Bavaria and followed her heart to Scilly. Sabine – and St. Mary’s – have never looked back. Her food is a wonderful Bavaria-meets-Scilly fusion, and her breads, soups and apple strudels are a revelation. Die-hard fans can stay at Sabine’s B&B (called the Isles of Scilly Country Guesthouse) to enjoy such fare at every opportunity. Bliss.
as much local produce as possible. Cornish sea bass, local scallops and Scillonian crab seem all the more tasty when you enjoy them on the terrace looking out to sea. The Pilot's Gig, in the heart of Hugh Town, re-opened last year. The new owners Hayden Simpson and Laurieann Wilson also pride themselves on serving local fare. You can't get fish any fresher – it comes from the quay just 50m away! Food is a passion on the off islands, too. St. Martin’s boasts the brilliant Island Bakery, with pasties, pies and cakes galore, and there are excellent home-made cakes to be enjoyed at Polreath Tea Rooms, not to mention exceptionally fine wines from St. Martin’s Vineyard and Winery.
While picnics are often the order of the day on Scilly, there’s an easier way to feed hungry holidaymakers in the midday sun. Anyone relaxing at Porthcressa should keep an eye out for a tricycle selling Round Island Crepes. Choose from a host of sweet or savoury crepes, cooked to order, right there on the beach. Recommended combos include roasted vegetable and mature cheddar cheese, followed by banana and white chocolate. Here’s another insider’s tip for anyone whose mission on Scilly is to relax: why not take advantage of the ready-made meals cooked up by Euan and Lindsay Rodger at the Tanglewood Kitchen Company? They are based at The Post Office on St. Mary’s and can deliver anything from a snack to a whole dinner party straight to your self-catering accommodation, saving you time and effort, not to mention the washing-up. Expect only the finest ingredients made into mouth-watering dishes, from fish pie and duck confit to raspberry soufflé and hot chocolate fondant. Another favourite foodie haven has to be Spero’s, a chilled-out eatery on beautiful Porthmellon Beach. It is housed in an old boat shed, where owners Amelia and Richard Mills pride themselves on using 50
Tresco and Bryher, meanwhile, host an impressive Food Festival each autumn to showcase their fare, which includes locally caught seafood and Tresco-reared beef. Among these gems is Veronica Farm Fudge, which is hand-made on Bryher from Scillonian milk, butter and clotted cream, and is sold from a little stall at the farm’s gate. Tresco's Ruin Café has to-die-for pizzas with a beach-side terrace to match, whilst the award-winning Hell Bay Hotel on Bryher boasts the mouth-watering pop-up Crab Shack. Over on St. Agnes you’ll find fine ice-cream, butter, milk and yoghurt at Troytown Farm, Scilly’s only dairy producer. Choose your ices from more than 30 flavours, or try live yoghurt topped off with various delights including home-grown raspberries and blackberries. Still on St. Agnes, there’s the cool Coastguard Café, which serves great coffees, cakes, cream teas and lunches by day and then transforms into the fabulous High Tide Restaurant in the evenings. So there you have it: a few pieces of local knowledge that will make your stay on Scilly even more fulfilling. You’ll doubtless find your own favourites to add to this selection, and will, in time, write your own Scilly story to pass on to others. And if you really and truly fall in love – enough to live here for ever – Island Properties will find you the perfect place.