h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

And the Isle of Wight has two Cowes.

<BB<

Are you implying that the Isle of Wight has NO sheep? Besides lots of yarn these days is made of synthetics that are more easily washed and worn than wool.

Well said Elektra That's exactly what I thought when I saw the title of this conversation

I'm not implying anything, just playing with words and rewording the old joke 'What's brown, smelly and comes steaming out of cows?' The Isle of Wight Ferry
It is a bit outdated as they don't have steam-powered ships anymore and they're red and white these days too.

There are on the Island, however the Island is particularly noted for its garlic (15 varieties) and tomatoes (55% of organic tomatoes eaten in the UK come from the Isle of Wight and they are exported worldwide, including to Japan).

<BB<

Ah, Isle of Wight: land of the garlic growers.

Now, that would make a good Guide Entry...

A story of war, pub meals, spies operating in occupied France, a crop that is consumed more in Southern England than Northern France and an annual festival involving Garlic ice-cream, honey and beer? No-one would be interested in that…

<BB<

You're kidding, right? Sounds exciting to me!

It's just your average Second World War story of the Free French stationed on the Island complaining that they found English pub food a bit bland, and the pub owner then contacting some Special Forces friends and arranging with them to smuggle a few garlic bulbs out of Nazi-occupied France next time they went over, which were grown in a bit of farmland the pub had, only for everyone to discover that the Island has a better climate and soil for growing garlic than France does. This has led over the decades to the farm expanding and the same family winning international renown and acclaim for their 15 varieties of garlic.

<BB<