Dandelion Café
ReviewsUncategorised 28th October 2012 0
It’s all over. The sun has resolutely taken off its hat, brushed it down and stashed it away until next year. The summer of 2012, with its diamond jubilee, record-breaking rainfall, Olympics and Paralympics is a distant memory. Wenlock has closed his vast single eye and Mandeville’s name is... Read more
Ventnor Botanic Garden Café
ReviewsUncategorised 2nd August 2012 5
How many Islanders does it take to change a light bulb? “CHANGE? We don’t like change!”. Everyone must have heard that joke by now and presumably there are regional versions of it being laughed at around the world. And change? Well, Islanders embrace it, don’t they? Now, Matt and... Read more
Butterflies of Yarmouth
ReviewsUncategorised 24th June 2012 1
How does Yarmouth’s Old Gaffers Festival do it? Every year without fail the organisers manage to pick a scorching weekend on which to hold this celebration of classic boats, street acts and local produce. In 2012, because of the diamond jubilee celebrations, the event was brought forward a week... Read more
Brading Station
ReviewsUncategorised 11th June 2012 3
Hands up if you’ve seen ‘Brief Encounter‘? There may be quite a few who have, as the classic film is de rigeur on a wet Sunday afternoon. It’s based on a one act play by Noel Coward and stars Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard as the protagonists whose doomed... Read more
God’s Providence House, Newport
ReviewsUncategorised 3rd March 2012 6
God’s Providence House is in a fine old building in the heart of Newport. This beautiful and historic tea room has since the dawn of time run on the most traditional lines, and evokes a feeling almost of time travel. One can imagine oneself taking refreshment in a more... Read more
Rainbow Art Café, Godshill
ReviewsUncategorised 7th October 2011 2
Don’t know about the rest of you but when Matt and Cat think about cream teas, Godshill springs to mind. This quaint village with its gift shoppes, picture-postcard thatches and tea gardens is a mandatory port of call for grockles and cream tea aficionados alike. One sunny October day... Read more
Archive review: The Roundhouse Tea Rooms, Newport
ReviewsUncategorised 18th October 2010
Archive review: alas! The Roundhouse is now closed permanently. That’s it folks! Matt and Cat might as well hang up their reviewing hats as the Isle of Wight’s ultimate cream tea has been found. After years of arduous searching, involving the consumption of gallons of tea, rock-hard to fluffy... Read more
Yaverland Kiosk
21st September 2010 16
Matt and Cat love Culver Down. The views from the top are magnificent, whether looking across to Sussex or lying on your back on a summer?s evening watching the Perseids meteor shower overhead. Culver’s pretty good at the base too; the Bembridge side has a family-friendly sandy beach with... Read more
Ah, the cream tea, staple food for holidaymakers in the English countryside for generations. This classic afternoon treat has never gone out of fashion and is a good barometer of a venue. Is the tea in a pot with ‘all the trimmings’? Fresh milk? Clotted cream? A generous dollop... Read more
Needles Battery Tea Room
27th March 2010 5
Matt and Cat have made several visits to the Island’ most westerly café. Read their latest thoughts on the place below. Earlier review and comments follow that. Having had a successful – and educational – day out at Hampshire’s most southerly fortification, Hurst Castle, Matt and Cat decided visit... Read more
