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From Chalk Grasslands to the Chopping Board: Georgina Cockett and Jo Glazebrook on Feeding Brighton Consciously

  • 6 hours ago
  • 4 min read

What do a meat box scheme and a cookery school have in common? More than you'd think.


Georgina Cockett from Sussex Grazed and Jo Glazebrook from the Community Kitchen both work under the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership, just a floor apart from one another in the same building on Queens Road. And once they started talking, a genuine, food-led friendship (and business partnership) was born.


In this blog, we talk conservation grazing, community, and why a simple chat over the office computers turned into one of Brighton's most heartwarming food collaborations.



Herd of white-and-brown goats grazing in a green pasture, one in the foreground, with rolling hills and a cloudy sky.
Goats at Clapham Farm

Two Organisations, One Building, One Mission


Sussex Grazed is a meat box scheme sourcing conservation-grazed meat from a small network of Sussex farmers and deer managers. The Community Kitchen, just upstairs, is a cookery school and social enterprise on Queens Road, running everything from commercial classes to subsidised community cooking sessions.


It turns out working in the same building makes for easy collaboration.

"Joe came upstairs and went, 'Georgina, let's talk about some meat. How can we get me into the class?' It just went from there, a really simple chat over the computers."

One of the Kitchen's core commitments is buying high welfare meat for its classes, so a partnership with Sussex Grazed was an easy fit from day one. Their first project together was recipe testing with venison.


Why Conservation Grazing Matters More Than You'd Think


Sussex's chalk grasslands are sometimes called the European rainforest, and they're vanishing fast.

"97% of this landscape has disappeared, we've only got 3% of it left, and it's really rare."

Conservation grazing helps protect what remains. Animals are moved around the land through mob grazing, so they graze without overgrazing, helping restore the landscape rather than extracting from it. It's also home to species like the Adonis Blue butterfly, one of the rarest and most beautiful in the UK.


Georgina is honest that the damage already done can't be fully reversed, but the work can protect what's left, and maybe even help it grow back.


Cookery School and B&H Food Partnership Community Kitchen storefront with bright blue windows and colorful food icons.

Giving People Permission to Experiment


A theme that runs through the whole conversation is confidence, and how food can be a brilliant way to build it.


In the Kitchen's classes, cooking leaders happily swap ingredients depending on what's available, whether that's a Sussex Grazed meat donation or a bag of surplus beans.

"That's why it's so good, we have really flexible chefs who can swap ingredients in and out according to availability and seasonality."

Sussex Grazed customers get the same encouragement. Georgina regularly offers tasters of less familiar cuts like venison or goat, so people can try before committing.

"It's okay, this is a safe space. You can ask these questions."

That permission to just give something a go, whether it's a new ingredient or a new skill, comes up again and again as the thing people remember most.


Food With a Purpose


Both organisations are quietly doing serious work behind the friendly, community-minded surface. The Kitchen delivers a council-funded holiday food and activity programme for families who need it most, while Sussex Grazed makes sure farmers get a fair price for meat that stays local rather than disappearing into the national food system.


As Jo puts it, the goal is always to make sure people know exactly where their money and their food are going.

"We try to be really open. Our staff are good at letting people know what's going on. That's part of the experience when people come in here."

Smiling friends in aprons share a meal at a long table with tulips, drinks, and plates in a bright kitchen setting.

Quickfire Brighton


No Connected Brighton chat is complete without the rapid fire round. Here's what Georgina and Jo had to say:

  • Brighton or Hove? Both said Brighton, though Hove got an honourable mention for its food scene

  • Favourite bar or restaurant? A new Thai spot on Ship Street for Jo, and Clementine & Co for Georgina, who also gave a shoutout to their charity cocktail of the month

  • What would you change about the city? Fewer seagulls and pigeons, and fewer potholes on the cycle paths

  • Favourite landmark? North Laine and the West Pier

  • Secret Brighton spot? Saddlescombe Farm just outside the city, plus the little seafront hatches near the fishing museum for fish finger sandwiches


Final Thoughts: Two Businesses, One Bigger Picture


What comes through most in this episode isn't a sales pitch, it's a genuine friendship built on shared values. Two organisations, working literally under the same roof, quietly making Brighton's food scene a little more conscious, a little more connected, and a lot more fun.


If you'd like to support the work, order a box from Sussex Grazed, book a class at the Community Kitchen, or give them both a follow on Instagram: @sussexgrazed and @btnkitchen.


 
 
 
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