Orla now serving in Lindfield High Street

Previously featured in the January issue of this magazine, where Lindfield resident Ian Brunsdon had got to the quarter finals of MasterChef, we are now happy to report that Ian has opened his own restaurant on the High Street.

Ian and his wife Ellen met working in hospitality back in 2015, and vowed one day to open their own place together. Orla Restaurant & Rooms is the reality of that vision, which they have named after their two children.
“We have felt so welcomed into the village,” Ian said, “with people looking through the windows and popping in for a chat while renovations were ongoing. “Now that we are open, we are looking forward to welcoming both familiar and new faces into the restaurant.”

Ian has been working in kitchens since he was 15, and has worked in France and Australia, returning to work in Jeremy’s at Borde Hill and, more recently, head chef at Bolney Wine Estate – which he did for six years.
“Ellen and I had been researching and looking around for a few years, but when we found 67 High Street, it felt like the perfect location.”

They have been hands-on for the refurbishment, which took five weeks, and now includes a ‘sit at the pass’ area where guests can be fully immersed next to the chefs. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Orla offers an a la Carte menu with lunchtime classics and evening tasting menus with wine pairing.

Lindfield welcomes AT The Salon

The much-anticipated refurbishment of Peake House on Lewes Road has finally happened and AT The Salon is open for business. The brainchild of Alice Townes, the salon represents her desire for a local working life, after 16 years specialising in the chaotic (and occasionally glamourous) world of film and theatre.
Her CV includes leading the hair and make-up team on Hairspray at the London Coliseum, working on the opening production of Harry Potter in the West End, and touring Asia for seven months with The Sound of Music. And the TV world of Downton Abbey, The Witcher and Bridgerton.

However, the pandemic changed something in Alice, and she sought something different on the other side. “During and immediate after Covid,” Alice explained, “I went back to renting a chair in a salon – which reminded me of my love for being in a salon environment. From that moment, I began looking around and planning to have my own place one day. And here we are!”

From her salon, they are able to help those who want an entirely bespoke service and that includes make-up. AT The Salon is open six days a week, will employ three stylists from the beginning of February and operates a completely ‘zero waste to landfill’ policy. “I’ve had an amazing reception since opening the doors before Christmas,” Alice said. “I really couldn’t have asked for better. The location is great; people just pop their head in on the way past, it’s brilliant!”

Tufnells gets a refit in Lindfield High Street

It is said that the High Street is always evolving, and this month we note that there will be (slight) reduction in the presence of Tufnells! Lisa Goodger opened her first shop in Lindfield in 2006, and seven years later took the plunge to open Tufnells Home further down the High Street. That was ten years ago, and now Lisa has made the decision to consolidate the two shops into one – the original unit at 75 High Street.
“It is really just a timing thing,” Lisa commented. “We have had ten good years down the road, but the lease was up and we have now decided to take the best lines from each store, and make a more efficient and future-proof the business, going forward.”

Lisa runs the business with husband Jeremy, and the pair are hoping the change will increase their chances of a holiday too! “We are grateful for a fabulous team and look forward to an improved work/life balance.”

The original shop will be closed for a few days for a mini-refit, while they reimagine the space to fit the best of both into one. “I love the merchandising side of the job particularly, and am looking forward to the refurb,” Lisa explained. Table cloths, cushions, candles, ceramics, art cards and photo frames are among the customers’ favourites to still be available.

Tufnells at 75 will be open seven days a week, Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm and will be reopening on Sundays 12-4pm from February onwards.

Lindfield shops can help reduce plastic in our shopping

By Isabella Mortimer, age 12

When we go food shopping most of the items that we need are in plastic or are covered by a material that isn’t degradable or eco-friendly. So, in this article, I will be sharing with you some of the best places and ways to get everything you need on your weekly food shop but also be eco-friendly.

In our village there are loads of different shops that offer us stations to fill up our pastas, washing up liquids, fabric conditioners and many different foods that, when we buy them in the supermarket, are covered in plastic packaging. For example, Cloughs, Ounce (the new shop in our village) and Truffles (the new bakery) are all helping the fight against plastic by providing alternatives.

Researching places that are near you and that sell foods in non-plastic packaging, doesn’t take long, but it makes so much of a difference to the planet. It involves some planning but all you need are some jars, like mayonnaise and jam jars or Ounce sell them.

Lots of swaps are possible when you make it yourself:

• Easy homemade bread buns (https://bit.ly/3seZdwd)

• Easy granola (https://bit.ly/2OLFHty)

• Easy coleslaw (https://bit.ly/3uPhySq)

Tortillas are a real favourite but they come in packaging that can’t be recycled and this recipe shows how easy they are to make and freeze. No kneading, no proving – they can be made before school and work. Ingredients for tortilla wraps (this makes 12): 180g of strong white bread flower, 200g plain or wholemeal flour, ½ teaspoon of salt, 250ml lukewarm water, three tablespoons of olive oil and ¼ teaspoon baking powder.

Instructions: Mix the flours, salt and baking powder in a bowl, pour in the water and olive oil. Stir until it becomes a dough. After that slice the dough into 12 pieces and roll out each one with a rolling pin. Then cook each one on a frying pan (no oil) until it forms air bubbles and or starts to harden. And that’s all you need to do! It is so quick and requires no waiting!

Enjoy some great spring lunches and suppers.

Lindfield High Street and the possible Traffic Restriction Order (TRO)

In 2019 an application was made to West Sussex County Council (WSCC) for a Traffic Restriction Order designed to limit HGVs from using the section of the Lewes Road between the High Street and Gravelye Lane as a short cut, avoiding WSCC’s recommended routing on the A272 and increasing pressures on the High Street junction. Despite all parties recognising the difficulties of the Lewes Road / High Street junction, residents’ support with over 1200 signatures and significant work by a group of Lindfield residents and Lindfield Parish Council (LPC), WSCC declined to support the application.

Since then, LPC and the residents have worked to gain further support, with Lindfield’s Mid Sussex District Councillors and Mims Davies, MP, visiting the junction and expressing their support.

Continued dialogue with WSCC has led to Highways advising that they are prepared to consider a further application to restrict HGVs but have recommended that a consultation be undertaken by a professional firm to independently analyse both the support for and objections against the proposal. Accordingly, as soon as coronavirus restrictions start to ease, the consultation will be launched by Lindfield Parish Council and the Project Centre via a dedicated website alongside direct communication with local businesses, schools, hauliers and other interested parties.

Lindfield Parish Council have underwritten the £6,500 cost of this consultation and MSDC hold ‘Section 106’ monies which can be used to implement the scheme, if the application to WSCC is successful.

Please look out for the launch of the consultation and contribute to it, both to evidence the support from the local community and underpin the reasons for WSCC to consider the application favourably.

Lindfield High Street begins to open up again

Lindfield High Street sees new life after lockdown

By Mary Collins

As we start to emerge from lockdown, Lindfield is gradually returning to some sort of normality with the reopening of non-essential shops and businesses during June.

Most outlets that have been shut since March have rejoined those that heroically stayed open throughout the lockdown as the High Street takes its first cautious steps towards recovery.

To get a snapshot of how traders are faring in these uncertain times and what shopping will look like after almost three months in lockdown, Lindfield Life spoke to a selection of those that kept the village going throughout the lockdown, and some that have reopened.

Those traders spoken to have primarily talked about customer loyalty and the importance of local shopping and local supply chains, and whilst there is general confidence and optimism that the High Street will begin to trade normally, there is also a note of caution as the lockdown restrictions are lifted.

Staff at Cottenham’s, who stayed open throughout the lockdown, talk of the ‘intense, long and sometimes emotional days’ and the ‘eerie quiet of the village interrupted by the incessant ringing of the phone for yet another order’. John Cottenham said: “The last few months have been extreme! When panic buying stripped supermarket shelves bare, our relationship with local suppliers ensured we kept customers supplied and happy. We have been overwhelmed by the hard work of our staff and the support from our customers.”

Demonstrating the Lindfield community spirit, John adds: “It never felt stronger, with those of us that stayed open energising each other. We worked with Paul’s Greengrocer to combine some deliveries, and the Co-op was helpful with cooking ingredients.”

[Excerpt from July 2020 magazine]