Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2013 | Page 101

FOOD

Island produce key to

EDULIS

success

Pictures by Samuel Scadgell

'Our ethos is to
serve up food
that is as fresh as
possible'

When it comes to savouring
Island produce then it doesn’t
get much better or fresher than
the Edulis, Ventnor Botanic
Garden’s new restaurant and café.
Wherever possible all ingredients
are sourced from the Island.
Martyn Cutler, head chef at
Ventnor Botanic Garden for
just over a year, said: “The café
downstairs has been recently
refurbished into Edulis, a word
meaning edible in Latin. When
you know our ingredients and
you understand what we are
doing here, then the name
becomes very apt.
“Our menu changes every day,
based on what produce we can
source. We literally write the
menu about half an hour before
we open. We grow as much as
we can on site and bake our own
cakes and bread every morning,
using flour from Calbourne Mill.

Our meat is also raised locally
and supplied by Brownrigg Farm
and all our fish is caught in the
waters off the Island by Ventnor
Haven. Our ethos is to serve
up food as fresh as possible,
capturing the most flavour it has
to offer.
“Our salads are grown in the
greenhouses on site and delivered
to Edulis every morning by our
team of gardeners. It’s cut to
order and on the diner’s plate
within minutes. We don’t think
you can get fresher, and it’s the
heart and soul of everything we
do here.”
Edulis is open daily, all year
round, normally from midday
until 5.0pm, but often later
on sunny evenings. Edulis will
be open on selected evenings
throughout the summer, visit
www.botanic.co.uk or call
01983-855397.
www.visitislandlife.com

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