For a boisterous taste of the English countryside, head to Soho. But watch out for all the seeds
Sussex Bar & Restaurant, 63–64 Frith Street, London W1D 3JW (020 3923 7770). Snacks £2-£7, starters £9-£14, mains £18-£24, desserts £6, wines from £32
Just as the Inuit are reputed to have many words for snow, so the people of Sussex, both East and West, are said to have many words for mud. A lot of them have a pleasing onomatopoeic squelch. There is “gawm”, for the nastiest-smelling kind of mud and “stodge” for the thickest pudding-like type. There is “swank” for a muddy bog and “stug” for watery mud, and “gubber” for a trench of rotting matter. I like the industrious, grinding Sussex represented by this nerdy vocabulary. People who work the land need the brevity provided by such words.
