Island Life Magazine Ltd October/ November 2012 | Page 118

FOOD

Botanic Gardens perfect venue
Celebrate Christmas this year
at Ventnor Botanic Gardens.
A sumptuous four-course meal
to tempt your friends or work
colleagues; to laud it like kings as
the Botanic Gardens serve you some
of the finest locally sourced food
available.
Pre-dinner drinks are available
upstairs in the new Plantation
Room, followed by lunch in the
restaurant downstairs, available from
December 1- 24.
The Botanic Gardens have a new
space in the library to relax, read,
and have a Barista coffee, an elegant
loose leaf tea, a glass of fine wine or
a light ultra-fresh lunch.
The 'but I only want a cup of
coffee' chant heard this summer
begged a response - an inviting open
door right off the new courtyard.
The library was designed to offer
a comfortable place for visitors to
read the day's papers, laid out on the
coffee table, or periodicals and books

118

www.visitislandlife.com

beside a cosy woodstove.
The wine list picks up on the
botanical areas featuring wines
from South Africa, Australia, New
Zealand, the Mediterranean and The
Americas. And finally, they wanted
to give chef Martyn Cutler, a new
platform to showcase his talents.
They also felt it would give another
boost to staff if they installed a tall
wine rack and a shiny new coffee
machine closer to their desks!
The name, The Plantation Room,
picks up on the unique colonial
architecture of the covered porch
and the delicate windows of the best
remaining building from the old
Hospital. In the warmer months they
will run tables out onto the wooden
terrace overlooking the Palm and
Medicinal Gardens.
The Christmas menu is available on
website www.botanic.co.uk. To book
ring 01983-855397 or email cafe@
botanic.co.uk.