THE true identities of restaurant reviewers Matt and Cat have long been a mystery — but they are to appear live at Ventnor Fringe Festival.

Writing about the Island's food scene since 2005 online, and also in the County Press, they have only rarely revealed their faces.

This year, in an unusual departure for the cryptic couple, Matt and Cat will appear live on stage to perform a one-off show at Ventnor Fringe talking about food on the Isle of Wight, and their lives as — sometimes controversial — reviewers.

The show is called Are You Guys Really Fat? to commemorate one of the most popular questions asked of them.

There will be tales of splendid suppers, curious cuisine, and of course a few disastrous dinners along the way.

The duo will also be reading out some of their favourite old reviews, good and bad, including some from venues now closed.

Matt and Cat have plenty of anecdotes to draw on, with more than 650 reviews across 14 years.

They have been banned from some venues, had people pretending to be them, and were even responsible for an excoriating review by Jay Rayner.

Cat said: "Being anonymous started out as a bit of fun and amazingly, after all this time regularly visiting the Island's eateries, we've managed to stay mostly under the radar.

"However, we've got loads to discuss outside the constraints of our reviews and we know it's stuff people want to hear."

Matt added: "Reviewing restaurants works out for us whether the meal is good or bad.

"Hopefully we'll have a nice meal, but if we don't, writing about it gives us something to get our teeth into."

Are You Guys Really Fat? is on Wednesday, July 24, at 4pm, at Ventnor Arts Club.

It is one of the shows most likely to sell out soon.