It may be the depths of winter now, but imagine the scene: having spent all day on the beach during a rare hot August Bank Holiday, a day-tripping family tidies up their detritus.

Nan is levered out of the deckchair and Dad bounces assiduously on the hissing inflatable banana until it slowly goes flaccid and is packed away. Struggling back up the hill, the whining kids, piebald with suncream, are famished from a long day of throwing sand at each other, and Mum’s thinking with little relish about the prospect of heating up tomato soup on the Camping Gaz stove. Just then, a fish and chip shop comes into view, the tempting aroma of hot oil wafting across the pavement and drawing the hapless tourists unresistingly inside.

If our hypothetical hungry family is in Ryde, they’d do well to stop at the first chippy near Appley beach, Monkton Village’s Chipmunks. Matt and Cat have reviewed that venue favourably, but it is only one of several contenders in the town. The family could maybe step a bit further west. No, no, not to the Codfather, slightly south west and up the hill to Wights. Although a tad more than a hop, skip and jump from the beach, this chippy is well-placed at the junction of Ryde’s precinct, near a pub, cinema and bingo hall - perfect for passing hot-snack-hunters. And so it was that Wights was Matt and Cat’s chosen venue for a fish and chip supper with a visiting relative from London.

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Due to entirely foreseen circumstances, Matt and Cat found themselves without internet access one clement autumn day.

This enforced Luddism could have inspired a frenzied bout of housework or perhaps baking, but those who know M&C well will already be guffawing at such ridiculous options. No, they decided to embrace their temporary broadband-free existence and where better than at Quarr Abbey – site of a monkishly simple life as long ago as the twelfth century.

The monks at Quarr Abbey have engaged with the Island community for years and, more recently, have increased their profile and perhaps their revenue stream. Their enterprises have included creative ceramics with Brother Alexander Tingay, bookbinding and the tea room. Once a bit of a shack in part of the abbey’s walled garden the café has, with the help of an EU grant, evolved into a decent business venture with the worthy objective of supporting this religious foundation. Will eating at the café become a regular habit?

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Visit the website: http://www.quarrabbey.co.uk/

One winter's day a few years ago, M&C were on a business trip to Royal Tunbridge Wells, of all places. Sounds posh? Well, expensive, certainly, if that means posh. Inevitably, they ended up strolling through the town centre round about dinner time, looking to see what was on offer.

Although it was in the depths of winter, they expected that this affluent Kentish town might have something to impress. It did not. Before too long the casual saunter had become a rather hungry march to find a decent place to eat. The problem was this: they'd already had a nice lunch at some Italian place, and were looking for somewhere that wasn't an Italian. Guess what? In Tunbridge Wells, there's nowhere to eat that isn't an Italian. Nowhere. Well, not that M&C could find that night anyway. You doubt this? Luckily, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council have a handy directory, categorising eateries. As of today, in this market town there are nineteen Italian venues. Yes, nineteen. Compare this with British (only fourteen), Indian (eleven) or even fish and chips (a measly four) - you see the pattern. And what's more, of those they saw, a significant number were chains or franchises, staffed by local youngsters and serving generic pizza and pasta. Not much taste of real Italy there.

Eventually, and very reluctantly, Matt and Cat settled on some Italian place, had a reasonable meal, and paid through the nose for it. They were glad to get home from Tunbridge. It's not like that on the Isle of Wight - Island diners are lucky enough to have a real diverse variety of eateries in most towns, and not too many franchises. Take Ryde; there's really no possibility of a would-be diner walking around Ryde hungry for long without finding something that would suit them.

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Visit the website: http://www.ristorantemichelangelo.co.uk/

Matt and Cat have eaten some excellent food in all of the far-flung corners of the Isle of Wight. From windswept tea rooms to the most northerly restaurant, they've pretty much tried them all. However, sometimes the best things are on your doorstep - as Matt and Cat discovered over the Christmas holidays.

The northern end of Ryde's Monkton Street is quite the burgeoning community. Having suffered a localised recession over recent years with the loss of the petrol station, post office and hairdressers, it now boasts an upgraded convenience store, the Island's first Polish supermarket, as well as M&C's favourite chippy.

Having had too many Quality Street breakfasts over the holidays, Matt and Cat decided to treat themselves to a full English at the Solent Inn. The compulsion to try the food was irresistible. Advertised for the jaw-dropping price of three quid, including a hot drink, who could walk on by? So, dropping the CatMobile off at the nearby '5 Star' car wash for its regular ten quid valet clean, they wandered across the road to the historic pub to see what they would get for their money.

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Visit the website: http://www.solentinn.com/

Snow on the Isle of Wight is such a rare occurrence that the slightest flurry grinds the county to a halt and everyone makes the most of their bonus 'snow days' to make snowmen and go sledging in their cars.

When the unfamiliar white stuff returned in December for an unprecedented second visit, the population's reaction was well-rehearsed. The first flakes had hardly fallen before local people rushed around cracking open bottles of Blitz spirit, stockpiling dried goods and putting snowchains on the dog.

As it turned out, the freeze only lasted a bare 48 hours before it all melted away. On one of those precious snowy days, Matt and Cat chose to pull on their wellies and skitter around Ryde looking for somewhere to eat lunch. Quite a few places had shut their doors - perhaps staff had been unable to get to work. However one place that definitely had not was the Bagel Wrap in the High Street, a lunchtime location M & C had long intended to try out.

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