A Brief History of Isle of Wight Desserts

Though lost today, it seems the Isle of Wight used to have a strong tradition of making pies, puddings and desserts. Fruits were often a key component, with plums being baked into cakes, gooseberries made into tarts and apples turned into ‘apple pudden’. It’s possible that other parts of the country recognised the Isle of...

How to Forage like a 19th Century Islander

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Islanders were a dab hand at foraging, with an incredibly detailed knowledge of local wild plants, where they grew and what to do with them. Even in the making of drinks alone, numerous wild plants were put to numerous different uses, with cowslips from the Downs being made into...

Words cannot espresso how much we love coffee!

We cannot start our day without a cup of coffee… I mean who can? This week is quite possibly one of our favourites, it’s UK coffee week. We’re showing our appreciation of this glorious drink by letting you know where you can pick up a cuppa on our beautiful Island home. Island Roasted / Caffe...

Cheers to reopening!

I think the last time many of us stepped into one of the Island’s pubs was Christmas Eve 2020. It’s been a long ‘dry’ winter, but spring has sprung (even though it’s a little on the chilly side) and from 12th April pubs, restaurants and cafes are allowed to open any outside seating space...

The Island’s Secret – Adgestone Vineyard’s Blue Sparkling Wine Recipe

Adgestone Vineyard are the first winery to create a vibrant blue sparkling wine and the closely guarded secret technique is one that is causing a ripples in the world of wine as other vineyards in Europe follow suit. The details of the process that Vigneron,  Russ Broughton has used to pull the blue colour...

Local Meat is great and no mis-Steak!

When it comes to putting a menu together, can locally sourced meat really make much of a difference? We think there are so many benefits for you, your family and your local farmers. One of the biggest benefits of using meat from a nearby farm is that you can guarantee the freshness of the meat....