Osborne House

The Italianate terraces that spread out beneath the front of Osborne House will be looking spectacular this summer –  beds are topped by special golden crowns that have been made at a local foundry and the planting in the shaped beds is in the colours of the Royal Standard. But you must see the walled garden to the rear of the house that is a riot of colour, texture and pattern with pale scented roses, valerian and lavender decorating the trellised walkway that bisects the garden.

The predominant colours of the planting here this year are red, white and blue to celebrate the diamond jubilee but you can find many other hues and also in the walled garden there are trained fruit trees and a selection of vegetables amongst the flowers.

Down at the Swiss Cottage in the grounds, which was built by Prince Albert for his children to learn gardening and housekeeping, is a well-tended and prolific vegetable and soft fruit garden laid out in immaculate beds with everything from raspberry canes and strawberry plants to peas and carrots.

Mottistone Manor

Although the manor house is very seldom open to the public the extensive gardens are open all summer and at the borders that lead north from the house are looking particularly spectacular this year. Next to this is the rose garden full of sweet smelling varieties and a riot of colour.

Up above this area is the small fenced vegetable garden that has an especially good show raspberries, loganberries and pyramids of sweet peas and just above here is the nursery where you can buy many of the things you see in the garden.

To the front of the house is a large lawned overlooking the old church that is fringed with hardy tropicals and more unusual perennials. Most of the plants are labelled, which is useful if you wish to purchase them from the nursery.

There is a cute tea garden on the hedged lawn to the west of the house, where you can see The Shack, a ‘home from home’ 1930s getaway designed by Seely and Paget that used to sit on the downs at Freshwater.

Ventnor Botanic Gardens

There are several areas to this garden and it is the Mediterranean Garden that is looking especially striking this summer with a fine show of the tall purple-blue echium flower spikes and the yellow verbascums that favour this corner of the garden. The hydrangea dell is another summer treat with flowers of every genus and hue and beyond it the tree ferns and eucalyptus in the Australian garden are looking particularly lush.

Leading west from the pond with its pretty surrounding beds are the borders, which are full of flowering perennials. A vine covered pathway leads off from here towards the olive grove that will hopefully be producing some fruit this year. In the arid Westgate Garden above the temperate house there are a number of succulents in flower including the fabulous flower spikes of the Pula – at least ten huge spikes covered in flowers from pale green to a bright emerald are making quite a statement this year.

Lavender Farm

You can’t visit the fields of lavender that are grown here to make lavender oil because they are so precious but you can walk at leisure around the National Collection garden above the farm courtyard that is planted with over 230 cultivars of lavender. A lavender bordered pathway leads up through the garden from beside one of the two shops that are housed in the pretty red brick barns around the courtyard. Several benches are provided for you to sit and survey the beautiful scented view from beneath the overhanging oak trees – a quintessentially English experience.

Another of the barns has been converted into a café selling a selection of teas, cakes and scones – some of which are, of course, flavoured with the flowers. Lavender products made from their oil can be bought in the gift shop and in late July/early August you can visit the barns where the lavender is distilled into the pungent oil. Entry and parking is free but the farm is closed on Wednesdays.

East

To the East there are two lovely old properties as you drive onto The Duver at St Helen’s. On the corner is Old Church Lodge, a traditional style Victorian one storey stone cottage with a feature entrance porch and pretty surrounding garden. It has glimpses of the coast and an open fire to snuggle up in front of in the sitting room, with an easy walk to the sea wall and the beach with its beautiful beach huts. Down the road and you are on the Duver, a stretch of sand dunes, flora and fauna, owned by the Trust and a haven for seabirds and other wildlife.

Just past this is the Old Clubhouse: an attractive wooden chalet, formerly the clubhouse for the old Royal Isle of Wight Golf Club that was here until 1961. This property has been adapted for accompanied disabled visitors and its verandah overlooks the Duver.

South

You can stay at the southernmost tip of the Island at Knowles Farm Cottage, right by the lighthouse (no foghorn!) and within reach of the seashore and beaches at Castle Haven and Rocken End. There are lovely views across the small, walled garden and fields to the sea and there is an open fire in the sitting room. Access is by a steep private road, from which normal public traffic is prohibited.

Chert in St Lawrence, near Ventnor, is closer to civilization with a loftier view of the coastline and a real vintage atmosphere. It is a unique ‘mirror image’ 70s house, covered in mosaic work made from the rocks in which it sits, tucked against a wooded cliff. There are wonderful sea views from the expansive first floor windows and large balcony. A central spiral staircase leads up to the first floor where two identical wings meet in a central hall way and the largely monochrome interior has touches of bright orange and turquoise with furniture is very much in 70′s style.

West

To the West of the Island you can opt to stay in the closest properties to the iconic Needles: three of the Coastguard Cottages on the Needles Headland are available to rent from the NT. Pomone, Irex and Varvassi are in a terrace of little red brick cottages that enjoy spectacular views of Alum Bay, the downlands, the Solent and the mainland coast. Up a steep and winding road from Alum Bay, they stand in an area of 370 acres of open downland owned by The National Trust and each has an open fire in their sitting rooms.

South West

For seclusion without quite so much exposure you might like to opt for 1 or 2 Compton Farm Cottages, in two 19th century stone semi-detached farm workers’ cottages that nestle into a sheltered dell under the south side of the down. Only a few yards from the cliff edge at Compton, and within easy reach of the beach (steep steps down to Compton Farm Beach), there are wonderful walks in all directions from the front door.

Not far away but further inland stands Longstone Cottage at Mottistone, and whilst it doesn’t have views of the sea a short walk takes you to the nearby Longstone and a panoramic view of the south-west coastline. This spacious, detached Edwardian cottage has only gas – no electricity – so you’ll really get to escape from it all here. Heating and lights are provided by Calor Gas and there is a multi fuel stove in the sitting room.

Standing at the head of the Longstone Valley at Mottistone, it is only a stone’s throw from the Island’s only standing stone and has far-reaching views and a large peaceful garden – an ideal base for walking holidays. Access to this isolated cottage is via a winding trackway with locked gates, across a common on which wild New Forest ponies graze.

North

To the north of the Island the NT have a Victorian house right on the seafront at Cowes with splendid views of Cowes Harbour and the Solent.

East and West Rosetta Cottages are “ideal for large family occasions or for yachting enthusiasts,” says the NT website. West Rosetta is the larger share of the house with five bedrooms and French doors to the garden and a sunroom. East Rosetta is to the side of the main property, has three bedrooms and has a raised garden to the rear.

Adgestone Fizz

Award winning bubbles produced from the vines on the south facing slopes of the chalk downs. It’s likely that the Romans were making wine from grapes grown here but we’re not sure if they knew how to produce Champagne. You can have Island-produced sparkling wine with your Easter Sunday feast if you get over to Adgestone Vineyard.

Chocolate Island Eggs

Eggs of the chocolate variety are produced over at Chocolate Island in Godshill and you can see them being made in the chocolate factory to the rear of the shop. Milk, white and plain chocolate encrusted with sweeties, fudge, nuts and fruit drip from the shelves and there are filled chocolates of every flavour you can imagine. Orange, pink (strawberry) and green (lemon) flavoured chocolates are popular with kids and along with eggs there are loads of other ideas for Easter presents for every age of chocolate lover.

Brownrigg Turkeys, Geese, Ducks and Chickens

Fresh turkeys that you pick up from the farm where they’ve been reared are on offer from Brownrigg Poultry although you could opt for a goose or a duck or a free range chicken instead as they raise them too. Drive up the lane to Sheepwash Farm, just outside Whitwell, and you can pick up your free range turkey on Easter Saturday, although it is advisable to book one first as they are snapped up quickly.

Mottistone Manor Farmshop Leg of Lamb

If you would rather opt for a fresh leg of lamb from the farm where it has been reared, try Mottistone Manor Farm shop which is open Wednesday to Sunday from  11am till 5pm. This is a picturesque part of the Island and you’re likely to see the farm’s lambs out in the fields. Reared on the green, green grass overlooking the sea, some people swear that they can taste the salty air in the tender meat.

Isle of Wight Asparagus

Unlike the rest of the country, the Isle of Wight asparagus season runs from mid-March to mid-June, due to the higher than average sunlight hours. Freshly plucked from the fields around the fertile Arreton Valley, it even featured on the menu for the Royal Wedding last April so it’s fit for a (future) king. Isle of Wight asparagus is now available from Island farms shops.

January 23rd 2012 (Blue Monday)

Woke early. Still dark. Long day of work ahead. Need to go all the way to the other side of the Island today.

Get a cup of tea from the wife and a cuddle from the kids.

Things are looking up.

Leave for work, wave to my cousin’s partner and the kids and get 3 smiles in return. Then see my mate’s girlfriend so beep the horn, get a big wave back. Stop at the Freshwater CO-OP for some Isle of Wight cheese for my lunch, have 10 minute chat with fruit and veg man about weekend’s football then see the friend of a friend who fills the gap in my diary with a week’s work for next month. The checkout assistant bids me good day.

Drive off toward Military Road and see couple of mate’s on their way to work, acknowledge with a nod. On passing Freshwater Bay Golf Club get thumbs up from cousin’s brother-in-law. After brow of the hill admire one of the best views in the world. Although it’s a little overcast Compton Bay is a vibrant picture of white tipped waves breaking over the sandy yellow beach, backed by green fields stretching away toward the Island’s southern tip, and is inspiring.

Drive to Brighstone through Brook, Hulverstone and Mottistone, don’t see a car despite it technically being rush hour, but do see a lovely old fashioned pub and a ridiculously perfect archetypal manor house intermingled amongst farmland and quaint residential areas where old ladies lean against their shopping trolley’s and stop for a natter and housewives take a break from baking cakes to walk the children to school.

I continue on toward Seaview via the sweeping vista of Sandown Bay, passing through Luccombe and the Old Village at Shanklin.

At work my client makes me breakfast and we admire from his first floor lounge window the Spinnaker Tower over the Solent at Portsmouth and watching the kite surfer and dog walkers on Seaview beach.

I even manage to finish work early today so me, the wife and the kids grab the last hour of daylight and take the dog up to the chalk pit where the kids cover themselves and their bikes, and then consequently the car in mud.

But even that can’t dampen my mood…….

Blue Monday?

That theory doesn’t like ferry rides.

Brook House – Westbrook, Northbrook & the Old Coach House

Situated down a quiet private lane, Brook House, once the manor of Brook mentioned in the Domesday survey, offers beautifully appointed self catering accommodation comprising the former servants quarters and coach house. Westbrook sleeps six and has its own garden, Northbrook sleeps four and has a private courtyard, and The Old Coach House can sleep eight.

Located just a 10 minute walk from the beach or the pub, all three ooze character and feel like home as soon as you arrive due to the personal touches like DVD library and pay as you go mobile phone available for hire (the signal is very tricky in this part of the Island).

Old School house

Just a short stroll up from Brook lies the picturesque hamlet of Hulverstone. Here you’ll find The Old School House, a stunning Island retreat, sleeping 8 (with 6 more in the bunk room if needed). This is the perfect spot to go off exploring the South Wight by foot or bike, and there is even a leader board in the kitchen where you can log your times on the Chale Loop – a 17 miles round trip cycle, current record 52 minutes! Other great features about the school house are the real woodburning stove,  stunning bathroom with free standing bath (the size of most peoples sitting room) and games room, oh, and The Sun Inn, which has wonderful local beers is only two doors away – a must visit!

Rose Cottage

Cycle up from Hulverstone, past the fantastic Mottistone Manor Farm Shop, where you can buy all sorts of amazing locally reared lamb, beef and pork, and you arrive in minutes few in Mottistone. Tucked behind the beautiful old church is Rose Cottage, a true chocolate box cottage with roses round the door. Owned by the National Trust, Rose Cottage sleep four and with its large enclosed gardens is perfect for anyone looking for a spot of peace and quiet.

Longstone Cottage

Directly above Mottistone nestled beneath the downs, next to a Megalithic standing stone, is Longstone Cottage. This is another National Trust property, accessed via a winding track that takes you up the side of the down and into a secluded valley, where the only house in sight is this one. Sleeping six, it has no electricity and the whole house is run off gas, so it really is the most tranquil place to escape from the constant pressures of modern day life. There is no better place to wake in the morning, drink a cup of tea and watch the wild New Forest ponies grazing just outside the garden gate.

For more details on holiday cottages on the Island take a look at Island Cottage Holidays, Isle of Wight Farm & Country Holidays,Wight Locations, Island Holiday Homes and of course the Red Funnel website.

Autumn is the season of mellow fruitfulness and apples, pears, plums, courgettes, marrows, squashes and plump pumpkins. Garlic is bursting from its papery packaging, sweetcorn is juicy and fun to unwrap and the hedgerows are bursting with blackberries and sloes.

Lambs are off to the ‘works’ on the mainland after a summer frolicking in the fields, the veal calves have the same journey and game is literally dropping from our skies – albeit from the intervention of a twelve bore, a good shot and a golden retriever.

The Aberdeen Angus cows are bucolically grazing in the lush meadows and we even have deer in a dell just south of Newport. Soon there will be turkey chicks arriving to be fattened for the Christmas feast.

Farm Shops are on the increase and often offer much more than just food. Some have cafes, others educational activities showing you where your food comes from and many are situated in stunning locations. Here’s our guide to five of the best…

1. Mottistone Manor Farm Shop

The best for amazing quality Island lamb, pork and Aberdeen Angus beef, where you are guaranteed it has been born, bred and raised in the countryside around the farm, is Mottistone Manor Farm Shop in Mottistone. Stocking a range of locally sourced products as well as seasonal veg from their own garden, make sure you checkout their lovely selection of homemade pies too.

2. Briddlesford Farm

At Briddlesford Farm near Wootton there are veal calves for children to see and touch, a well-stocked shop and the beautiful new Bluebells Café where you can sample Island fayre. The farm also has a classroom for school visits and a small educational display.

3. The Garlic Farm

The Garlic Farm in Newchurch has just about everything from a stunning new café/restaurant to the new Heritage and Education centres and holiday cottages. Sheltered beneath the downs with pretty local lanes to negotiate on your way, you can find just about anything garlicky you can think of in the farm shop plus much more in this idyllic setting.

4. Farmer Jacks

The first, the largest and the best stocked has to be Farmer Jacks at Arreton Old Village where the brand new building has an extensive meat counter, baskets and baskets of fruit and veg and a large frozen selection. It’s also the only one with a popular pub, the Dairyman’s Daughter, right next door, and a whole array of attractions for every member of the family.

5. The Dairy Deli

The Dairy Deli at Shalfleet is best for Calbourne Classics dairy and baking range along with their lovely deli products and they have a cute café in this former service station. Also best for stopping off after a visit to nearby Newtown Nature Reserve.

Autumn Sundays are potentially my favourite for acting out this day of rest practice as the pressures of social commitments and the guilt of neglecting the endless garden chores seem absent.

My perfect Island Autumn Sunday involves a stroll down to Colwell Bay in the morning . The dog gets his fix of swimming in the sea whilst we steal the deck chairs out the front of Barefoot and drink copious amounts of their fresh coffee and eat the very delicious Ham Egg and Chips as our lie in generally means breakfast is now lunch!

After having fulfilled our guilty pleasure of reading some controversial Sunday rags and eating chips for breakfast it’s time to give the dog his forest fix for the week.

We head up the downs above Mottistone where having 360 undisturbed views of the sea with no one in sight is priceless. A couple of occasional dog walkers stroll past, all with the same idea as us, a flask of coffee and trying out each bench for comfort and view on route.

Apparently the Island has over 500 miles of sign posted walks with 30 miles being coastal path. I love that we can have our beach, hill with a view and forest fix all in one walk. It’s no wonder the Island is a popular walking destination.

To finish off the perfect lazy Sunday we get home to some freshly caught sea bass courtesy of next door, it’s not quite Sunday roast time yet, but nearly!

Brook House – Westbrook, Northbrook & the Old Coach House

Situated down a quiet private lane, Brook House, once the manor of Brook mentioned in the Domesday survey, offers beautifully appointed self catering accommodation comprising the former servants quarters and coach house. Westbrook sleeps six and has its own garden, Northbrook sleeps four and has a private courtyard, and The Old Coach House can sleep eight, with an additional bunk room available to sleep an extra six if required!

Located just a 10 minute walk from the beach or the pub, all three ooze character and feel like home as soon as you arrive due to the personal touches like DVD library and pay as you go mobile phone available for hire (the signal is very tricky in this part of the Island).

Old School house

Just a short stroll up from Brook lies the picturesque hamlet of Hulverstone. Here you’ll find The Old School House, a stunning Island retreat, sleeping 8 (with 6 more in the bunk room if needed). This is the perfect spot to go off exploring the South Wight by foot or bike, and there is even a leader board in the kitchen where you can log your times on the Chale Loop – a 17 miles round trip cycle, current record 52 minutes! Other great features about the school house are the real woodburning stove,  stunning bathroom with free standing bath (the size of most peoples sitting room) and games room, oh, and The Sun Inn, which has wonderful local beers is only two doors away – a must visit!

Rose Cottage

Cycle up from Hulverstone, past the fantastic Mottistone Manor Farm Shop, where you can buy all sorts of amazing locally reared lamb, beef and pork, and you arrive in minutes few in Mottistone. Tucked behind the beautiful old church is Rose Cottage, a true chocolate box cottage with roses round the door. Owned by the National Trust, Rose Cottage sleep four and with its large enclosed gardens is perfect for anyone looking for a spot of peace and quiet.

Longstone Cottage

Directly above Mottistone nestled beneath the downs, next to a Megalithic standing stone, is Longstone Cottage. This is another National Trust property, accessed via a winding track that takes you up the side of the down and into a secluded valley, where the only house in sight is this one. Sleeping six, it has no electricity and the whole house is run off gas, so it really is the most tranquil place to escape from the constant pressures of modern day life. There is no better place to wake in the morning, drink a cup of tea and watch the wild New Forest ponies grazing just outside the garden gate.

For more details on holiday cottages on the Island take a look at Island Cottage Holidays, Isle of Wight Farm & Country Holidays,Wight Locations, Island Holiday Homes and of course the Red Funnel website.

Garlic Festival … on 20^th & 21^st August. Now in it’s 26^th year, this is the largest under-cover festival on the Island – so you don’t have to worry about the weather. As well as just about all things garlic, yes even ice cream ( = ok, fudge = doable, beer = sorry but no it’s just wrong!), it also has loads of entertainment and all sort of crafts and local produce stalls.

The 37^th IW Steam Show… from 26^th -28^th boasts falconry, sheepdog displays, fairground rides, country crafts, circus skills and so much more – and of course you can always jump on the train and sit back and relax as you wend your way through the beautiful Island countryside!

If it’s a Family Fun Day you’re after, try the one at Mottistone Manor on the 10^th from 11am-4pm. Or the Shanklin Regatta Free Fun Day on Shanklin Esplanade and Beach on the 11^th – boasting a whole day of activities. The fun starts with a sandcastle competition at 10.15am, then stalls and magician, shore sports at 1.45pm, swimming races at 2pm, helicopter search and rescue display at 3pm, Shanklin Regatta Queen Bathing Beauty Competition during the afternoon, evening entertainment from 7pm, finishing with Grand Fireworks Display.

For a bit of a boogie – get tickets for Dance on the Duver on 20^th in aid of RNLI Bembridge Lifeboat Station and the Earl Mountbatten Hospice with live music from 11-piece band UnderCover.

And on the foodie front make sure you pop along to one of the weekly Isle of Wight Country Markets and grab some delectable homegrown produce. With a selection of homemade cakes, savouries, jam and pickles, handmade crafts, homegrown fruit and veg and bedding and perennial plants, you will definitely leave with your basket bulging. Markets take place at West Wight Sports Centre, Freshwater on Fridays at 9am-11am; at Holyrood Hall, Newport High Street, Fridays at 8.30am-noon; at The Dining Room and Larder, formerly known as Saffron’s, Shanklin on Friday mornings at 10am and 12.30pm and at The Institute, Yarmouth on Wednesday mornings at 9.30am-11.45am.

There are a million more events taking place across the Island throughout August – from tea dances to art exhibitions and loads of open air theatre. Keep a close eye on Red Funnels events page, the County Press events guide and Events on the Wight for more listings.

Planning on spending a lazy day exploring some of the Island’s finest gardens? Or just fancy sitting and soaking up the great outdoors? Here are five garden cafes worth a visit.

Tropical treasures: Ventnor Botanic Gardens, Ventnor

This flagship garden on the Isle of Wight offers something for everyone, with tropical plantings making the most of Ventnor’s famed Mediterranean climate. Make sure you check out the 500 year old olive tree or the rare and endangered Aloe Polyphylla. Sitting amongst the beautiful picturesque surroundings of the Botanic Gardens is the perfect spot to relax and enjoy a fantastic lunch. The Garden Café offers fresh homemade foods prepared using only the finest ingredients from local and southern suppliers, or produce grown within the Garden itself – so the vegetarian options are always a real treat – as are the specialty gluten free cakes!

Going round the houses: The Roundhouse Tea Rooms, Newport

Built in 1750, this distinctive cottage was once the gateway to Newport, though the old toll road is now a dead end providing parking for the tea rooms. Enter through the toll house gate and follow the signs to the tea room, which leads into a pretty cottage garden. Sample the amazing homemade fayre while looking out over the flower bordered lawn. Offering sumptuous afternoon tea with a selection of light bites such as cream cheese and cucumber sandwiches and Welsh rarebit, or opt for gateau, cake or even delicious ginger scones served warm with honey and clotted cream. Located on the outskirts of Newport on the main road to Ryde, the Roundhouse Tea Rooms is an Islanders secret.

Elizabethan beauty: Mottistone Manor, Mottistone

Nestled between the Jurassic coastline on the south coast of the Island beneath Mottistone Down, Mottistone Manor gardens is full of surprises, with shrub-filled banks, hidden pathways and colourful herbaceous borders. Surrounding an attractive Elizabethan manor house this 20th-century garden is experimenting with a Mediterranean-style planting scheme to take advantage of its southerly location. Other surprises include a young olive grove, a small organic kitchen garden and a traditional tea garden – the perfect spot to relax and take in the tranquility over a refreshing drink.

Hey Dilly Dilly: Isle of Wight Lavendar, Newport

Visit the Old Dairy Tearoom with its famous lavender ice-cream and large range of homemade cakes. Whilst there take in the beautiful and fragrant surroundings of the lavender farm where they produce the highest quality Lavender. Isle of Wight Lavender are National Collection holders for Lavendula with over 230 cultivars of Lavender. This really is the best place to buy lavender for your own garden or checkout the gift shop where a wide range of aromatherapy and everyday products have been created using their own Lavender oil.

Off the beaten track: Warren Farm, Alum Bay

Located just a few minutes from the multi coloured sand and fairground-esque attractions of The Needles is Warren Farm. This is possibly one of the Island’s best kept secrets, an unassuming home run enterprise offering without doubt the best cream teas on the Island. Queue and collect your fare from a hatch at the side off the house and take your huge scones, clotted cream and homemade jam and sit in the garden looking out over Headon Warren and past the Needles across the Solent towards Pool. Heaven…

Compton beach is probably at its’ best right now and it is bliss to walk in the early evening and watch the bunnies playing at Mottistone. Last night up and down the coast at Yarmouth shrimpers were out with their nets hauling in the twilight catch. Sunsets have been pretty amazing too so if you don’t want to miss anymore I suggest you head off to the garden at The George Hotel in Yarmouth and order a few sundowners.

I was thrilled to attend a meeting at East Cowes Town Hall  (really nice town hall, I love a really good public building ) last Saturday, any excuse to go to Waitrose – by the way, Waitrose were very accommodating and let me park there. It was  about what the future holds for the convalescence wing at Osborne House. English Heritage’s hands are tied until our MP, Andrew Turner puts forward a motion in parliament to alter a clause in the Osborne Act to allow the wing to be used for other projects rather than just a convalescence home for civil servants and the military. Help for Heroes and the British Legion say returning it to a convalescence home is a non starter for all sorts of practical and monetary reasons.

Once the act is amended the wing can then potentially be used for such things as travelling exhibitions, historical displays and lectures. What was clear is that while there is still great affection for the old building and the romantic idea of whiskered brigadiers convalescing, change is needed to bring the wing into use for the modern age for everyone.

While at an event run by the IOW Gundogs on Sunday  in Alverstone (AMAZING views, we were at Kern Farm, absolutely stunning) I spotted a folding chair called a “Gad-About” and decided I had to have one. First thing Monday morning off I went to my favourite shop in Newport, Hurst’s. It has the old world charm and whiff, if I’m honest, of a by-gone age.

You can buy anything and everything from a primus stove to an all singing and dancing Nespresso coffee machine. Charlie the fantastic buyer is on the case. I always have to stop by the kitchen section  and I came home with another wonderful Hurst find, two 10cm (or that’s 4 inches in old money), cake tins. Now I can’t tell you how hard it is to find small cake tins so get there fast before the WI’s on the IOW buy up all the stock.

It’s funny how these little things bring me such pleasure! Who would have thought that a cake tin would make my week!

That is how a grown man finds himself standing in a bluebell carpeted wood shouting; ‘I do believe in fairies, I do I do’ at the top of his voice, with his four and six year old believers.

The walk up towards the Longstone behind Mottistone Manor is one of the prettiest walks there is a this time of year and perfect due to the gradual incline for little legs. But the best bit is along the way you pass a multitude of Fairy hollows, holes and slides to explore.

Daddy: ‘Fairy slides???’

Eadie: ‘Where they slide of course Daddy’

Of course.

So we made our way up through The Enchanted Forest (as known to all the children living in our Hamlet) scattering pink smarties in our wake and hoping that the Fairies would indeed come and take these offerings before some unsuspecting woodland creature choked on them.

Our next visit from the Fairies will be at Easter I am told, when the Easter Fairies (a completely different genus to the Tooth or Woodland variety apparently) will come and leave a magical Easter egg trail around the garden.

And of course if they happen to forget, we can always nip along to Mottistone Manor on Easter Sunday where with the help of the National Trust Fairies an egg hunt happens every year.

Then maybe we can stop by and see the Mottistone Manor Farm Shop Fairies and grab some of their delicious locally grazed Aberdeen Angus beef to take back and give to the Aga Fairies to cook up for our Easter lunch.

Thank goodness for all these Fairies, is all I can say.

Trekking through woodland and fields searching for birds was something I spent hours doing with my father when my legs were not quite long enough to keep up. Trudging through mud to find ducks and hiding in hedges to wait for Lapwings were commonplace activities for me at around the age of ten.

As were parting the bushes to find birds nests with their jewels within – a perfect cluster of tiny eggs. Then carefully replacing the branches and leaves to make sure that the parent birds would not realise our intrusion on their return.

So visiting the places best for seeing birds on the Island, with the local wardens who look after them, was a great trip down memory lane for me, and a real treat.  I had no idea how lucky we are on the Island with regard to the types and numbers of birds that visit here.

And it was great to meet people who have a real love of the parts of the Island that they look after, and the animals and birds that live here, whether large expanses of wild countryside or smaller more manicured gardens.

Guided tours around some of the Island’s gardens that are open to the public became another walk through my past. My father owned a garden centre and I can remember being practically dragged around the gardens of stately homes on family holidays when I was a kid – with him reeling off the name of every plant he saw, whilst my sister and I yawned and moaned.

I could almost feel him looking over my shoulder as I wandered around the Botanic Gardens with Simon Goodenough, Mottistone Manor gardens with Robert Moore and the gardens of Osborne House with Toby Beasley. But now I just wish I’d listened more intently all those years ago.

My daughters are now both back on the Island for their university holidays and we’ve started on our family walks and outings. On Sunday we were off to Compton Beach for a Mother’s Day stroll and we discovered a seam of recently uncovered clay that was so blue it almost matched the sky.

Just this evening we just had to drive up Culver Cliff on the way back from the cinema in Ryde to ‘see the lights’. It was pretty spooky up there in the dark, but the view over towards the mainland is so pretty, bejeweled with orange and white lights and the far off red lights on the Spinnaker Tower.

Driving back from Culver Point you can see the whole expanse of lighting from Shanklin to Yaverland, hugging the contours of the coast like a mini Mediterranean resort.

And Mediterranean has been the main message I’ve been hearing from all of the experts I’ve spoken to in the past month. It’s official – the Island’s climate is turning more Mediterranean by the minute.

More and more plants that like Mediterranean climates are thriving here and birds are overshooting France and landing on our shores. Let’s just hope that migrating holiday-makers drop in on us rather than making the flight further south.

And views like this one of the Arid Garden at Ventnor’s Botanic Gardens may become more prevalent in the years to come…

Earlier, faster, yummier

Unlike the rest of the country, the Isle of Wight asparagus season runs from mid March to mid June. Picking begins earlier here due to a combination of the mild Springs and the use of plastic film to capture the high Isle of Wight sunlight hours – this warms the soil so stimulating the asparagus crowns to produce earlier. The faster asparagus grows the more tender it is. In the micro environment of a low tunnel, temperatures in March effectively transfer the asparagus beds to the equivalent of those in the South of France or Southern Spain.

Top tip: Just lightly steam the asparagus and dip straight into a soft boiled egg instead of soldiers – yummy!

Force It

After years of decline rhubarb is enjoying a resurgence – changing modern tastes and the wider nutritional benefits seem to be some of the driving factors. ‘Forced’ rhubarb (grown in dark sheds)  is at its best in spring, compared with rhubarb grown outdoors which is harvested in the summer. The forced technique was developed in the 1900’s, there are competing stories about the actual ‘accident’ that led to its discovery – from a farmer who tossed a root into a manure heap to a Chelsea gardener and his misplaced plant pot. One thing that is not in any doubt is that forced rhubarb is infinitely more delicate than the outdoor variety.

Fascinating fact: Rhubarb root has been used as a laxative for thousands of years.

It’s all a load of Pollacks

With Cod stocks still under threat why not buy Pollack instead? As a member of the cod family, its flaky white flesh taste similar but stocks are at a much more sustainable level. The waters surrounding the Isle of Wight are abundant with Pollack and you can buy it freshly landed from Blakes at Ventnor haven.

Top tip: Make your own Pollack fish fingers for the best sandwich ever. See Recipe…

Saltmarsh Lamb

Stock up on some locally reared Isle of Wight lamb. Isle of Wight lamb has several advantages in terms of flavour as thanks to exposure to sea breezes the grass has high sodium content, which aids digestion of grass and means the lamb retains minerals for longer. And feeding animals exclusively on grass improves the flavour of the meat.

Did you know? … Spring is seen as both the time new lambs are born and also the time to buy new seasons lamb to eat. Reason: different breeds reproduce at different times across the year ensuring there is always fresh local British lamb available no matter what the season.

Island Farm Shops:

The Dairy Deli, Shalfleet

Mottistone Manor, Mottistone

Briddlesford Lodge, Briddlesford

Garlic Farm, Newchurch

Godshill Organics, Godshill

Farmer Jacks, Arreton

Kings Manor, Yarmouth

The Best Fish Finger Sandwich

Make real fish fingers at home.  They are fantastic served in foccacia with rocket mayo if you fancy a change from tartare sauce.

Recipe serves 4

You will need:

1kg pollack fillet (or any white fish – keep it local & from sustainable stocks)

1 large foccacia

Coating:

50g white breadcrumbs

25g polenta

50g flour

4 eggs

Sauce:

1 small jar mayonnaise (cheating, unless you really push the boat out and make your own)

25g rocket

1 lemon

What to do:

1.  Cut pollack into 10 cm x 3 cm strips.

2.  In 3 bowls have: one with seasoned flour, one with whisked eggs and one breadcrumbs and polenta (mixed together).

3.  Run pollack strips through the above coatings twice over (this ensures breadcrumbs hold).

4.  Rest in the fridge.

5.  Place mayo in a bowl, roughly chop rocket leaves and fold in. Add a big squeeze of lemon.

6.  Deep fry fish fingers.

7.  Split foccacia and place fish fingers inside with a dollop of mayo.

Serve with some home-made twice-cooked chips and a bottle of chilled new world sauvignon. No calorie count available!

Tip:  For something a bit more lively, brush pollack strips with chilli dipping sauce before coating.

You may also catch the pretty six pointed star-like flowers of the Chionodoxas, in blue, pink and white: a native of Turkey that thrives here.  Then towards the end of April the North American Camassaias begin to flower.

“Because the garden is now open earlier in the year we have improved the spring bulb planting,” said Head Gardener Robert Moore who has worked with the evolving gardens for 25 years.  John Seely bequeathed Mottistone Manor and the gardens to the National Trust in 1965.

Walk up to the top of the hill and you can rest on the semi circular stone bench, surrounded by low ground covering Pachysandra with its white flowers. Look down through the spring pretty flowering avenue of trees that lead towards the Rose Garden with the flowering grass banks to each side.

Enclosed by Yew hedge and bordered by box is the Rose Garden. Because the sandy soil here is not good for roses the whole beds were dug out and replaced with heavy loam. Following this Mycorrhizal fungi were introduced to the soil and all of the spraying is now done with organic products.

Next to the Rose Garden and also enclosed by Yew hedging is the double herbaceous beds that offer a stunning display of perennials, with interest from April till September.

“The plants are all perennials now and we try not to water anything. We have tried some tender perennials such as the African daisy Actosis or Vinidiums,” said Robert.

It is here that you will also find the organic vegetable plot and the plants for sale –if you like a plant you see here, you are likely to be able to purchase one for your own garden.

Perhaps the most spectacular gardens are those to the front of the house. The National Trust have selected Mottistone as an experiment to see which varieties of plants will grow in our changing climate and the result is quite astounding.

Mottistone is the Trust’s most southerly ‘dry’ garden with the Island having a warmer climate and a longer growing season than most other parts of the country.

“Mike Calnan, Head of National Trust Gardens, and Mike Buffin, Gardens Advisor for this area, came to see the gardens in 2004 and said we should be looking to exotic planting,” said Robert Moore.

“Their idea was to start using sub tropical plants and we started that three years ago with a certain amount of success.

“Since then we have found that some things do remarkably well, considering where they come from. The Musa Basjoo (Hardy Banana) gets to around 8ft tall although it would reach 40ft in its native country.

“We’ve also grown a variety of ginger lilies and ‘Dixter’ grows the best and has a lovely scent. Most people take them indoors in the winter but we leave them out.”

Walking around the large lawned garden to the front of the house, Robert pointed out the exotic plants that have been most successful.

“Grevilleas, a Protea from Australia, have red flowers all year round and the Cistus rock roses from Australia and New Zealand had already been successful here.

“Restios from Africa are here and the best ones are Elegia Carpensis and Calopsis Paniculata,” said Robert of the emerging stalks that will be shooting up shortly with their feathery leaves – like a large mares tail plant.

“We’ve been toying with Euphorbias,” said Robert pointing out many different varieties in greens, golds and even red, “and miniature Flaxes such as Dianella Tasmanica.

“Pond side plants Ligularia grow surprisingly well here on the dry soil. Libertias, Acanthus Spinosus, Tree Ferns – although they’d like it wetter – and Astelias get to a metre high. We have Polystichum polyblepharum and low growing holly ferns, Cyrtomium falcatum, Beschornerias from Mexico and Corokia from Australia.”

Two Hibiscus trees stand sentinel on each side of the gate as you step down into this lush sub tropical garden: ‘Blue Bird’ and ‘Snow Drift’.

And in the bed above, right in front of the house, are the enormous leaved Tetrapanax Papyrifer– the rice paper plant.

“The front is the new part of the garden and it is our window display to those driving past,” explained Robert. “Every year it gets better.”

The Gardens are open Sunday to Thursday from 11am till 5pm with late opening on June 22 till 9pm. The Manor house is only open on Bank Holiday Monday May

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Mottistone Manor Garden also houses the old architects office, known as ‘The Shack’ that once stood on Freshwater Golf Course. A semi retreat for its designers and owners the architects Seely and Paget, the hard wood clad interior in its 1930s splendour is just as it would have been then. It is dressed to give the illusion that the two gentlemen have just stepped out with many artifacts donated by NT members. We will feature this in a forthcoming article on myisleofwight.com

Northcourt Garden, Shorwell

Open: Sun 28 Aug (12.30-5pm) Visitors and groups of 8+ are also welcome by appointment.

This 15 acre garden surrounds a stunning large 17^th Century Manor House which is not open to the public. The gardens include an organic walled kitchen garden, chalk stream, terraces, magnolias and camellias. The garden enjoys a very special microclimate nestled below the Downs between the chalk and greensand ridges.

This microclimate give the opportunity to grow around 4,000 different plant varieties from around the world from subtropical plantings of exotic palms and bananas to bog loving primulas, arums, and Mediterranean plants.

Late summer beds of dahlias, cannas, and grasses can also be seen. The garden rises 100ft behind the house with a collection of hydrangeas on the terraces leading to woodland walks. Admission is £4.50 per adult (children are free)?and homemade teas are available.

Thorley Manor, Yarmouth

Open: Sun 19 June (2.30-5pm).

Visit this delightful informal garden of over 3 acres surrounding the picturesque Manor House which is not open to the public. The garden is set out in a number of walled rooms including a herb garden with water feature, perennial borders, a sweeping lawn and shrub borders, plus an unusual Island croquet lawn.

This venue is renowned for its excellent homemade teas and the eccentric head gardener. Admission £3 per adult (children are free).

Rookley Manor, Rookley

Open: Sun 19 June (11-4m). Visitors are also welcome by appointment.

A beautiful, mature 1-acre garden surrounding a Georgian manor house (not open to the public). This romantic, well maintained garden has many old roses, rare plants and trees on display. Features include a pond and views out onto open fields. A real treat for plant lovers and people who appreciate relaxed, considered spaces with horticultural interest.

On the 19^th visitors will also be able to enjoy an Art exhibition by artist Marius von Brasch and live music by harp with Anna Sacchini, in the garden. Admission £3.50 per adult (children are free).

Haddon Lake House, St Lawrence

Open: Guided tours only. Visitors are welcome by appointment on August evenings and Saturday afternoons for groups of 6-20. Children must be over 12years old.

This newly-restored Victorian garden dates from 1820, and was formerly part of the Old Park estate. A site of contrasts with contemporary borders juxtaposed with formal walled potager.

Major features include an 1/3-acre lake with gravity-fed fountain, gravelled perimeter path ?and Japanese influenced courtyard. Admission £5 per person.

Local secret

One gem not on the NGS but a must visit is Brook House Garden in Brook. Situated down a quiet private lane Brook House was once the manor of Brook mentioned in the Domesday survey. Though its current incarnation was completely rebuilt in the early 18th century and then remodelled again in 1854. The house’s present owners Geoff & Belinda Walters have lovingly restored the house and reunited all the main buildings to form a stunning home with beautiful gardens.

Set in approximately 3 acres, this established garden includes some classic English country beds and borders, an orchard, vegetable garden, and, as a key feature, an old sunken rose walk. The gardens will be open this year on Sunday 19^th June 1-5pm (admission £3 per adult and under 12’s free) to raise funds for the Seeley Hall (a charity) in Brook.  Plant sales and homemade teas will be available in Seeley Hall while the garden is open.

For those that love the beauty of the countryside, the sound of a bumbling tractor and enjoy a more relaxed outing, then the Memorial Ploughing Match is a must to get to.  A great day out for all the family (including dogs) this is a chance to experience a British skill, essential in the farming industry, up close.  And this year sees the re-introduction of horses to the competition after 55 years!

Founded in 2009, in memory of four members of The Isle of Wight Traction Engine Club, the event has raised over £4,000 for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice. On Sunday 3^rd April, horse teams will be coming from all over the Island, and indeed the mainland too, to this exciting and distinctive event, held in Atherfield, on the south-west side of the Island.

Trying his hand at ploughing for the first time this year is Island resident, Steve Redfern from Windmill Farm.  He will be using his Clydesdale horses, Geoff and Bob.  Originally bought for carriage driving for special occasions, this will be the first time the team try their hand at ploughing. “It’s such a fun event, for a great cause.  As a spectator you don’t need to know a lot about ploughing to enjoy the day, watch the classes and try some tasty Island produce from the various stalls.  It’s laid back and friendly – even the dogs have a great time socialising!”

Ploughing is respected as a true part of our British Heritage.  It has shaped the way farming is today – which is argued to be one of the oldest industries in the world.  What started as a handheld hoe over 4,000 years ago, eventually evolved into a basic plough pulled by oxen, camels and even elephants!  It was the Egyptians and Greeks who added wheels to the plough, whilst the Romans designed a far simpler model for maximum efficiency.  Over the next few centuries, advances were made in the style of the plough, new materials were being used in its construction and by the late 19^th century, horsepower was made redundant by the ever more efficient steam units.  It wasn’t long before steam-power was then superseded by the more manoeuvrable tractor.

There is also much more to see whilst you’re on this side of the Island.  A short drive from the match sits Mottistone Manor Gardens owned by the National Trust, this is a garden full of surprises, from olive groves and traditional tea garden to an organic kitchen garden set against a magical Elizabethan Manor House. And whilst there, why not pop over the road into Mottistone Manor Farm Shop selling Aberdeen Angus beef, pork and lamb reared from its own farm and seen grazing the surrounding hillsides?

Alternatively, you’re only a stone’s throw away from some of the best surfing beaches on the Island. Compton and Brook with their endless sand and Jurassic coastline are great for all the family, not just surfers, you may even find a rare fossil while exploring the surrounding cliffs. Or, for an exhilarating morning before heading to the match, Blackgang Chine just along the coast offers an eccentric mix of theme park-style rides, cowboys, fairies, goblins and dinosaurs designed to appeal to both children and adults alike. Set in Victorian gardens, overlooking the south-west ‘heritage coast’, this really is an attraction to visit whilst on the Island.

If nourishment is all that you need, there are a number of country pubs nearby to suit every taste.  Great for families is The White Mouse Inn in Chale, with some of the best facilities for children (an indoor play area, outdoor climbing frames, and plenty of family-friendly areas to eat) and great food to suit adult and kiddies palates, it’s the perfect watering hole for every generation. For a traditional village pub why not try The Crown Inn in Shorwell or for that perfect pint of local ale while taking in the most stunning sea view on the Island try The Sun Inn at Hulverstone.

The Memorial Ploughing Match will take place at New Wolverton Farm with ploughing commencing at 10.30 in the morning and finishing at 2.00pm.  Entry is free; however there will be a collection at the gate for the Earl Mountbatten Hospice.

Box:

What is ploughing?

A tool used in farming for the cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seeds, ploughing tends to take place in the autumn or early spring.  The plough turns over the top 9” of soil which loosens the earth, brings fresh nutrients to the surface, whilst uprooting and killing any weeds, all in preparation for sowing.   If the soil is light and aerated, the farmer can drill (sow the seeds) directly.  However, if it’s very heavy and clay-like, it will require further tilling.

Did you Know?

• At the time of Domesday, one way of assessing the value of an estate was to estimate the number of eight-oxen teams needed to plough the land.
• Ploughs aren’t just for land – they are also used underwater to lay cables and prepare the earth for equipment in oil exploration.
• Plough Monday was the first Monday after the Twelfth Night.  In the winter it was common for agricultural work to be scarce and farmers often needed a supplement to their meagre income.  On this occasion, they would cover their faces in soot (this was to hide their identity) and then drag a decorated plough around the villages, shouting “Penny for the Plough Boys!”