For over 200 years Ryde Esplanade has provided Islanders and visitors alike with a range of shops and hotels, from the elegant and sophisticated to the tacky and workaday. The Victorian chemist's on the Esplanade now houses an unusual addition to the seafront; definitely on the elegant end of the spectrum is the Chocolate Apothecary.

This new venture is not only a factory for hand-made chocolates, but is also a café where one can buy cakes and coffee and what it describes as pâtisseries.

Cat had been straining at the leash for some days after she saw this place opening. It's probably no revelation to anyone that there's something about girls and chocolate, and Cat's not immune to that magical allure. So before long M & C were strolling casually along the esplanade and just happened to find themselves at the Chocolate Apothecary in time for an afternoon coffee. Taking in the gleamingly-clean picture windows and the invitingly dark interior, the pair ventured inside.

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

The Wight Mouse is a behemoth of pubs - one of a handful of mega-eateries that dominate the family Sunday lunch market on the Island.

It continues to serve up pub food by the shedload; trading on its unbeatable location on the popular tourist trail of the Military Road. Matt and Cat first reviewed this place in 2006 - and found it wanting. That first, brief, review is at the bottom of the page.

In 2009 they made another foray westwards with junior reviewers Bill and Jack. On the lookout for dinner, they once more found themselves walking through the door of the Wight Mouse. Had things improved? Read on to find out.

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Visit the website: http://www.islandbreaks.co.uk/site/eating-out/wight-mouse-inn-p141751

Matt and Cat have updated their review of Island Images at the request of one of the staff. Has the place changed? Read their conclusions below. The original review follows on.

Matt and Cat eat out. A lot. See this excerpt from Matt and Cat's diary for the past week: "28 July: Balti King. 29 July: lunch at Island Images. 30 July: dinner at Olivo, Ryde. 31 July: Dinner take away from Corries Cabin, Ryde".

How they find time to do their day jobs, eat out and then post interesting and witty reviews on this popular website is anyone's guess. However, they manage to squeeze it all in!

As explained on this week's earlier post, the Woodman Arms, Matt and Cat will sometimes update their review if it is old, inaccurate or if the place was worth a second go. This Easter, an email from 'Craig' arrived in the Matt and Cat in-box. In it he appealed to the reviewers to revisit his place of work, Island Images, as he was sure "a lot has changed since you were last there and would be surprised if your feedback wasnt better after visiting again?". Happy to oblige, Cat scheduled a lunchtime gossip with two chums to check out the changes...

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Another sunny afternoon; another farm café. Yes, friends, it's hard enough work reviewing the Island's food at the best of times, but summer is a particularly strenuous season for diligent Matt and Cat, as they dash from one end of the Island to the other in an attempt to keep up with the latest arrival on the scene.

Now it happened one afternoon that Matt was working way out west with a colleague, whilst Cat was busy elsewhere. When lunchtime came around he was right next to Kings Manor Farm Café, Freshwater. The word has been positive about this most recent of many farm cafés and so Matt took the obvious steps to exploit the situation.

The farm café and shop is in a modest former agricultural building, with a pleasant view over some nearby fields in which a few of the farm's Hebridean sheep graze scenically, along with an aged donkey for which one can purchase carrots if so inclined. Matt and companion spent some time discussing what the building could once have been, and settled eventually upon a forge. Today, the café is a clean and sparkling new place, with seating both inside and outside, and a range of typical farm shop goods to buy. The place was quiet at the time of Matt's visit. The cheerful lady at the till confirmed that food was certainly available, and was pleased to indicate the menu.

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Visit the website: http://www.kingsmanorfarm.co.uk/farm-shop-cafe.php

You're down the beach and, having worked up a bit of a lather engineering a complex sand city with nothing more sophisticated than a bendy plastic spade and a bucket decorated with a picture of a duck in a sailor suit, you want something to eat. Sandown has its famous beach on which to play and, interspersed along the golden mile are plenty of refreshment stops offering ice cream, tea and chips with which to fortify yourself - plus replacement buckets and spades, if required.

You could spend all day down the esplanade, amusing yourself swimming, making a hefty investment on the penny falls and eating. And plenty of people do. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all catered for and, at the licensed Beach Shack, positioned right on the esplanade just south-west of the pier at Devonia slipway, there is a surprisingly wide choice of nibbles, snacks and meals.

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Visit the website: http://thebeachshack-isleofwight.co.uk/