| The Isle of Wight, the foodie isle

A world away – right on our doorstep

The Isle of Wight

Time spent on the Isle of Wight proves you don’t have to travel far to feel a world away.

With its bright golden beaches and hidden coves, rolling downland, and clifftop paths fringed with coconut-scented gorse, this star of the Solent marches to a slower beat than the mainland.

And for foodies keen to discover culinary treasures and farm-to-fork freshness, the Isle of Wight’s exceptional local larder is packed with sensational flavours that tell the story of the island’s rich agricultural and maritime heritage.

The Arreton Valley

The Arreton Valley is one of the Island’s most fertile and ancient landscapes, a broad sweep of farmland, meadows, and gentle rolling hills framed by the chalk downs to the north and south. Its rich soils and sheltered position and its position in the microclimate of the Isle of Wight have made farming here exceptional for centuries.

The valley is home to The Garlic Farm, Isle of Wight Tomatoes and Harvey Browns to name just a few of its iconic foodie gems.

The Garlic Farm

The Garlic Farm is one of the Isle of Wight’s most distinctive food destinations. What began more than 40 years ago as a family experiment with a handful of garlic cloves has grown into a thriving farm, restaurant and visitor experience that celebrates this crop.

It’s a must-visit stop for food lovers, offering everything from garlic-inspired menus in the farm restaurant to tastings of chutneys, mayonnaises, dressings and marinades.

Visitors can wander the farm trails, learn how garlic is grown and cured, and stock up on artisan products that capture the Isle of Wight’s unique countryside and heritage.

The Garlic Farm’s commitment is a B-Corp business and their commitment to sustainability is genuinely impressive. Head to their website to read more about their initiatives.

The island’s garlic is now so famous, it has a cult following and its own garlic festival held annually in August.

The Garlic Farm also owns Wild Island, which creates delicious dressings and fruit-infused vinegars like blackberry balsamic that will lift a salad to dizzying new heights!

Isle of Wight Tomatoes

The same fertile Arreton Valley with its moist maritime air and more hours of sunshine than anywhere else in the UK, is home to Isle of Wight Tomatoes, combining age-old traditions with modern-day innovation and a passion for growing tomatoes that taste the way they should.

And if you’ve ever tasted one of these little balls of loveliness you’ll know how totally amazing they are, with a juicy balance of sweetness and acidity – and an intensity of flavour second to none.

Red, green and everything in-between is their claim – growing over 40 mouth-watering varieties every year, each specially selected for their unique flavour and picked only when perfectly ripe, so you can enjoy them at their very best.

They also have a wide range of products too making the most of every harvest – from sun-dried tomatoes and sauces to juices and condiments.

You can now find Isle of Wight Tomatoes across the UK – and they’ve recently been featured being with Tom Kerridge in a ‘meet the farmer’ profile by their stockist, Marks & Spencer.

You can’t visit or shop at their farm, but you will find Isle of Wight Tomatoes just about everywhere on the Island – for sale of course but included in menus and dishes from local pubs, restaurants, cafes and tea rooms.

Briddlesford Farm

Then there’s The Guernsey herd at Briddlesford Farm, descendants of the farm’s first 15 cows to walk the hills over the farm in 1923. They produce rich, velvety milk and cream that is processed and bottled on site and used to make outstanding cheese.

Visitors can pick up these delicacies in the bustling farm shop, which also stocks a wide range of produce from local island suppliers, along with meat from the on-site butchery.

No trip here is complete without a stop at Bluebells Café, a welcoming spot where hearty farm breakfasts, seasonal lunches, and indulgent cakes are all served at the heart of the farm, all championing local.

Minghella Ice Cream

Founded in the 1950s by Italian immigrant Edward Minghella, this family business, Minghella Ice Cream, grew from a small Ventnor café into a well-loved Island gem. The Minghella family perfected the art of traditional Italian gelato, combining it with the best local dairy and natural ingredients. Even today only Isle of Wight cream goes into their creations.

Their ice creams and sorbets are made in small batches, with a wide range of flavours that celebrate both classic tastes and seasonal imagination. Expect indulgent favourites such as Madagascan Vanilla, Belgian Chocolate, and Honeycomb Crunch, alongside more adventurous creations like Blackcurrant Clotted Cream or Rhubarb & Ginger.

You’ll find Minghella ice creams in cafes, pubs, restaurants, coffee shops, tea rooms and kiosks across the Isle of Wight – hunt them down and try one!

Isle of Wight Ice Cream Company

It’s only island milk and cream that’s used by the Isle of Wight Ice Cream Company for its gelato-style dairy ice cream.

Headed up by two born and bred ‘Caulkheads’, (Isle of wight natives to the uninitiated) the Isle of Wight Ice Cream Company is built on a wealth of experience and passion for great, local ice cream!

It’s located at the heart of the Island so it’s not not travelled far from production to scoop – a truly island product!

Calbourne Classics

Calbourne Classics is a family-run business best known for their range of ice creams, cakes, bakes and desserts.

For visitors exploring the Island, its a great place to stop for handmade, small-batch treats that celebrate local ingredients and traditional recipes. They have a range of gluten-free and vegan range which gets rave reviews.

Entrepreneurial sisters Louise Hart and Jenny Simmons created Calbourne around three decades ago from a dairy farm in the West Wight with everything made on the Island giving it a genuine taste of Wight life.

Three Gates Farm is where they make their range of delicious home-made produce from award-winning cherry and almond cake and mouth-watering scones to tasty quiches and meat pies.

They even have an award-winning range 16 clotted cream Calbourne Classics ice creams and three sorbets – all made on a small batch system on the farm at Shalfleet from their mum Jill’s recipes.

Their products can be found on the Isle of Wight, and across Hampshire and the south.

Wight Whisky is shaking up the world of English whisky as a brand new, independent distillery based on the Isle of Wight and encapsulating its unique terroir which forms the individual flavour profile of their spirits.

The Island Tea & Coffee Co is a local roastery and tea merchant. Their coffee is shipped across the Island, the UK and the world, and their range of speciality teas includes classic breakfast blends to fragrant herbal infusions.

You’ll find their tea and coffee across the Isle of Wight in cafes, pubs and restaurants so please tag us and them if you do – we love to see your photos.

Harvey Browns

Harvey Browns is a showcase of Isle of Wight food and drink in its own right, and a must for any foodie visitor to the Island.

What began as a family farm in the Arreton Valley has grown into a thriving foodie destination with farm shop, deli, butchery, café, and restaurant – all set in stunning countryside.

The Food Hall includes artisan chutneys, jams, and oils, with much of the stock coming straight from local fields, dairies, and kitchens. There’s a fantastic deli counter with charcuterie, freshly prepared salad dishes, olives, local artisan cheeses and a range of freshly-made pies, pasties, quiches and scotch eggs.

They have sourdoughs and focaccia from local bakers as well as the most delicious cakes and savoury bakes.

The butchery counter is a highlight, stocked with meats reared on the family farm as well as trusted island suppliers.

The signature crop of the farm is Isle of Wight Asparagus, but they also grow strawberries, potatoes, squash, brassicas, sweetcorn and grains. The shelves are packed with baskets of just-harvested fruit and vegetables.

The café and restaurant look out over farmland, the perfect backdrop for a hearty breakfast, lunch, or afternoon tea. Menus are built around seasonal ingredients, often picked or prepared just metres away. Expect hearty farmhouse breakfasts, vibrant salads showcasing island vegetables and delicious traditional Sunday roasts.

The team host tastings and events, from cheese and wine evenings to cookery demonstrations, giving visitors the chance to learn more about the producers behind the food. Keep an eye on our calendar of events to spot when they have something coming up.

Godshill Orchards

Near the picture postcard village of Godshill is a family-run orchard celebrated for its unusual heritage apple varieties, hand-picked pears and the most delicious, plump cherries. They also grow apricots, greengages, pumpkins, sunflowers, lavender, pinks and peonies – as well as Christmas trees. Godshill Orchards has a small farm shop where they make and sell their artisan juices, jams and chutneys.

The family operates a fascinating bee protection programme launched a few years ago, with a specially designed observation hive, the bee viewing room, with cameras so visitors can see the intricate inner workings of the hive – and enjoy bee experience sessions.

They even have a been therapy cabin as part of an education process looking at how bees can support our wellbeing – a commonly accepted practice in eastern Europe and the East but pioneering in the UK.

Island Roasted

Any island food tour should include a stop-off at Caffe Isola in a restored iconic building in the centre of Newport for a cup of Wight Label tea or Island Roasted artisan coffee. The café, Wight Label and Island Roasted are all family-owned and run, with the roastery sitting on the banks of the River Medina.

Elixir Freshly Frozen

Founded by two Isle of Wight mums, Elixir Freshly Frozen began life in their kitchens with a simple goal: to make nutritious, honest juices accessible to more people. What started as a personal mission has now grown into a thriving venture supplying customers across the UK with nutrient-rich juices, tonics and cleanses.

Unlike many juice brands that rely on pasteurisation or high-pressure processing, every Elixir batch is cold-pressed by hand in small quantities and then frozen immediately, a method that locks in vitamins, minerals and flavour. Delivered frozen straight to customers’ doors, the juices are designed to taste as fresh as the day they were made and to retain the maximum nutritional benefit.

For the Isle of Wight, Elixir is more than just a health brand. It’s a home-grown success story that showcases the island’s entrepreneurial spirit.

Travelling to the Isle of Wight

There’s something about jumping on a ferry if you’re going away for a few days – making you feel you’re properly on holiday. There are great views and plenty of comfortable seating, a café and a bar.

If you’re looking for a day trip without the car, then you can take the ferry option or go for the fastest route on hovercraft from Southsea with Hovertravel – an experience if you or the children have never done it before. There are high speed version from Wightlink and Red Funnel

Wightlink

Portsmouth to Fishbourne ferry. 45 minutes. Foot passengers, bikes and vehicles.
Lymington to Yarmouth ferry. 40 minutes. Foot passengers, bikes and vehicles.
Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head FastCat catamaran. 22 minutes. Foot passengers and bikes only.

Red Funnel

Southampton to East Cowes ferry. 60 minutes. Foot passengers, bikes and vehicles.
Southampton to West Cowes Red Jet hi-speed service. 28 minutes. Foot passengers and bikes only.

Hovertravel

Southsea, Portsmouth to Ryde hovercraft. 10 minutes. Foot passengers only – bikes when space permits.

It’s safe to say that the Island is a million miles away from the ‘kiss me quick’ and penny arcade image of yesteryear. So if it’s a while since you’ve visited and you’re a foodie fan, plan a visit today – you won’t be disappointed!

This is a small island with a big difference!