The best food & drink from the Isle of Wight
1. Lost Mill Bakery sourdough bread
"If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens" - Robert Browning (1812-1889)
We were among those that spent far too many hours during Covid trying to bake sourdough, an experience that taught us two things: 1. making sourdough is really quite difficult, and 2. it's utterly delicious compared to commercial bread.
When poet Robert Browning visited Tennyson at Farringford on the Isle of Wight, we think he might have time-travelled 150 years into the future before popping into Orchard Bros (Tennyson's local) and picking up a loaf of Lost Mill Bakery sourdough. His words perfectly encapsulate how we feel about this fantastic product from an artisanal bakery in Cowes. We are not alone, as it has been named one of the top 50 bakeries in the UK by the Good Food Guide 2026.
Harvey's in Yarmouth get almost daily deliveries, but they are popular and sell out quickly. Orchard Bros in Freshwater also stock Lost Mill, as do good local eateries like Piano Café.
Where to buy
Harvey's
Orchard Bros.
2. Isle of Wight Blue
There are a couple of cheesemakers on the Island. One of them is Briddlesford Farm, whom we recommend for their farm shop, and who are very actively finding new income streams to supplement extremely tight margins on milk production. Briddlesford produce a few in-house versions of Mediterranean classics among others, using their own milk.
The other cheesemaker is the Isle of Wight Cheese Company in Sandown, which produces an astonishingly lovely product called Isle of Wight Blue. With a texture more like a ripe brie or a cambozola than a traditional British blue, this product has won awards at the World Cheese Awards (best English cheese) among others. Despite the accolades, it's occasionally available in Waitrose, but otherwise very difficult to find in the supermarket because it is produced in extremely low quantities.
Where to buy
Harvey's
Orchard Bros. (a great cheese counter here!)
3. Island Sprit Gin
From dairy to distillery, life's greatest pleasures seem destined to arrive in pairs. The Isle of Wight was firmly placed on the global gin-making map over a decade ago when the brand Mermaid Gin was launched. In a stroke of marketing wizardry, the product was delivered in a turquoise glass bottle with glass scales, and Mermaid soon became a massive splash. What was initially intended for the island market only is now sold in over 25 countries worldwide.
Our recommendation is for the other producer - Isle of Wight Gin - run by a husband and wife team with backgrounds in nutrition and herbalism. Interestingly, the wife has synaethesia, which means she experiences tastes and smells as colour and movement, enabling her to create a range of products based on the feel of being in some of the island's most iconic and unique places. Island Spirit Gin was inspired by Compton Bay, so England's best beach in liquid form has got to be incredible! Again, very hard to find, even through three of their products won medals at the London Spirit Awards.
Where to buy
Harvey's
Orchard Bros.
4. Isle of Wight tomatoes
Remember when you used to go to Italy or Spain, order a tomato salad and wish that you could get tomatoes like this back home? Well, now you can.
Helped of course by the local microclimate on the island, these tomatoes are grown specifically for taste alone, not for shelf life or appearance. This producer uses natural pest control (ie, beneficial insects) and does not refrigerate, thereby preserving the aromatic compounds that give tomatoes their taste. As a result, they have become something of a cult product among the top UK chefs. An incredible range of different varieties are produced here. Our top tip; the uglier the variety, the better the taste.
Where to buy
Harvey's
Orchard Bros.
Tescos Freshwater
