Matt and Cat\'s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide
This is an archive review. The Old Dairy Tea Rooms has closed (and reopened under new name and management) Travellers along Newport’s Whiterails Road can not have failed to notice the entrance to the Lavender Farm at its junction with Blacklands Lane. Viewers from distant galaxies can probably see the... Read more
It can be a bit of a gamble, opening a cafe as a part of something else. Matt and Cat have had numerous experiences of such enterprises, especially here on the Island where a hopeful entrepreneur is opening a new tourist attraction almost daily, it seems, and every one... Read more
Although the Isle of Wight has not suffered the same terrible monsoon season that has deluged the Midlands, the summer even on the Island has not been consistently hot. Nonetheless, this hasn’t prevented Matt and Cat from venturing to the Island’s seaside resorts in search of cream tea to... Read more
Osborne House has an impressive Terrace Restaurant for the ultimate lunchtime venue – but if you want to get a taste of the Osborne experience without buying a ticket you can take advantage of the new cafe in the recently restored Petty Officers’ Quarters. It’s a remarkable bit of... Read more
Down on Culver Parade, a little way from the hussle and hilarity of the esplanade, Sandown boasts a fine 1930’s miniature golf course, complete with a clubhouse in the period style. Behind it prevails the municipal cafe which Matt remembers from many happy visits as a child, some 35... Read more
A gentle afternoon stroll between Yarmouth and Fort Victoria Country Park is one of the nicest ways to explore the West Wight, with the promise of an enjoyable destination whichever direction you travel. Matt and Cat visited the splendid Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival, and decided to take this short... Read more
Many tourists come a long way to visit the Isle of Wight – so, says Cat, for those lucky enough to already live on the Island, why not play at being a holidaymaker when you can? After all, if this undulating county is a good enough destination for visitors,... Read more

Gossips Cafe, Yarmouth

18th December 2006 7

As the reviews on Matt and Cat’s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide bear testimony, the quality of food in Island cafes is wonderfully variable. The economy-class cafe might offer meagre portions, passive smoking and a long wait on an uncomfortable chair. Thankfully, to continue the airline analogy, most... Read more
The Landslip at Bonchurch is an intriguing place, describing itself on an old sign as an historic pleasure park. It is a vertiginous jungle with windy paths, rocky outcrops and precipitous steps. If you have the energy for an aerobic hike about this landscape then you will do well... Read more
Update May 2009. Matt and Cat revisited the Apple Tree café at the suggestion of a fellow Tweeter. Read M and C’s comments below, with earlier efforts below that. Having waxed lyrical about the café at Afton Nursery, Matt and Cat were surprised but pleased to get a request... Read more