Five foodie favourites on the Isle of Wight to make the most of your visit this summer
The Isle of Wight food scene has exploded in recent years – you’re rarely a few minutes from somewhere selling fabulous food – and because it’s just 22 minutes on Wightlink’s FastCat, that means your next tasty moment is closer than you think.
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1. Seafood
The Island is surrounded by water, so it’s no surprise that it’s a seafood hotspot. The only difficult decision you’ll face is choosing where to dine!
Want to be beside the seaside? You can’t get much closer that the Best Dressed Crab, a floating café in Bembridge. Expect the freshest shellfish landed straight from their boat.
Other favourites include Smoking Lobster in Ventnor and The Hut in Colwell Bay. Or for a quick seafood pasty on the beach in summer, the Crab Shed in Steephill Cove is always a winner.
2. Home-grown produce
You’ll find Isle of Wight tomatoes and garlic on restaurant menus across the country. So where better to try them than the place where they were grown?
Stores at Briddlesford Farm, The Isle of Wight Farm Shop and Harvey Browns Food Hall have a cornucopia of local produce from island growers. Pick up a few foodie souvenirs to take home with you, or to enjoy during your visit if you’re staying in self-catering accommodation.
The Garlic Farm offers wonderful dishes in their restaurant and their shop stocks myriad garlicky delicacies, from smoked garlic to Black Garlic beer. There’s even an annual Garlic Festival in August.
3. Fine dining
Love fine dining? We’ve got that covered. The Michelin Guide has recommended The Royal Hotel in Ventnor every year since 1911. Its dining room can be relied upon for dishes of exquisiteness, reflecting the abundance of quality produce from the Island’s coast and countryside.
Other Michelin-listed destination restaurants include The Hambrough Restaurant in Ventnor, The Terrace in Yarmouth and Aquitania at The Seaview Hotel – so it’s easy to find your foodie paradise!
4. Local tipples
Mermaid Gin – a smooth, elegant and complex gin made with locally foraged rock samphire and Boadicea hops – is one of the Island’s most famous liquid exports. Their Mermaid Salt Vodka and Spiced Rum are well worth a try, too. You’ll find them all over the island but especially at their distillery home, The Mermaid in Seaview, where they offer expertly crafted cocktails too.
Beer-lovers won’t be disappointed either. Goddards, the island’s oldest brewery, moved into a new home last year where there’s a brewery restaurant, state-of-the-art visitor attraction and shop.
5. Ice cream
If ice-cream is your passion, you’ll already know about the island institution that is Minghella. With 250 flavours and more than 70 years’ experience of making ice cream on the island, they’ve won more than 80 well-deserved awards, creating such flavoursome delights as Lemon Meringue, and Oriental Ginger and Honey ice cream. You’ll find them stocked at shops and attractions across the island.
Or head to Crave at The Ventnorian in Ventnor. They’re known for their unusual yet surprisingly delicious flavours made on site, such as Rose & pistachio, Whisky marmalade and dairy-free favourite Caramelised cashew.
Plan your visit
To book your crossing to taste foodie delights on the Isle of Wight, visit the website