Tables are booked 12 months in advance at The Boathouse in Steephill Cove near Ventnor, as people return year after year to this seaside charmer for crab and lobsters, as fresh as fresh can be. Steephill Cove is accessible only by boat or on foot, nestling beneath Ventnor’s famous Botanical gardens it’s like journeying back in time with a riot of striped deck chairs, bright coloured beach huts, thatched cottages, sub-tropical plants, sand castles and the sound of children enjoying what must be the prettiest spot on the island.

Sitting on the upper deck of The Boathouse is like being in the Caribbean expecting Long John Silver to pitch up at any moment. The view is stunning but seafood is the name of the game. The Wheeler family have been fishing here for over 500 years. Every morning brothers Jimmy and Mark set off in their boat and what comes back is served for lunch with Mark’s wife Vanessa at the stoves. It’s simple things like crab or lobster salad, fisherman’s platter, shell on prawns and hot garlic butter or home-made coleslaw. There’s an eight place family table on the ground floor, ideal for everyone to share the Skipper’s Banquet with a glass or two of cold, crispy white wine.

(Open from the end of May bank holiday to the end of the first week in September. No credit cards.)

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Seafood

Vanessa Wheeler

Lunch: From 12:30 (End of May - early September)

• 30 covers