Sussex


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-new-wellness-trend-swings-into-sussex-with-hammocks-and-hair-brushing">New wellness trend swings into Sussex with hammocks and&#8230; Hair brushing?</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="1500" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/hammocks.png" alt="A deep relaxation session with Hammock Harmonies" class="wp-image-84120" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/hammocks.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/hammocks-533x800.png 533w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/hammocks-667x1000.png 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/hammocks-768x1152.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Hammock Harmonies</figcaption></figure>



<p>Look out Lewes, Hammock Harmonies is set to bring hammock therapy to the town on the first Mon of the every month, beginning on <strong>4 May</strong>. It’s either the loopiest thing you’ll have encountered in a while or the multisensory experience your knackered body (and soul) has been crying out for. </p>



<p>Elements of head and foot massage, aromatherapy and sound therapy all feature – as does having your hair brushed. The key component is the hammock but if that has you envisaging the type that’s strung between palms and comes with white sands and a pina colada bearing waiter, think again. These silky slings are something more akin to a chrysalis. Which could prove quite apt if you turn out to be among its fans. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-reading-room-set-to-make-an-up-coast-splash">The Reading Room set to make an up-coast splash</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/Saltdean_lido.png" alt="Saltdean Lido, Sussex" class="wp-image-84121" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/Saltdean_lido.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/Saltdean_lido-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/Saltdean_lido-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/Saltdean_lido-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Saltdean Lido</figcaption></figure>



<p>For committed open-water swimmers, the water’s already losing its bracing appeal. The rest of us, however, are just beginning to think about dips. Sussex is home to some lovely lidos, none more inviting than Saltdean Lido with its art deco curves. It’s about to get still more tempting, too. On <strong>1 May</strong>, Brighton’s Reading Room is set to take up residence, opening a new chapter for the lido’s café and restaurant. Relaxed indulgence rules down at Reading Room’s Madeira Drive home, and we’re expecting similar vibes poolside. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-al-fresco-s-back-on-the-menu">Al fresco&#8217;s back on the menu </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/rowsvine.png" alt="Al fresco vineyard dining at Ridgeview's Rows &amp; Vine, Sussex" class="wp-image-84122" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/rowsvine.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/rowsvine-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/rowsvine-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/rowsvine-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: Ridgeview</figcaption></figure>



<p>The mini heatwave may have ended but spring is here to stay. To prove it, the county’s cafes, pubs and restaurants have been sprucing up their al fresco spaces. The Griffin Inn has refreshed its terrace while The Jolly Tanners has a new garden with swings in trees and plenty of natural good playthings. If you’re more vineyard than pub, Ridgeview’s seasonal Rows &amp; Vine restaurant has just reopened. The menu includes sharing boards and the estate’s new still Chardonnay. Over in Hove, meanwhile, the garden at Oeuf doesn’t usually open until May but it’s thrown open the doors early this year. Its outdoor tables aren’t bookable so if the sun pops out again any time soon, it’s always worth pitching up as a walk-in.&nbsp;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-a-glasshouse-makeover-takes-wing">A glasshouse makeover takes wing </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/butterfly_garden.png" alt="Butterfly in The Sussex Butterfly Gardens at One Garden Brighton" class="wp-image-84123" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/butterfly_garden.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/butterfly_garden-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/butterfly_garden-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/butterfly_garden-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: One Garden Brighton</figcaption></figure>



<p>A few weeks back were all of a-flutter about plans for a new butterfly centre opening in the faux Victorian palm house at One Garden Brighton. We now have an opening date the report: safari-suits at the ready because The Sussex Butterfly Gardens will be welcoming its first visitors <strong>from 23 May</strong>, just in time for half term. The climate-controlled gardens will provide an immersive jungle experience, sustaining hundreds of exotic butterflies, moths, and invertebrates, along with the tropical flora that they need to feed and breed. Its opening coincides with One Garden Brighton’s fifth birthday, marked by the pulling of the first pint in its new Garden Bar. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-plating-up-spring">Plating up Spring </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/spring_thepig-1000x667.png" alt="Spring menu at The PIG in the South Downs" class="wp-image-84124" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/spring_thepig-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/spring_thepig-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/spring_thepig-768x512.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/spring_thepig.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Image credit: The PIG</figcaption></figure>



<p>Chefs across the county are celebrating the season with menus full of fresh flavours and playful twists. At the Cowdray Farm Shop Café, you’ll find light options like a Mixed Grain Tabbouleh or Pan-Fried Fillet of Hake to more robust dishes dishes like Chicken, Rocket &amp; Sriracha slaw. Not too far away at the PIG in the South Downs, Spring menu highlights <strong>until 30 Apr </strong>include Wood Pigeon Breast, Garden Chard and New Season Rhubarb to start and Bolthardy Beetroot Risott with Gardener’s Pesto to follow. Tottington Manor, meanwhile, conjures forager’s fare with its Mixed Allium &amp; Wild Garlic Soup opener, and mains that include the gloriously green-sounding Baby Courgette &amp; Lovage Pappardelle. And for pudding? It has to be the Rhubarb Custard Tart. </p>



<p>I don&#8217;t know about you but we’re now ravenous so here&#8217;s just one more tastebud-tingler: Orla launches its Spring Tasting Menu 2.0 on <strong>7 May</strong>. Expect the likes of Chicken Liver Parfait ‘Cornetto’ with Pickled Walnut to start, followed by Local Lamb with Smoked Potato, Pea and Mint, and then a scoop of Granny Smith Sorbet. </p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-stable-grounds">Stable grounds</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/t.png" alt="Howie's Coffee &amp; Co horse box" class="wp-image-84125" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/t.png 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/t-800x533.png 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/t-1000x667.png 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/sussex/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2026/04/t-768x512.png 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The horse box that began it all</figcaption></figure>



<p>Times are tough for small businesses so it feels extra important to celebrate the wins. If you’re Littlehampton-bound, pop into Howie’s Coffee &amp; Co and raise a cup to a plucky success story. As a barista, its eponymous owner once starred in a Costa Coffee ad. Then came stints as a window cleaner, selling life insurance, and flying the world as cabin crew before the beans called him home. Howie’s debuted five years ago – in a horsebox. The mobile coffee shop has built up a loyal following outside The Dragon in Rustington. Its wheels saw it popping up at events like the Brighton Marathon and Goodwood Revival, but now it’s spawned this bricks-and-mortar branch. Flat whites were the most popular order on its opening day and its new merch has been flying off the shelves, too. </p>



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Superflash! Openings, spruce ups and a new wellness trend

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