It’s easy to miss the dark green door alongside the Good Health Store in Port Erin.

Inside, the staircase I last went up in search of a new cake tin (when it was Quine’s) is now lit with candles and decorated with greenery.

And, at the top of the stairs, there is a new eatery which serves what owner Pippa Lovell describes ’ultra local’ food, much of it foraged or sourced ’within walking distance’.

There is no evening menu: what they serve will depend on what is in season and what has been picked fresh that day. Yes, even in winter.

’There are not enough days in the week to forage what is available now,’ says Pippa.

We are served three courses to get a ’flavour’ of what is on offer: the choice is normally five or eight courses and the portion size means that even the prospect of eight courses is not as formidable as it sounds.

We begin with seaweed sourdough served with ’nearly butter’, cream whipped to a spreadable consistency: it’s delicious.

It’s followed up with a medley of vegetables and quinoa with a dressing made from Coole Brothers cream and Bry Rad’s kale.

Dessert is local apples steeped in pineapple weed served with crab apple and wood aven cream, sprinkled with crushed damson kernels.

’It tastes like apple strudel,’ says one of my dining companions and, weirdly, he’s right.

Apart from its precision and the quality of ingredients the other thing which is extraordinary about Pippa’s food is you can be very well fed and still feel rather healthy - none of that bloated, eaten-too-much feeling.

That’s unusual and rather pleasant and one of the reasons is that she uses barely any oils or fats in her cooking.

Also, although this is a bring your own alcohol venue, we are drinking Versa’s own, non-alcoholic, lemon verbena and elderflower fizz which pairs well with the food and gives a generally virtuous feeling all round.

’It’s about health as well,’ Pippa says.

If you fancy something a little less rarefied than the evening offering, the brunch menu looks like a winner: eggs with steak slices and a wonderful hash of garlic, cheese and potato are just two of the choices, very reasonably priced, and the menu will change monthly.

Pippa already has a growing following from her days at Foraging Vintners and her recent ’road trip’, doing pop-ups around the island so it’s not surprising that evening dining is booking up fast. She also advises booking for brunch.

As well as a being a foodie venue Pippa is also keen that Versa plays its part in the local community.

On the days she is not open, Monday-Wednesday, she is very keen to allow it to be used for workshops, book clubs or similar groups. There are contact details on the Versa website, www.restaurantversa.im, along with the booking facility.