The island whose best bottles and produce never leave
Madeira has some pretty stunning landscape: the volcanic cliffs, black sand beaches and vertigo-inducing hiking trails are what get people booking flights. But as much as we like all that stuff, food and wine is usually the number one driver that decides where we travel to. And scratch beneath the surface of Madeira, and you’ll find an island filled with subtropical produce, small-scale farming, centuries-old wine culture and a restaurant scene pushing itself onto the Michelin map.
The first thing you notice is the fruit. Not the imported supermarket versions we’re used to in London, but things that barely make it off the island at all. Custard apples, passionfruit in multiple varieties, tiny bananas, tree tomatoes, loquats and mangoes grown on steep terraced hillsides that drop straight into the Atlantic. Madeira’s subtropical climate means things grow here that simply don’t grow elsewhere in Europe.
Mercado dos Lavradores in Funchal is the obvious starting point, even if it’s a bit touristy. The trick is getting beyond the souvenir stalls and getting stuck into the local fruits, fragrant herbs, sweet potatoes, sugar cane and vegetables grown in volcanic soil.
That connection between land and table is driving Madeira’s food scene right now. Across the island, chefs are building menus around local fish, mountain herbs, tropical fruit and produce grown a few kilometres away rather than importing ingredients from elsewhere.
Madeira’s Michelin scene is growing fast. Il Gallo d’Oro remains the island’s heavyweight, with chef Benoît Sinthon championing local seafood and Madeiran produce inside The Cliff Bay hotel, while newer restaurants like Desarma are bringing a more modern edge to the island’s fine dining landscape. But some of the best eating happens away from white tablecloths entirely: seafood spots grilling limpets in garlic butter, roadside restaurants serving skewers of smoky espetada and tiny bakeries turning out warm bolo do caco all day long.
One place showing off Madeira’s produce particularly well is Fajã dos Padres, a coastal farm only accessible by cable car or boat. Sitting on a strip of land beneath towering cliffs, the estate grows everything from avocados and mangoes to dragon fruit, bananas and wine grapes. There’s also accommodation dotted among the palm trees and gardens, making it one of the most peaceful places to stay on the island. Lunch here is bliss, with ultra-fresh produce, local fish and wine made from grapes grown just metres away from the tables.
And then there’s the drinking culture. Madeira wine may be the island’s most famous export, but cider is the thing locals get genuinely excited about. Much of it never leaves the island, with small producers making dry, funky ciders from regional apple varieties grown in the north.
Quinta da Moscadinha is leading that next wave. The producer experiments with ciders blended with local grapes and others aged in Madeira wine barrels, creating bottles that sit somewhere between natural cider and wine. Tastings here feel refreshingly unpolished and deeply local, with drinks you’re unlikely to find anywhere outside the island.
Where We Stayed: Savoy Palace
Sitting on the seafront just outside the old town of Funchal, Savoy Palace has multiple pools, sprawling spa facilities and Atlantic-facing rooms, but still keeps you within walking distance of the capital’s restaurants, markets and bars.
The rooftop infinity pool and terrace are worth the stay alone, especially at sunset with a glass of Madeira wine in hand. It’s polished without feeling stuffy, and works particularly well if you’re planning to spend your days exploring the island before retreating somewhere cosy at night.
There aren’t many places left where the best bottles stay local and some flavours can only be tasted where they’re grown. Between the wild produce, experimental cider makers and restaurants pushing Madeiran cooking forward, the island gives you plenty of reasons to come hungry.
