Snacks to kill for

Artpothecary is an art supplies shop at Brighton Open Market, run by my friends Beth and Adrian. Once housed in a poky first-floor unit, they’ve now moved to a bigger space on the ground floor. Despite having started their first day by spending £90 or so on a locksmith – some good citizen had used glue to sabotage their front door – they threw a fabulous launch do at the shop (that’s it in the pic, backgrounding myself and my fabulously-shirted friend Noel Bateman). There was wine and top-quality OJ (so often OJ’s just OK) as well as scrumptious cakes and – here’s the point of the matter – the best somosas I’ve had since Edinburgh ’89. That was the year I first went to the Fringe on business, as writer and producer of a play called Poor Paddy Works on the Chain-Gang. So many unhappy experiences were involved in that visit, but at least I made the acquaintance of somosas, courtesy of  the Fringe Club bar. Somosas sustained me through many a stupidly late post-show booze session, and perhaps that’s why those first ones hold a special place in my heart; at any rate, pretty much every somosa since has disappointed by comparison – but these ones at the Artpothecary launch were simply the best ever. And Mohammed, of the neighbouring Mohammed – Spice of Life, is very welcome to quote me on that. Though I don’t suppose he will – unless, of course, I become very famous. So, let’s keep hoping, for both our sakes.

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