I tried the Brighton Winter Fayre and this is what I thought

High winds and storms led to a tent pole collapsing on its opening night and cancelling what was meant to be its first weekend in Valley Gardens outside St Peter’s Church.

So I went down to the fayre’s relaunch on Thursday to experience all that was on offer.

The entrance to the Winter Fayre (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus) The first thing was to go through security and have my bag checked. There were around five security guards on duty across the fayre just to make sure that safety procedures were in order.

Once through the doors, there was an instant sense that the atmosphere had shifted from a typical Thursday afternoon to a Christmas holiday trip.

Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas Is You, Paul McCartney’s Wonderful Christmastime and a more recent addition – Justin Bieber’s Mistletoe – set the tone to really get you in the festive spirits.

Christmas lights adorned the garden-turned-Winter Fayre; the typical festive colours of red, blue and green were found across the ground.

A Christmas tree in the middle of the fayre with festive colours (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus) There were so many different food venues to choose from with Wild Tiger, Chubbies, The Pizza Oven and What The Pitta! offering a variety of street food cuisines.

I went ahead and tried my first ever What the Pitta! plant-based kebab, trying out the Doner Chip Box.

What the Pitta! truck at the fayre (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus)

For a meatless feast, it was surprisingly good and I highly recommend it.

The tofu based meat-substitute was so richly seasoned that it genuinely tasted like its own unique doner meat.

What the Pitta! also have a store in East Street in Brighton.

Vegan doner from What the Pitta! (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus) After lunch, I headed to grab a hot festive drink from one of the many cafes dotted around the fayre.

The Brighton Winter Bar offered a festive hot chocolate, complete with whipped cream and marshmallows.

If I wasn’t on the clock I would have grabbed the Christmas Bailey’s hot chocolate or some of the more wintery cocktails on offer – or even a mulled wine.

A festive hot chocolate from the Winter Bar (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus) The Barista Boys and Two Donuts were two trucks which were offering sweet treats from Belgian waffles to freshly made sugar donuts.

There was free live music entertainment courtesy of some BIMM Brighton students.

Riley, one of the students, played some original acoustic music on a stage in the tent.

Riley from BIMM Brighton performing underneath the tent (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus) After finishing the hot chocolate and enjoying a few songs from the singer, I headed to grab some coffee.

At the other end of the fayre I met with Jamie Davies, the owner of Orange Beach Bars, who sat and had a chat with me about all the local products on offer and how important the Winter Fayre is for local trade.

Orange Beach Bars co-owners Jamie and Sarah Davies with their daughter (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus) He said: “I’m born and bred in Brighton, and these type of events are so important to promote and help local trade.

“We stock and will be making cocktails from alcohol sold and produced in Sussex and we are just thankful for events like the Brighton Winter Fayre to be able to share and promote these great brands.”

Jamie and his wife Sarah co-own Orange Beach Bars and run two pubs in Brighton: The Chimney House in Upper Hamilton Road and The Cleveland Arms in Cleveland Road.

The other side of the fayre where cafes and fair ground games can be found (Image: Ramy Abou-Setta/ The Argus) Having been served a delicious flat white by Jamie, it was time to took a look at one of the many fairground games on offer like ring toss.

Unfortunately, I didn’t win anything but a bruised ego.

Brighton Winter Fayre provided a nice respite from the typical working week and offered a moment to savour and prepare for the Christmas holidays.

It was lively, fun and its always great to be able to support local trade.

More activities and events are planned throughout the evenings and weekends.

This includes karaoke with a soap drama star, meeting the Clauses and a cocktail masterclass. 

The fair will be open from Thursday to Sunday each week until December 22 from 10am until 11pm.

Entry to the event is free while films and workshops can be bought on site or booked online.