Our Isle of Wight excursion was not really marked by forward planning but my good lady and I were both hoping that part of the trip might involve some sea food, sadly the imagined sea food bistro failed to materialise. Not to be put off and with our bellies full of cream tea we went for an exploratory walk through Shanklin village looking for contenders for our supper venue.
We had barely walked a hundred metres from the Pencil cottage when my attention was immediately caught by the smell wafting from the door of a small cafe - that distinctive smell of beef dripping, so rare to find in fish and chip restaurants, certainly in the south of England, but so important if you want to make simply the best fish and chips - a quick peek inside and I already knew I wanted to eat dinner here. Further inspection of the shop front revealed a clipping from the Independent Newspaper which had placed June's as the second best fish and chip shop in the UK - now I definitely wanted to eat dinner here.
There was no airs and graces about this place, the tables were covered with check table cloths with rows of those sorts of wooden chairs, we ordered our suppers from the serving hatch and sat waiting with great expectations and tired from our walk back down to the seashore to help burn off a small fraction of calories that we must have consumed with the cream teas. Our order was called and we headed up to the serving hatch to collect our orders.
They were well worth the wait, the chips were golden and crisp with light fluffy centres - very much like tiny little roast potatoes. The fish was cooked perfectly in a golden crisp batter and was just what we needed. Easily the best fish and chips I've had in years and I'm sure my waistline is grateful that June's is a ferry and train ride away - but we'll be sure to come here for one or two suppers when we return for a longer visit.
