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Best of Wight 20011/12 |
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| As a life-long gourmet who took up cooking because I liked eating
nice food, I have spent more years than I can remember eating out and cooking for other gourmets. My work now takes me away from home and I find myself eating out
alone, a lot. Being alone makes
me fussy and I have certain requirements, most of which I have applied to selecting
the entries for the Wight Good Food Guide. My major criteria is would I recommend this eatery to my gourmet friend who is on a budget. For instance they are happy to
pay high prices for the best providing it is the best. Their budget will not allow for a waste of their taste buds either -let alone their money! In addition to these requirements, I look for cooking skills, ingenuity without it being ridiculous and a person who cooks from the heart - the rarest attribute of all. Being a small island it is impossible to be anonymous. However, this matters little because a talent-less chef is not going to miraculously become a talented one the minute I walk through the door. I believe that all publicity is good publicity even bad publicity, which is why I only recommend eateries that are worth the expense. If I write critical reviews people will only flock to mock thereby giving poor cooks the wrong impression. This year I have noticed a similarity of menus. Slow cooked belly pork - still looking for one as good as mine, foam, panacotta, thrice cooked chips, liver parfaits with chutney, cod with chorizo - will I ever get it! Prawn cocktails with the wrong recipe, fish and chips, Finally - Chefs move around a lot on the island - I put this down to poor wages or poor working conditions. I firmly believe that if you look after your staff with good pay they will look after your business. Therefore please visit this web site regularly for updates.
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Best Cafe | Quay Arts Cafe - Newport An "arty", healthy approach |
| Best Pub | Taverners -Godshill Consistency and imagination |
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| Best 'Bistro'-style Restaurant | Dan's Kitchen- St Helen's | |
| Best "Fine" Dining | Hambrough - Ventnor it goes without saying | |
| Best Food Shop | Dairy Deli - Calbourne based on own products- pays attention to consistent quality |
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Best Food Producer |
Blakes Hut - Ventnor - For best local crab and freshly caught fish. 4th year running.
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| Best All Rounder **** | Royal Hotel - Ventnor For consistency and reliability | |
| Best Cream Tea | Chessell Pottery | |
| Best Sunday Lunch | The George - Yarmouth | |
| Best Crab Cakes | Beach Shack - Sandown - Still the best | |
| Best Dessert | Bonchurch Inn - Bonchurch | |
