Isle of Wight Garlic Farm and Garlic & Herb Monkey Bread

A couple of weeks ago, whilst staying in the Isle of Wight, we visited the Garlic Farm at Newchurch. It was only a brief visit on our way to catch the ferry home and whilst we were there we wandered around a garlic field and sampled some of the many pickles, mayos and sauces on offer, before stopping by the shop to make some purchases.

If you're ever in the Isle of Wight it's worth a visit, even if it's just to see the many varieties of garlic on offer. They also offer tractor rides and garlic bread workshops in the holidays.

I bought a grappe (bunch) of garlic, and the kids complained about the smell every time they got into the car! Once home I decided to roast a couple of bulbs which I then used to make some Monkey Bread, which is featured on the Great British Chefs website this week.

The bread was lovely and crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. You could also add grated cheese to the top before baking if you prefer. It's great served with soup or as a side to a summer salad.

Roasted Garlic & Herb Monkey Bread

Our Red Funnel Ferry Journey

We travelled from Southampton to Cowes onboard one of Red Funnel's newly refurbished ferries (you can read more about the refurbishment in my previous post, here). The boarding system seemed really efficient and as we'd arrived early parked up along the seafront where we enjoyed our picnic on a grassy area adjacent to the ferry terminal. The husband enquired about catching an earlier ferry, and despite being fully booked we were invited to join the standby queue and were lucky enough to be the last car to board. Whilst you're waiting for your ferry you may spot one of the enormous cruise ships, one of which you can read about in Jenny's post about their family holiday.

It was a lovely day on both the outward & return crossings and there was plenty of room for all the passengers, both inside and out, and we didn't have trouble finding somewhere to sit. I was pleased to see that there was an outside area that was undercover which would be a perfect place to shelter during a downpour on a typical British summers day.

There were bar and eating areas inside as well as an outdoor bbq, giving the ferry a real holiday atmosphere. The time passed quickly with plenty for the kids to see en route, with the highlight being on the return when we travelled alongside a huge container ship for the last leg of the crossing, and then seeing a cruise ship in dock at Southampton as we arrived.

We were provided with return ferry tickets free of charge from Red Funnel, however I would definitely recommend them for a fuss free crossing to the Isle of Wight.