Best Of Britain By The Sea Episode 5 (More 4 Monday 13 June 2022)

In this episode, Ainsley and Grace are taking in a taste of island life with a trip around the sunniest place in the UK, the Isle of Wight. Loved by the Victorians for its especially mild and sunny climate, miles of beaches and bracing sea air, the Isle of Wight is a classic seaside destination.

Grace and Ainsley start off in Ventnor, a steep seaside town that has its very own microclimate and is home to the Royal Hotel, one of the oldest on the island. The hotel famously got its name when Queen Victoria stopped off for afternoon tea. Food is still at the heart of the hotel’s offering and Ainsley joins head chef Matt Egan in the kitchen to learn about a dish that’s been on the menu for 27 years, the gallybagger souffle. Luckily souffle is one of Grace’s all-time favourite dishes and the pair dress up in their finest to tuck in, in the grand dining room.

At the Isle of Wight Sweet Manufactory, the pair get to live a childhood fantasy making a batch of nostalgic rhubarb and custard sweets with head sweet maker Mark. Next stop is a restaurant much-loved by locals and tourist alike, the Smoking Lobster, which combines Asian flavours with local seafood and has stunning views of Ventnor Bay. Chef Giancarlo cooks up a storm, while sister Cinzia runs front of house. Grace and Ainsley tuck into the seafood platter complete with miso butter lobster, seabass with black bean sauce and Szechuan prawns – a feast for the eyes and the belly!

Grace and Ainsley head to their self-catering lodge in the north of the island at Woodside Bay. The lodges look over the Solent and they take a thermos of tea and some local Isle of Wight doughnuts down to the water edge. In the morning, Ainsley helps Grace to master the art of poaching an egg, something she’s never previously been able to crack. before they head off to an institution. The Isle of Wight Garlic Farm is run by the Colin Boswell and his family and was started when Granny Norah planted her first garlic on the island over 60 years ago.

The exceptionally high levels of sunlight on the Isle of Wight make it especially well suited to the cultivation of garlic. Colin teaches Grace and Ainsley how to plant their own garlic and the farm even has its own restaurant where the pair discover a rather unusual desert, black garlic sticky toffee pudding. The final stop is to the stunning Freshwater Bay for a woodfired pizza on the beach at sunset.

Series Prod: Martha Swales; Exec Prods: Will Knott, Dan Chambers; Prod Co: Blink Films

Airdate: Monday June 13, 2022 at 9.00pm on More 4.

Season 1 Episode 5