A lot of people will tell you that visiting the Isle of Wight is a bit like going back in time. And when you step off the catamaran (which is operated by Wightlink and sets off from Portsmouth, taking you to Ryde), there is a certain element of bygone charm as you make your way along the pier to the seafront. But the second you scratch the surface and look past the tea rooms and cookie-cutter pubs that cater for the coachloads of tourists, you’ll find a fantastic mix of producers, chefs and artisans making the Isle of Wight an incredible place to eat and drink.
One of the key figures in making the island a foodie destination is Robert Thompson, a chef who’s worked at all of the Isle of Wight’s top restaurants. He won the island a Michelin star at The Hambrough and now owns his own restaurant Thompson’s. Who better to introduce the island from a foodie perspective?
‘I’ve heard people ask whether you need a passport to visit the island before – it’s crazy how isolated some think it is when it isn’t at all,’ he says. ‘It’s just twenty minutes from Portsmouth on the fast foot passenger boat. The food scene here has really grown in the past few years, and a lot of chefs are now gunning for recognition in the Michelin Guide and things like that. The produce is incredible too – not many people know we grow great asparagus here, for instance, and the tomatoes are next level. There’s still a way to go, and I think in five years we’ll have become a really big food destination, a lot like the South West.’