Sisters Take On Challenge To Eat Only Isle Of Wight Food For A Month

Two Isle of Wight sisters are challenging themselves to eat nothing but Island-produced food for an entire month.

Jo Boswell and her sister Natasha Edwards have launched #EatTheWight, with everything they eat during September having to be grown, reared, caught or produced by an Isle of Wight business.

The sisters say the challenge is designed to celebrate the Island's food producers, while finding out just how possible it is to live on locally produced food.

They're also hoping to discover smaller Island producers they may not have come across before — and identify where there are gaps in the Island's food system.

And just a few days into the challenge, they've already discovered there are some everyday ingredients that are surprisingly difficult to replace.

Pepper, lemons, spices and chocolate are among the foods they've had to think twice about.

They're allowing some exceptions where a product is produced by an Island business — including Island-roasted coffee and tea from the Island Tea Company.

Jo and Natasha are documenting their progress on Instagram, sharing what they're eating, recipes, producers they've discovered and some of the challenges they're coming up against.

Jo posts from @joboswellgrows, while Natasha's account is @tinker_tashee.

They're also using #EatIsleOfWight so other Islanders can follow the challenge or get involved themselves.

The sisters will be sharing a blog about the challenge on The Garlic Farm website when they reach the halfway point.

Interestingly, they've also discovered they're not the only people attempting to live exclusively on local produce this month.

They say they recently learned through BBC News that someone in Shetland is taking on a very similar challenge — although they suspect their version may be slightly easier.

The sisters hope #EatTheWight will encourage people to discover more of the food being produced on their doorstep, while having some fun along the way.