SEASONS OF CHANGE: The Latest in Island Food This Spring

Whilst the chilly winds of winter were enough to make anyone want to hibernate, our local and independent food and drinks businesses were hard at work creating new products, designing new menus, and hiring new chefs. Here, we share some of the latest developments in Isle of Wight food with a hand-picked selection of fantastic local firms, keeping you informed and ready for the season of dining ahead.

Sailing into Spring - The Boathouse

Meanwhile, behind the bright blue walls of The Boathouse in Seaview, a new chef is at the culinary helm. All the way from Sicily, Head Chef Massimo has brought the traditions and flavours of the sparkling Mediterranean to the shingly shores of the Solent, updating Italian classics with a touch of modern flair.

Diners taking a look at his freshly printed menu could opt for the cod loin caponata served with edible coral and a caper dust. Based on a traditional Sicilian sailor’s dish (usually made with fried aubergine, olive oil and tomatoes) this version adds a meaty element from the quality cod loin and a note of acidity from the capers.

On the Grind - Island Roasted

At Island Roasted’s riverside H.Q. in Newport, the coffee roasting machines have been hard at work creating a new, limited-edition product that hit the shelves in February. Named “El Zapoteco” it’s a light roast of Mexican coffee beans that produces a delicious, silky cup of coffee with hints of prune, red apple, and milk chocolate.

The coffee beans are sourced from an association of 180 coffee-producing families, spread across three towns in the Sierra Juarez (a region to the north of Oaxaca city). Once harvested, the coffee is pulped and fermented in hand-built wooden tanks before being dried in the sun on traditional woven mats.

Sailing into Spring - The Boathouse

Moving onto dessert, another of Massimo’s eye-catching additions is the panna cotta al Limoncello — with citrussy lemon liqueur, Amaretti rosso and a black cherry gel.

Pasta La Vista - Ristorante Michelangelo

Sitting at the bottom of Union Street, Ryde’s much-loved Ristorante Michelangelo is open once again, as owners Anna, Dante, and Rosy return from their annual trip home to Italy. With the weather warming up and days getting longer, we’re sure chef Dante will be busy preparing the lighter specialities from the restaurant’s menu — such as Capesante alla Veneziana, a dish of pan-fried scallops, seasoned with lemon juice and served on a bed of sautéed spinach. Other spring-time selections could include the Pesto Genovese Piccante, a hand-stretched pizza featuring tomato, buffalo mozzarella, pesto sauce and chilli, or if you’ve got something sweet on the agenda, try the Michelangelo’s affogato — two scoops of vanilla ice cream drowned in espresso coffee, topped with cream and a chocolate curl.

It’s a Whopper! — Smoking Lobster

Back in December, the talented team behind local Pan-Asian restaurant chain Smoking Lobster took in a very special delivery — a 153kg bluefin tuna. Freshly caught in Cornwall, this species of tuna has only been swimming off Britain’s southwest coast for the past few years, and this was the first time Smoking Lobster got the very special opportunity to work with one. Seven hours after being caught it arrived on the Isle of Wight, where head chef GC Giancovich and sous chef Callum Phipps sharpened up their knives and spent the best part of a day carving up the tuna for the restaurant diners. The resulting cuts included “sekami” (front top loin) used for the seared catch of the day, “senaka” (middle top loin) turned into bite-sized raw sashimi, “seshimo” (back top loin) used for sushi, and “haranaka” (back of the belly) made into a tuna filling for their katsu maki rolls. As GC later reported, “Some of these cuts were literally incredible, they were like eating butter. We used them on our tasting menus and they really went down a treat!”

Made for balmy spring days, try this refreshing long cocktail: the Citrus Basil Smash. This simple serve infuses fresh basil with Mermaid Zest Gin, creating an herbaceous and fruity balanced serve that can also be made as a

TASTE

Fresh and herbaceous INGREDIENTS

50ml Mermaid Zest

25ml Lemon Juice

25ml Sugar Syrup

A handful of basil

Top with Mediterranean tonic

GARNISH

The Refresher

carbonated drink

From “Britain’s Hottest Botanic Garden” right here in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, this cucumber, Eucalyptus and mint drink is sure to refresh you and lift your spirits. Over months of trials and tastings, Hill Hassall Botanics has created a well-balanced elixir of fresh pressed cucumber juice infused with garden mint and British-grown Eucalyptus.

Following the initial launch of our Eucalyptus Cordials in 2016 they decided to develop a pre-mixed drink, readily available in a can - something smaller, something easier, something grab and go, so the magic of Eucalyptus could easily be enjoyed on the beach, after a workout, or with friends on a nice country walk. What results is a drink with a fresh, light and round mouthfeel using all natural ingredients. The team tasted the difference between natural flavourings, extracts, concentrates and fresh pressed juice and knew they had to go fresh pressed. Same for the mint, they infused real mint leaves in the juice and of course real Eucalyptus leaves too!

By combining our Eucalyptus cordial with freshly pressed cucumber juice, and then infusing it with mint, they found a flavour we love and we have now launched it as ‘The Refresher.’

For thousands of years the healing powers of Eucalyptus have been harnessed by Australia’s indigenous people. They revered the sacred plant and used it to cleanse the body and lift the spirit. Modern science now recognises the active organic compound to be Eucalyptol (1,8-cineole), well known for its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Hill Hassall Botanics mission is to bring refreshing Eucalyptus beverages to consumers all over the world. They are dedicated to using natural ingredients, choosing sustainable practices wherever possible and donating to 1% for the Planet.

For further information please contact: joseph.rossi@hhbotanics.com | 07398167862 | www.hillhassall.co.uk