With the opening of Hendy’s Kitchen as a weekend adjunct to his Home Store, British chef, photographer and design impresario, Alastair Hendy is set to become the Domestic God of Hastings.
Alastair Hendy has created the obvious complement to Hendy’s Home Store with his Home Store Kitchen where guests who have come to explore the shop and peruse the wares can also stop for a bite to eat. The atmosphere is small, cozy and domestic. “A seafood kitchen serving simple plates of fish,” says Hendy, "where the food is for eating, rather than just for the pages of magazines."
Above: The Home Store Kitchen is a new building behind Hendy's Home Store. Hendy won over the planners of Old Town Hastings by designing a building that is sympathetic to its surroundings.
Above: The white wall tiles are handmade and recreated from original Victorian tiles. The floor is made from reclaimed brick, which has been sealed for hygienic reasons.
Above: The galvanized wall lights were sourced from an antiques market: Hendy frequents the international antique and collectors fairs at Newark and Ardingly.
Above: On the weekends, when Hendy is down from London, he will cook at the end of the zinc-covered island and serve his guests around the table; seating around six. Another six guests can be accommodated in a small dining room. The fresh-off-the-boat seafood comes from the local fishermen huts at the beach.
Above: A view of the kitchen from the courtyard, where there is outdoor seating to accompany Hendy's outdoor barbecues, weather permitting. A collection of Hendy's galvanized boxes and buckets frame the doorway.