Eat and Drink: the best of Guernsey

Meera Dattani explores the food and drink highlights of this special channel island.

Welcome to Guernsey, where burger chain Gourmet Burger Kitchen lasted just six months. That’s testament to a 24-square-mile island where the number of independent restaurants, pubs and cafes is staggering.

With so much choice of local ingredients, from vegetables to Guernsey Dairy butter and eggs to the freshest seafood, it’s not surprising that GBK didn’t last long.

I visited to try them out for myself.

Beachside

Guernsey’s kiosks are an island institution. Nothing beats a walk or bike ride, then stopping at a beachside kiosk for a helping of Guernsey Dairy ice cream, crab sandwich, slice of Guernsey gâche (pronounced ‘gosh’) cake or gâche mélée (apple cake). Kiosks are typically open 10am-5pm from Easter to October.

Beach kiosk. Photo credit: Chris George

Guernsey gâche cake. Photo credit: John O'Neil
Particularly popular is Rousse kiosk at Le Grand Havre Bay on the west coast. The crab pâté, sausage rolls and homemade cakes are delicious, or try their Guernsey bean jar – a cassoulet-style dish with beans, onions and pigs’ trotter or shin of beef. Meanwhile, homemade scones have made Surfside kiosk at Port Soif beach popular, and Richmond Kiosk on Vazon Bay is another favourite.

Guernsey also has several beach cafés. The crab sandwiches, salads and fresh seafood at Fermain Beach Café have put it firmly on the food map, and made it well worth the walk down to the pebbly beach on the southeast coast.

Roc Salt on the north-westerly Chouet headland, owned by Steve Le Poidevin of Guernsey’s Muse Cafe and Mint Brasserie, is the spot for steak, lobster, salads or coffee with a view. Closed on Mondays, it’s open until 5pm Tuesdays and Sundays, and for dinner from Wednesday to Saturday.

Guernsey crab

If you're after fish and chips, head to Cobo Fish and Chips and sit on Cobo Bay’s west-facing beach as you tuck in, or try New Kingfisher at L’Eree Bay in the southwest.

St Peter Port

Jersey has the Michelin stars, but that doesn’t bother Guernsey. The seafood is excellent – you’ll often find fresh lobster, bass, mussels, scallops and crab on menus, and in winter, possibly the Ormer, a rare mollusc with strictly controlled fishing rules.

Collecting ormers. Photo credit: Chris George

At Old Government House, the island’s only five-star hotel, The Brasserie conservatory is all olde-worlde elegance with a harbour view. The crab salad and Guernsey scallops are delicious, with excellent main courses including vegetarian options, and an unmissable honeycomb ice-cream.

At the Duke of Richmond hotel, top picks at the flamboyant Leopard Bar and Restaurant include crabcakes, seafood specials and owner Bea Tollman’s cheesecake.

On a clear day, the terrace restaurant at boutique four-star hotel La Fregate is sublime, serving Rocquaine bay oysters, seared Thai-style tuna, and the surf’n’turf, Guernsey lobster and ‘Slaney Valley’ sirloin steak.

For creative cuisine, try The Pavilion restaurant, headed up by Guernsey’s ‘celebrity’ chef, Tony Leck. He's Lake District-born but a long-time Guernsey resident. There’s Guernsey crab risotto, local water scallops with chorizo and nero risotto, pork medallions with Torteval blue cheese sauce, and beetroot risotto with goats’ cheese and orange, hazelnut and Parmesan salad. Most mains are under £12.95 and desserts include Rocquette cider cheesecake.

A big local favourite is Mora, an Italian bistro-bar with harbour views, cocktails and live music. You can go for platters or tapas such as salted cod fritters, or try the kebabs/espetadas and burgers. A la carte, there’s scallops and prawn thermidor, slow-roasted belly pork and hazelnut and wild mushroom gnocchi.

Equally loved is Le Petit Bistro, a gorgeous French restaurant serving dishes such as bouillabaisse, seabass ceviche and Roquefort soufflé. The Early Bird dinner for £13.50 and set lunch for £11.95 are a steal. For fish and seafood fans, the Old Quarter Restaurant is always a good bet.

For an Italian fix, head to Da Nellos for an upscale restaurant experience, Rosso for pizzas or best of both worlds at La Lanterna Restaurant. For quality Chinese cuisine, it’s China Red, frequently cited in ‘top UK Chinese restaurants’ lists, for its dim sum, seafood and veggie options.

Fish platter at Da Nello

Also recommended are Le Nautique Restaurant and Pier 17 for elegant locations, great seafood and harbour views.

The rest of Guernsey

There really is good food around every corner. Cobo Bay’s west coast location makes La Reunion, above the Rockmount pub, extra-appealing with its lovely terrace and tempting menu. Cobo Bay is also home to La Grande Mare’s Restaurant & Brasserie – go for the seafood platters, steaks and afternoon teas.

Guernsey’s southeastern St Martin’s parish is home to some gems. Cliffside Auberge restaurant at Jerbourg does fine dining in a relaxed way with wonderful views, and dishes such as pan-seared foie gras, duo of lamb and lobster and chips.

Beach Café at Fermain Bay. Photo credit: Chris George

Nearby is the Bella Luce hotel, set in a Norman manor house with walled garden, where its award-winning Bella Bistro serves modern European food with Guernsey, English and French ingredients.

Also recommended: Taste of India at L'Eree Bay; La Barberie Hotel for its country hotel setting; Beaucette Restaurant by Beaucette Marina on the northwest coast; Grandes Rocques Bistro at Cobo Bay; and Le Gouffre for south coast views.

Pubs and informal dining

In St Peter Port, try The Pickled Pig gastropub at the Duke of Normandie hotel, which does good homemade fish and chips, veggie Thai curry, local seafood and a curry buffet, or head to Guernsey’s first gastropub, The Swan Inn.

St Peter Port, Guernsey

The restaurant and deck of The Boathouse is great for lunch or dinner, while on the main esplanade is Village East, a bistro-brasserie-bar – you can go for a coffee, a curry or a glass of champagne. For great value sandwiches, Thai dishes and castle views, pick the Terrace Café.

Away from the capital, Crabby Jacks near Vazon Bay is ideal for families with its kids’ menu and variety - think burgers, pasta, salads, fajitas, steaks. The gastropub at Les Douvres Hotel in an 18th-century manor house is excellent, and nearby is the unassuming Tavern and Bistro at The Captain’s Hotel which offers dishes such as seafood gratin, steak and Stilton, and crab linguini.

Cafes and tearooms

For gorgeous views, go to Café Victoria inside the Guernsey Museum at Candie Gardens which overlooks St Peter Port harbour and the islands of Herm, Sark and Jersey. In town, try Christie’s for breakfasts and coffees.

Le Petit Bistro’s Café does excellent French pastries and open sandwiches and the Austrian cakes at The Hideaway Patisserie and Brasserie at Moores Hotel are delicious. For tasty, no-frills breakfasts, there’s The Loft on the high street.

Guernsey cream fudge

Out of town, take afternoon tea at Mint Brasserie and Tea Room or the Moulin Huet tea rooms, whose terraced garden overlooks the pea stacks of Moulin Huet Bay, as seen in Renoir's paintings. At Fermain Valley Hotel, south of St Peter Port, the Valley Tea Rooms are lovely - there’s an outdoor terrace and a Winter Tea Room with an open fire.

As fresh as it gets

If you’re self-catering, buy ‘hedge veg’. Locals often sell homegrown tomatoes, courgettes and free-range eggs roadside, complete with honesty box. For local produce such as cheeses, pickles and pâtés, head to the Fresh Fridays market in Market Square (8.30am-2.30pm) or Saturday’s Sausmarez Manor Farmer’s Market (9am-noon).

Hedge veg at the roadside

And if you want to take home a loaf of Guernsey gâche, stop at Forest Stores. It’s right by the airport, so it’s in a perfect position to supply a final Guernsey fix.

Food festivals

This year, Guernsey hosts its first large-scale food festival, Guernsey International Food Festival (from 18th-27th September). As part of the festival, the Big Guernsey Market will hold tastings of Haut Maison fruit liqueurs and Torteval Cheese, as well as local tipples Rocquette cider, White Rock beer and Liberation ale, plus a hog roast from local producer Porky’s and the Beach BBQ Cook-Off.

Castle Cornet
There’s also the Guernsey Beer & Cider Festival, the Live Food Show with local chefs and mixologists, a Food Lab where chefs partner with local producers, and special festival menus from many island restaurants. Guernsey, like Jersey, also hosts Tennerfest in October and November, where restaurants offer three-course menus from £10 to £20.

Meera travelled courtesy of Gatwick Express and Aurigny airlines and stayed at Les Rocquettes (rooms from £45 per night) in St Peter Port

Guernsey is accessible with regular flights from London Gatwick with Aurigny with return fares starting from £94 return. Flights are also available from regional airports and with Flybe and Blue Islands

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