chicken curry with rice for £4.45 or tomato and mozzarella salad in a baguette for £3.45 isn't bad at all as far as I'm concerned.

For anyone in need of a healthy lunch option Salad Room is the place for you. Nestled away on…read moreWaterloo Street, this quaint little place offers a range of sandwiches, wraps, salads and hot dishes all at great prices. You won't spend over £10 if you don't get carried away. There are a number of decent sandwich places nearby but this is certainly among the best. The service might be a little slow but that's due to the care and attention that goes into your food's preparation. The only downsides are that there aren't more chairs outside and the limited amount of space inside. However, it's a great place for a healthy takeaway snack.

A small compact shop, very little space to move around the store. Was delivery day so it was made…read moreeven more smaller with all the stock on the floor. Indeed vast selection of stuff. I wanted to buy protein shakes and the 3 stars go to the staff who recommended a sale item not forcing me to buy expensive brands really appreciated that

I like the smell that hits you when you enter Holland and Barrett, which is a mix between new age…read moregoodness (but not too strong like an incense stick, but just the smell of nuts, raisins, oils and tofu mixed together) mixed with clean shop. Nice. Obviously they have all the thing's you'd expect; vitamins, minerals, essential oils, dried fruit, powdered creatine and echanicea (which I was told by the way is the singular best supplement to take over the winter to boost your immunity). Also a good selection of health foods as well as specific dietary requirement foods were on offer from the fridge and freezer at the back of the store such as, Beech smoked Tofu, and Gluten and wheat free apple pie. When I visited the shop in mid November there was a buy one get one half price deal going for all the produce, so if your stocking up for the winter, now might be a good time to go.