The best thing about the Isle of Wight? There’s not a gastropub in sight

This summer promises to be the hottest on record, which is not great news for those of you anxious about the coming climate apocalypse, but better news for those planning a holiday at home – which has become my default position of late. In truth, I haven’t left the country since before the pandemic, and I’ve only been able to make a couple of extended trips to the Isle of Wight – and it’s a place that I’ve come to love deeply. Rather like Mansfield Park’s Fanny Brawne, I can only think of the island, and why it appeals to me so.

Might it be the sparkling weather? Or the unmatched literary heritage? The immaculate beaches, verdant downs and time-warp towns? No, I think the main reason I love the island so much is that it’s not a foodie destination: there are precious few gastropubs serving pork belly at £20 a plate; no luxurious temples to haute cuisine with smooth, irritating clientele; no listicles from London-based writers telling their London-based readers where to score ‘spanking