MY FAVOURITE VIEW

Food writer Sophie Grigson

Food writer Sophie Grigson savours the sandy expanse of a south coast beach in autumn

Camber Sands is idyllic. Nothing beats walking along a deserted beach with just the sound of the waves for company. If it’s raining, grey and cold, it simply adds to the moment and the sense of isolation that I cherish. You get a sensation of the power of nature as the waves crash on the beach. There’s a feeling of immensity as the huge beach stretches out around you, the expanse of sea, and the big skies. It’s an extraordinary place and very peaceful at this time of year.

I first visited last winter, so my bond with Camber

Sands in East Sussex is very recent. I booked a little cottage right on the beach and went with my two grown-up children. My ex-husband [their father] had died the previous Christmas and we wanted to do something completely different with no memories of Christmas past. I love Christmas and it had always been a big thing in our family, so we wanted to create new memories somewhere that was very different from anywhere else we had spent it previously. So it was a combination of luck and circumstance that first took us to Camber. The weather wasn’t great but that’s what we loved about it and the fact there was no one else there. After bracing walks on the beach we’d gather to cook supper in the evening. Another lovely thing about staying in Camber is that just along the coast in Hastings you can buy fresh fish straight off the fishing boats that moor up on the beach.

I’m not a fan of winter, but I love autumn. It has colour and wonderful seasonal produce – quinces, apples, chestnuts, game – so it’s such an exciting time of year for anyone who cooks. We see autumn as the beginning of the culinary year rather like a new school term. I love getting out my casserole dishes and slow-cooking recipes. The autumn classes in my Oxford-based cookery school include seasonal supper clubs where there’s an element of experimentation and everyone loves to cook with great local produce. I think of the season as the cook’s playground. We also celebrate Italian cooking with Tuscan farmhouse classics, so often overlooked as the focus is always on their summer food.

My absolute favourite view was from the bedroom of the cottage, which was literally right on the sand. I would sit at the window and look out, watching the crashing waves, the occasional dog walker, someone riding a horse on the sands. It was a very contemplative experience. I have no desire to go in summer when the crowds are there. We were spoiled by having the beach to ourselves, it’s such a luxury to be able to walk on an empty beach.

It’s like a view of eternity.