Chasing the sun

Bank holiday weekend in Britain means only one thing - rain! So on the hunt for a scrumptious lunch we chased the sun around the Isle of Man until we reached the sunny, warm climates of Laxey.

There, nestled at the end of the promenade is a delightfully small building housing 'The Shed' with ample seating outside in a variety of forms - sheltered, open, canvas seats, picnic benches and the sea wall. There are even outdoor heaters for the sun doesn't want to come out to play. Among the quirky accessories available to patrons are blankets, cushions and hot water bottles to keep you comfortable, chalk to keep the kids entertained and a doggy station with treats and toys to keep your best friend entertained while you have your lunch.

After finding a picnic bench with a gorgeous view of the bay we headed inside to place our order. The menu is made up mainly of locally made pie's and panini's with homemade cakes available for dessert.

After a long and difficult decision making process (the mushy peas with pie was very tempting) we both opted for the goats cheese and caramelised onion on a seeded Panini with side salad, we ordered, gave our name and headed out to bask in the sunshine. Five to ten minutes later our name was called and our food was brought to us at the table.

The environmentally conscious will be happy to hear there wasn't a plastic fork or plate insight.

Now for the food: The Panini was toasted just enough for the goats cheese to start melting and have the perfect amount of 'give' and the caramelised onions added the much needed sweetness to help balance out the trademark dryness of goats cheese. I don't know about you but one of my pet hates is when they skimp on the main ingredient but I am happy to say this was definitely not the case here. The amount of goats cheese in the Panini was perfect. The side salad was a couple of leaves with two cherry tomatoes which had been cut in half. I didn't expect to much more but the addition of salt (quite a lot for the amount of salad) didn't work for me.

Enjoying the sun and wanting more, we made our way back into the 'Shed' to order cake, I went for a delicious looking lemon drizzle cake whilst my partner in crime ordered the chocolate brownie. The lemon drizzle was a standard lemon drizzle cake, it was moist and crumbly with a hint of lemon and the trademark sugar crystals on top. Now I like my lemon desserts to make my cheeks hurt so this wasn't quite lemony enough for me but I am sure for 90% of people it would have been perfect. I didn't try the chocolate brownie but I am told that it was intensely chocolaty, light and had a delightfully soft centre.

After another few moments soaking in the sun we made our way back along the promenade and headed home. We will definitely be back soon and I for one am looking forward to trying more of the menu (the mushy peas are still calling my name).