You may recall that we declared the island’s national dish to be crab on chips. If you haven’t tried the goodness of chunky triple-cooked chips or sweet potato fries smothered with Ventnor’s finest crab meat then you need to rectify that immediately. Of course, UK-wide, the most popular dish... Read more
What is it about chain restaurants? We diners profess disdain for them, saying that we prefer small local businesses for our meals out. But clearly we don’t – or at least a lot of us don’t. It doesn’t look as though McDonald’s in Newport is closing down any time... Read more
We’ve recently returned from a holiday in the Cotswolds. Snowshill, where we stayed, was almost painfully picturesque. Golden stone cottages encircled a pretty church and there was even a working red telephone box. The entire hamlet could probably be mistaken for a Olde Englande theme park created just for... Read more
The Old Fort is positioned to take advantage of one of the finest dining vistas on the Island, perhaps only rivalled by the Little Gloster and Ventnor’s Spyglass. On those balmy summer Seaview nights when the sea breeze allows it, you can sit right on the seawall and stare in... Read more
Remember the golden days of the theatrical farce? Comedies of embarrassment: meek hen-pecked husbands, saucy secretaries and the impromptu arrival of a vicar as the ante of chaos was well and truly upped. This genre of situation comedy was clearly fictional. No real life irritation could be compounded to... Read more
Throughout England the allure of Wetherspoons is quite irresistible. And it’s easy to see why. The budget pub chain has a reputation for its sympathetic treatment of historic town centre buildings – as we discovered for ourselves in Harrogate. And, of course, it’s cheap as chips. Regardless of its... Read more
Never let it be said that we’re cheap. Well, maybe just a bit. Truth is, we probably wouldn’t have set off for Cowes on a chilly Monday evening if it hadn’t been for the fifty per cent off food offer at the Union Inn. We’ve eaten at the pub... Read more
When we started this food-reviewing lark more than a decade ago, we pretty soon spotted that quite a few venues seemingly played exactly the same unchallenging middle-of-the-road cheesy music to keep their diners in compliant mood. The familiar tones of Tina Turner or Phil Collins were the inevitable accompaniment... Read more
Cruising at a height of about five feet, we saw the welcoming lights of Bembridge airport and guided our transport down to rest conveniently close to the Propeller Inn – a long-standing venue once frequented by keen aviator Sir Alan Sugar, and recently reopened after a very comprehensive refurbishment.... Read more
White Horse, Whitwell
Uncategorised 21st May 2016 2
In these modern times, you can buy a pint of beer from ten o’clock in the morning. To help it down you could order a budget meal from a satisfyingly familiar menu. All this just a step away from your house into the embrace of a town centre chain... Read more
