Pineapple

A grand place to do some alternative shopping, the real treats on offer at Pineapple lie behind the fruit and veg stand outside the store. There are enormous bags of spices rolling in at reasonable prices, as well as a fantastic mass of sauce making ingredients that won’t be in your Co-​op Asda or Tesco, from large, value tins of tomato paste to less conventional ready made sauces.
You’ll also find a plethora of pulses and nourishing nuts to enhance your culinary experience. And for the less experimental food lovers, there are some massively reasonably priced wafers and biscuits that combine delicious flavour and unique design with great value. While not impossible, it would take too long to list all the great bits and pieces here… There was even pickled okra here! With the 49 bus stopping right near Pineapple, you’ve got no reason not to go along and be inspired!

Pineapple Veg is a great little place to pick up fruit, veg and other bits and bobs. As part of a bid to stop using Sainsburys in favour of supporting local small businesses and independent shops, I have found myself popping in more and more. As the fruit and veg stalls at the Open Market seem to be in decline– some having moved on altogether and some there only once in a while– Pineapple has become my new fruit and veg hot spot! The selection is great and they often have interesting seasonal fruit… watermelons, blood oranges, plantains and pomegranates to name but a few!
Beyond the produce, they also stock all sorts of ethnic yummies and dried and tinned food too. A great place to look for inspiration and new recipe ideas! The guys who work there are really nice and on ‘Snow Day’ earlier this year they built three hilarious little snow people out side the shop, which made me love the place all the more!

Me and my flatmate went via Pineapple fruit and veg ltd on the London road, to look for some tasty, fresh ingredients for a long awaited curry we had planned to make that night. Even though the daylight hours had long gone, and we were getting increasingly hungry, the eclectic, obscure and affordable selection of products on offer kept us in the shop browsing the aisles like two old ladies.
Pineapple, has all the usual suspects of the fruit and veg world; potatoes, onions, tomatoes, peppers, chilis (scotch bonnets are 13p each!) etc… all at a lower price than the high street supermarkets dotted around Brighton, so worth a visit for your standards. What though is the trump card of this place is the selection of Middle Eastern, Turkish and Polish speciality foods such as the huge naan style bread which looks like it could feed a family for a week, and the massive 1kg jars of pickled cabbage, jalapenos, gherkins etc etc… (1kg!!!) all for around the £3−4 mark.
Also a good selection of dried and fresh spices and herbs (such as a bunch of coriander for less than £1), fruit juices, and interesting condiments, Pineapple is a treasure trove of ethnic food, for a really reasonable price. I highly recommend taking a look.