After considerable investment and what must surely have been a labour of love, in 2016 Sandown’s Bandstand welcomed diners through its doors. Matt particularly was intrigued to see inside this iconic building, such a landmark of his Sandown childhood. The conversion is remarkable; from an open-sided bandstand, its ironwork... Read more
Has Newport reached ‘peak coffee shop’? Back in 2015 we wondered this in our review of the then brand-new Coffee Room at Skintrade. People probably asked the same question when the venerable God’s Providence House opened its doors back in the last century – yet seemingly the demand for... Read more
Farmers Market, Ryde
ArticlesUncategorised 19th March 2018 1
We’re a couple of idlers. While you are taking your children to swimming lessons and tending to your horses on a Saturday morning, we’re nearly always lazing about. However, due to a quirk of fate, we were up early today and you know what that means – a visit... Read more
Social media coverage has been blamed for a lot of things – election results, disgraced politicians, a decline in educational standards – but one thing that the coming of Instagram can most certainly take credit for is the the advent of beautiful food. Yes chefs, if your dishes look... Read more
This is an archive review. Courtside Cafe is currently closed. Anyone who keeps an eye on the Isle of Wight County Press will note that, following our favourable review of the Woodman’s Arms, Gordon Pollard from Sandown was compelled to put pen to paper. He complained about our analogy... Read more
We often reminisce about Brading Waxworks. This much-loved tourist attraction closed in 2010, after 45 years. Tantalisingly, if it had hung on just a few more seasons, we reckon it might have seen its fortunes turn. After all, these days post-ironic tourism is big business, and goodness knows the... Read more
You come to the Isle of Wight, you want seafood. You’d think there’d be no problem with that, really. After all, we are surrounded by the stuff. Londoners arriving at their cosy cottages by the sea reasonably expect crustaceans to be marching up from the beaches and throwing themselves... Read more
We were pretty much on the doorstep the day the Garlic Farm Cafe opened in 2009 and had a lovely lunch. Our one gripe way back then was “The menu unexpectedly made no mention of local produce – other than the farm’s own chutney – and hardly any of... Read more
Gurt Cook Off 2017
ArticlesUncategorised 27th September 2017 1
For those of you who think Isle of Wight Day is just about bunting, think again. This celebration of all things Island was conceived by Robin Courage during his tenure as High Sheriff in 2016 and was such a success last year that it is now an annual date... Read more
We’ve worked in Newport for years. Years and years. We’ve seen them come and we’ve seen some of them go. Island Images, Mill Bay II, House of Legends, El Patron – all gone. The Farmer’s Market prevails but the alternative Country Market or, as it became known colloquially –... Read more
