THE PIG-on the beach | Hogwash Issue 01

ESTIVA

The New Porkers

It’s been a couple of years since we’ve had new PIGs on the horizon. Choosing the perfect properties isn’t something that can be rushed, but we are delighted to share that we have just completed on two sites with a view to opening a pair of new PIGs over the next couple of years, subject to all planning and listed building permissions.

We hope the first to open, just south of Stratford-upon-Avon will be THE PIG-on the farm in 2024, a mid-16th-century listed stone manor house set in 53 acres of pasture and arable land in the heart of rural England.

Following this, with a fair wind behind us, will be THE PIG-at Groombridge in 2025, in the landmark moated manor house of Groombridge Place, on the border of Kent and East Sussex near Tunbridge Wells.

Working closely with Historic England, we look forward to restoring these unspoilt listed gems sensitively. Their classic beauty complements our eight PIGs, and both are located in counties steeped in historic significance. We will be creating something a bit different to our other PIGs, but they will have our classic style running through the fabric of the buildings. Watch this space for more news...

FORAGER’S PICKS..

All our hotel kitchens love to make the most of seasonal wild produce. Over the years we’ve got to know a great network of brilliant foragers who bring us the best wild goodies they can find. Here’s what to look out for yourself this summer.

JUNE

Wild greens including Douglas fir, oxeye daisy leaves, sorrel, sweet gale, wild chives and wild garlic. Wild flowers and elderflowers

JULY

Wild greens including sea beet, sea purslane, wild fennel tops, wild mint and wood sorrel.

Wild fruit and berries including bilberries and cherry plums

AUGUST

Wild greens including horseradish leaves and roots, marsh samphire and rock samphire. Wild fruit and berries including blackberries and rowan berries

Held in the grounds and surrounding fields of THE PIG-at Bridge Place, Canterbury, Kent and Lime Wood in the New Forest, the Smoked & Uncut festivals offer so much more than just (excellent) live music. This year – our 10th anniversary – will be one to remember. Alongside some stellar acts, including an all female line-up at Lime Wood, expect festi-food stalls, bars, shopping, the Field Spa, the Den kids’ area, and chef-hosted feasts with Angela Hartnett, Nathan Outlaw, Lisa Goodwin-Allen and THE PIG’s James Golding. Find out more and buy your tickets at smokedanduncut.com

Notes from the Kitchen Garden

Our Kitchen Garden supremo Ollie shares a summer update from the veg bed

Summer means the Kitchen Garden teams are busy maintaining and harvesting the last of the crops that were in the ground over the winter, such as broad beans, garlic and onions. We’re also starting to harvest some of the faster-growing spring plantings, including beetroot, salad onions and spinach.

To maintain high levels of production, we reclaim and replant our beds successionally once a crop has finished. For example, we sow beetroot seedlings at our nursery HQ about three weeks before the previously planted crop is at its prime. Once that crop has been harvested, the new seedlings are planted out in the same turned-over beds. In this way, we can produce three or four crops in a year.

Tomatoes are also very managementheavy. Each PIG has about 200 tomato vines in polytunnels, and each vine needs to be pruned and managed weekly to produce an abundance of fruit in varying colours, shapes

and sizes – including our popular big beef tomatoes, like Steak Sandwich and Orange Wellington, and the delicious Sungold and Apero cherry tomatoes that are always a hit with the chefs.

Much of the rest of our time is spent weeding and watering to ensure the produce is in its prime when it reaches the chefs. We constantly monitor all the plants, ensuring we spot the first signs of any pests or diseases that could spread. When problems strike, we use cultural, biological and organic control methods, such as placing netting over the crops or introducing predatory insects.

Our kitchen gardeners are also working on a pop-up garden for the RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival from 4th to 9th July. It is the 10th anniversary of our first RHS show garden this year, and if you happen to be going, do come and say hi to the team. You’ll find us in the community allotment area.

☞ STARSTRUCK

We are excited to announce that in spring 2023, THE PIGs were awarded a three-star Food Made Good rating from the Sustainable Restaurant Association, which promotes positive change across the industry, and supports more than 10,000 restaurant kitchens globally with the tools they need to source and serve sustainable food.

Since we opened our first PIG in 2011, we have been obsessively focused on sourcing locally. We work closely with valued suppliers and strive to operate responsibly – growing our own fruit and veggies, rearing our own livestock, bottling water on-site, cutting down on food waste and packaging, seeking out sustainable suppliers and charity partners, getting into beekeeping and improving our composting skills. The rating reflects all of our teams’ hard work and commitment to creating restaurants that are a force for good in the world.

[Back page answers: A; Led Zeppelin ]

☞ BEST FOOT FORWARD

You’ll now see our PIG frontof-house teams proudly wearing Cariuma sneakers. These stylish trainers have comfy cork insoles, an ethically tapped rubber sole and a design we love. Plus, for every pair sold, the brand plants a pair of trees in the Brazilian rainforest. So that’s 800 more trees from us!

HOTEL INFORMATION, ROOM GUIDE, POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU, THE BEST OUTINGS, LOCAL HEROES AND THINGS TO DO.

Hot buzz

ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE mouthfuls of our food depends on pollinators such as bees, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature. The trouble is, this isn’t just an observation about how helpful these busy little critters are. A quote attributed to Albert Einstein is perhaps more matter of fact in saying, “If the bee disappeared off the face of the Earth, man would only have four years left to live.”

We’re not quite there yet, but it’s fair to say that factors such as climate change, pesticides, parasites and habitat loss are making life increasingly difficult for our poor old bees, whose numbers are falling year on year. Estimates suggest it would cost UK farmers an incredible £1.8bn a year to manually pollinate their crops. And while manual pollination might sound like a far-fetched dystopian nightmare, it’s already happening in China.

The good news is there are folks out there doing everything they can to save our bees, a few of whom we can count as our own.

Jo Macina joined us 11 years ago. At the time, she was living on a narrow boat in Hackney, working in the arts, but she’s a country girl at heart. She came to THE PIG, in Brockenhurst, looking for a job in the kitchen garden, and while we couldn’t give her one that day, we were happy to hire her to join our restaurant waiting staff.

It wasn’t long before a gardening job came up, and Jo was in her element. One of the first things she did was install a couple of beehives. A nice addition, we thought, unaware that for the budding horticulturist it was the realisation of a lifelong dream.

“Bees fill me with a sense of wonder,” says Jo. “My grandfather kept bees when we were young and I have fond memories of summers spent scooping fresh honey onto sourdough crusts. His apiary was under lime trees – Tilia cordata – so the honey had the most beautiful fragrant flavour. I always wanted my own hives but never had the opportunity until then.”

A year later, as head gardener at newly opened THE PIG-on

the beach, Jo installed another 10 hives. Fast forward to now, and between them, THE PIGs have more than 100 hives. We’ve just finished building a dedicated honey-extraction room at our head office near Brockenhurst in the New Forest, and Jo has put together a team of expert beekeepers to help keep the little fellas happy. Her star signing was Sonia Salva from Argentina, an apiarist by trade who chooses not to wear gloves while tending to her hives, and has quite rightly earned the nickname Queen Bee.

“Last year we made over two tonnes of honey,” Jo says proudly. “Each hotel goes through about a tonne a year so we’re still just contributing to that, but we’re adding more hives all the time. Our honey is put on the breakfast tables and any left over will be used for puddings. We are also about to start bottling some to sell.”

Given their different geographies, each PIG has its own distinct honey. At THE PIG-on the beach, the bees feast on gorse flowers and heather, giving their honey a jelly-like consistency with notes of caramel and stone fruit. At THE PIG-at Combe, they love the red clover, dandelions, blackberries and horse chestnuts, while in the South Downs, surrounded by woodland and meadows, the honey is imbibed with a light and summery floral flavour.

“It always gets me when I open the hive,” muses Jo. “The outside world disappears, worries don’t matter – I’m transported. I’m in love with the buzz; the collective buzz of this one superorganism, the colony.”

Sounds idyllic – but it’s certainly not all roses. One winter, Jo decided to feed her bees without wearing a beekeeper’s suit and was stung more than 50 times. “That was a nasty hive,” she says, grimacing. “That’s what happens when the queen mates with the wrong drone: the whole hive goes mad and starts attacking people. Fortunately, that’s where Sonia comes in. She’ll remove the angry queen and ‘re-queen’ the hive. It’s her job to make sure our bees are nice and pleasant to be around.” Sounds like quite the responsibility – but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

BUSY BEES: GARDENER JO MACINA AND DAUGHTER STEPHIE, THE PIG'S NEXT APIARIST IN TRAINING

a dinner or two, we hatched a plan”

HERE’S CAUSE FOR A TOAST. We’re taking THE PIGs’ collaboration with Sugrue South Downs – the Sussex-based winery founded by Dermot Sugrue and run together with his wife, fellow winemaker Ana Dogic – to the next level. The couple will now be joined by THE PIG’s founder, Robin, in a wider collaboration that will enable exciting new ventures – including cultivating our own wine.

Dermot is one of the UK’s most awarded winemakers, and has had successful tenures at Wiston Estate and Nyetimber. Having planted the first Sugrue South Downs vineyard in 2006, his English sparkling wine The Trouble With Dreams won a host of prizes, including The Decanter Trophy for Best UK Sparkling Wine in 2014, coming first out of 102 UK wines.

As for the name, it comes from an Eels song, as Dermot explains: “The line was, ‘Trouble with dreams is you never know, when to hold on and when to let go.’ Story of my life really!”

ROBIN I’ve got to know Dermot over the past few years, and am so excited by what he and Ana are doing. Their wines are at the vanguard of the industry right now. After a dinner or two, we hatched a plan together. I will now be personally involved as an investor-director, working with Dermot and Ana to help them fulfil their ambitions for the business.

DERMOT I started Sugrue as a labour of love really, so I could make my own wine, rather than just making wine for other people. I planted a small vineyard in Storrington, West Sussex, for a monastic order of Catholic priests.

RH We first met at the pre-opening of THE PIG-in the South Downs in 2021, although I already knew Dermot by reputation.

DS Robin became our neighbour when THE PIG opened in Madehurst, just down the road from us. When

he showed us around the kitchen gardens, Ana thought he was either the head sommelier or head gardener!

RH My favourite people in life are those with an infectious passion for what they do. Dermot and Ana are unbelievably talented in their field and have a passion for winemaking that is off the scale. We instantly hit it off. When we started talking about business, it became clear there was a natural fit: they needed investment, for sure, but perhaps equally they needed some help to shape the business for the next phase. While we want to stay at the boutique end of the wine scene and maintain our high-quality reputation, we want to grow the business steadily, too. We have secured long-term leases on two vineyards that Dermot has been working with for some years and have just acquired our first freehold vineyard in East Sussex, where we will create the winery and cellar-door facility.

DS Robin getting involved immediately allows us to become a grown-up business. For the first 15 years, it was just me. When Ana finished teaching winemaking in 2021, she became Sugrue’s first employee and absolutely transformed the business. Now, with Robin on board, we have real focus and direction. The fact

that he is almost as obsessed with wine as we are is a massive bonus.

RH Dermot and Ana will be making wine from the vineyard at The PIG-in the South Downs. With some luck from the weather gods, we will be making our first vintage of still wines from our own vineyard in 2023.

DS At that little vineyard beside the hotel, the terroir is ideal – perfect South Downs chalk soil. Alex, the head kitchen gardener, is first-rate, and along with Luke, the resident Head of Wine, has shown it a lot of love. We’re eager to get some fruit from it this year – however you've got to be patient with young vineyards, as they need time to establish themselves.

And finally … favourite wine for a Friday night?

DS I taste English wine all the time, however I love European red wines. I need the tannins!

RH Quite often it will be a glass of English fizz on a Friday night, not always a Sugrue – I love to taste the creations from other producers. Find out more at sugruesouthdowns.com. Watch this space for news of our wine, Alpaca Block ‘Field Blend’.

When our founder, Robin Hutson, met award-winning boutique winemaker Dermot Sugrue, they enjoyed a glass or two and started to plot THE PIG’s own wines

“After

“Robin is almost as obsessed with wine as we are”

DERMOT

ROBIN

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ HOTEL & ROOM GUIDE

~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU

~ DORSET CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE RACE TO PROTECT STUDLAND BAY'S SEAHORSES AND SEAGRASS MEADOWS

PEOPLE OFTEN SAY that the manor house of THE PIG-on the beach looks like a gingerbread or fairy-tale house – and we do have a slightly unreal setting, perched on a cliff, looking out to Old Harry Rocks. Studland is where Enid Blyton used to go on holiday, and this area has a hint of The Famous Five to it, with its golden beaches and bays that spell adventure, and a history of pirate stories. Although Studland is part of the mainland, the area is called the Isle of Purbeck and it certainly has an island vibe.

The house was built in 1825 as a seaside bolthole by George Henry Bankes MP, who had a family of 14 children to take on holidays. He spent his retirement enlarging and improving it, hence its higgledy-piggledy appeal. George was a descendant of “Brave Dame Mary” Bankes, who defended Corfe Castle against Cromwell’s troops. Some of the medieval carvings here are believed to have come from the castle. Some others were, shall we say, “rescued” by the MP from the Palace of Westminster, after the fire of 1834. The Bankes family also had a seat at nearby Kingston Lacy, where architect Sir Charles Barry (of Palace of Westminster fame) worked on alterations – many similar gothic revival details can be seen in the hotel.

In World War II, the house was a base for senior military personnel, and in 1944 an observational bunker called Fort Henry was built into the clifftop at the bottom of the garden. King George VI, Winston Churchill and President Eisenhower were among those who came here that year to watch the biggest full-scale invasion exercise using live ammunition carried out as a prelude to D-Day. Fort Henry is now open to visitors and run by the National Trust, and it marks the start of the Jurassic Coast Unesco world heritage site, which stretches west along the coast to Devon. Since the 1950s, the house has been run as a private hotel, but had closed in 2012. We opened as THE PIG-on the beach in summer 2014 and haven’t looked back since. While you’re here, make sure to take some time to enjoy our Kitchen Garden. Here, nestled between the more traditional crops, you will find beds of native sea vegetables, such as sea kale, oyster leaf, and sea orach. With some of the best views around, we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

BEACH THE PIG - ON THE Welcome to

Horse race

IN STUDLAND BAY, DORSET, the glorious stretch of Jurassic coastline overlooked by THE PIG-on the beach, seagrass meadows provide a vital breeding ground for one of Britain’s native protected species: the spiny seahorse.

Seagrass can store up to twice as much carbon per acre as terrestrial forests, making seabed environments comparable to rainforests in terms of their ecological value in removing carbon from the atmosphere. One of the many existential threats to seagrass – and seahorses – is the destructive design of traditional anchor moorings. The heavy metal chains of anchor systems often drag along the seabed, pulling up the fragile seagrass roots hidden beneath the water.

“The problem with the anchors going to the seagrass bed is a bit like ploughing a field, so you get this fragmentation of the seagrass,” explains Neil Garrick-Maidment, founder of The Seahorse Trust, which surveys the seahorse population at Studland Bay regularly.

In 2019, efforts to protect and preserve Studland Bay’s rare seagrass meadows saw the area become a designated Marine Conservation Zone. Further measures to protect local marine life were put in place in 2021, with the introduction of a voluntary no anchor zone and the installation of eco-moorings, which reduce the destruction of seagrass.

These innovative moorings have a helical screw anchor, driven into the seabed and attached to an elastic rode that’s connected to

HOGWASH \ SUMMER

Dorset locals including THE PIG-on the beach are coming together to protect Studland Bay’s seahorses and seagrass meadows

a mooring buoy. The rode stretches at higher tides and contracts at lower tides, avoiding any scouring of the seabed. This creates a hassle-free option for boats, with no need to drop anchor.

The good news is there has been a vast increase in sightings of the seahorses since the introduction of the Marine Conservation Zone measures, with some divers reporting sightings in double figures on multiple dives.

“Seagrass and marine species such as the spiny seahorse are an emblem of British marine life,” says David Brown, an ecologist at the National Trust, “and nature-positive approaches such as these eco-moorings help these precious creatures thrive.”

The Studland Bay Marine Partnership has seen local groups come together in a successful fundraising effort to protect the area’s seagrass and seahorses. The group has raised £66,000 through a mixture of crowdfunding by The Seahorse Trust and generous donations from the National Trust, the Crown Estate and THE PIG-on the beach. The money will enable the installation of 22 eco-moorings, as part of a phased approach, with an overall target to install up to 87 across the bay area.

“These vital funds will enable further protection for the precious seahorse population at Studland Bay,” says Neil. “With dwindling seahorse numbers across the UK, simple steps such as the installation of eco-moorings bring space and time for recovery and will help breathe new life into Studland.”

dorsetcoasthaveyoursay.co.uk/studland-bay-marine-partnership

☞ 3 minutes

Take a moment to admire our beautiful stained-glass window from the main stairway.

☞ 30 minutes

Grab the window seat in our bar and try a homegrown cocktail while enjoying views over Old Harry Rocks – the stunning chalk formations that are part of the Jurassic Coast Unesco world heritage site.

☞ 3 hours

Walk the Priest’s Way section of the South West Coast Path – an ancient track that passes between quarries and across open fields, with some spectacular views along the way.

GET EXPLORING...

From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs (and we’ve tried them all), ideas for outings and more, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

SEAHORSE SUPER FACTS

~ Seahorses’ eyes can move independently on either side of their heads, to look forwards and backwards at the same time.

~ Seahorses can change colour to mimic their surroundings, in order to hide or communicate.

~ Female seahorses have a territory of about 100 square metres; males about half a square metre.

~ The seahorse is the only creature with a truly reversed pregnancy: the female transfers her eggs to the male, who self-fertilises them in his pouch.

THE SPINY SEAHORSE, A PROTECTED SPECIES, THRIVES IN STUDLAND BAY’S SEAGRASS MEADOWS

“Nature-positive approaches such as installing eco-moorings help these precious creatures thrive”

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION? Just call Reception by dialling 0

DIALLING OUT

To call an outside line please dial 9, wait for the change in tone, then dial the area code and number required.

Sheep Hut Treatment Menu

To activate, just select “THE PIG Public” on your wi-fi settings and away you go!

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the Restaurant.

To find out our Restaurant opening times, please call Reception by dialling 0.

ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL - £115

TREATMENTS

To book a treatment in our Sheep Huts, please call Reception by dialling 0.

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

Wander down through the gardens

... out towards the cliffs and into our warm, rustic retreats: nestled away in the grazing fields with the best views out to sea, our two Sheep Hut treatment rooms are quiet and calm and designed to help you really escape it all. Take inspiration from the green surroundings and our coastal location, and enjoy relaxing treatments with natural and organic products by VOYA.

VOYA is an Irish family-run business that shares our ethos of authenticity and wellbeing. The brand’s seaweed-based products and results-driven treatments use the highest-quality botanical ingredients and aromatherapy oils, and are created using sustainable processes and accredited by the Soil Association.

Inspired by the breathtaking natural beauty and longstanding traditions of Ireland’s northwest coast, three generations of the Walton family have harnessed the healing properties of seaweed to create VOYA’s organic beauty products and treatments from the sea. After a day on the beach or a long walk along the headland, wind down with a full body massage or a rejuvenating facial.

This treatment is suitable for all skin types. For those in search of anti-ageing results, the restorative facial uses VOYA’s finest organic ingredients combined with antioxidant algae complexes and a restorative blend of aromatherapy oils. It is this mix of seaweed and botanical ingredients that helps to stimulate collagen production and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, resulting in instantly firmed and tightened skin with a natural and more radiant glow.

RESURFACING RADIANCE FACIAL - £115

This highly effective resurfacing facial targets congested, lacklustre and dull skin. Using a combination of seaweed extract and naturally derived glycolic and lactic acids blended with pineapple fruit enzymes, this facial will give your skin back its natural radiant glow.

UPPER BODY UNWIND - £115

A tailored and luxurious treatment that starts with a warm exfoliation of the back, followed by a soothing back, arm and hand massage. The treatment finishes with a facial oil specific to your skin. We use blended oils to feed your skin, leaving you completely relaxed and nourished.

MUM TO BE - £115

This massage treatment is tailored to suit the specific needs of a mum to be, and provides a peaceful and uplifting experience for mother and bump, which also helps to relieve fatigue and aches at the same time. Suitable for those in their second and third trimester of pregnancy.

HOT STONE MASSAGE - £115

A deeply indulgent body massage, using aromatherapy oils and volcanic stones, which help to simply melt away any tension you may be holding on to. The treatment helps to ease stress and improve blood circulation at the same time. It is said that one stone movement is equivalent to ten hand movements.

BESPOKE MASSAGE - £115

We tailor this massage to make it truly unique and personal to you. Using blended natural oils, the treatment can help relieve any aches and pains, and totally relax the body and mind.

SHED MEETS SPA

Old tobacco tins, gardening tools, balls of twine … Unlikely as it may seem, the decor of our Sheep Hut treatment rooms was inspired by Beatrix Potter’s grumpy gardener, Mr McGregor. “I fill the shelves inside the sheds with the sort of things I’d imagine Mr McGregor would have,” says Judy Hutson, THE PIG’s interior designer. “Oil lamps, vintage bottles, old mugs, garden tools – and, of course, no shed would be complete without a few potted plants. And the massage table is dressed with a big picnic rug.”

In good spirits

Our new drinks partner, Sapling, is a sustainable brand that started life with two friends experimenting in their kitchen

A TREE-PLANTING PROJECT in Scotland led two childhood friends into starting Sapling – a truly sustainable drinks brand.

In their early twenties, Ivo Devereux and Ed Faulkner decided they wanted to start a business together. At the time, Ivo was working in music and Ed in food and drink, but neither felt particularly fulfilled. “We were both passionate about sustainability and the impact we have on our planet,” recalls Ivo. “But we were both aware that the rhetoric at the time was turning people off the conversation, rather than galvanising support for it.”

In search of inspiration, they volunteered for a tree-planting project on the west coast of Scotland. More than 130,000 trees needed planting, a Herculean effort for even the most ardent environmentalists, so the boys set about rallying the locals. Drawing on their expertise, they brought in a sound system, built a makeshift cocktail bar and threw a treeplanting party. “Quite simply, we changed the narrative from, ‘do this amazing thing for the planet,’ to ‘come and have an amazing time with us,’ and it worked a treat. More than 80 people turned up to help.”

It was a eureka moment. The following year, they set up The Island Festival, a three-day music event on Eilean Shona, in an effort to “make sustainability fun”. Every aspect of the festival was carefully conceived to have some kind positive impact – apart from the booze, it turned out. “We just couldn’t find anything that really existed for sustainability,” says Ivo. “It always felt like an afterthought, something to add value to a brand’s narrative.”

And so Sapling was born in Ed’s kitchen in Peckham in 2018, built on the promise to plant a tree for every bottle sold. More moonshine

than the desired potato vodka, the pair’s first homemade batch came out blue, but, unperturbed, they continued to experiment with different recipes, and started working their way round countless distillery tours, soaking up every word. Then they met Charles Maxwell, master distiller at Thames Distillers (and the first inductee to the Gin Magazine Hall of Fame), who quickly convinced the pair to move to a wheat base. “If you’re drinking a potato-based vodka with a meal, it can be a bit harsh or overpowering,” explains Ivo. “You want something smoother and creamier and more biscuity, which is exactly what we’ve achieved.” With Charles they struck gold. Sapling’s award-winning vodkas and Wildfarmed-wheat gins are so good that we’ve decided to use them across THE PIGs as our house pours. We’ve even started working with Ivo and Ed on a couple of new recipes (but that’s all we’re saying for now) and if they turn out anything like Sapling’s new raspberry and hibiscus vodka – made from “wonky” raspberries to further cut down on waste – we’ll be delighted.

“The key thing for us as a business was always to lead the conversation around sustainability in spirits, so what was deemed best practice back in 2018, for example, could be very outdated now,” says Ivo.

Indeed, while Sapling has already planted 110,000 trees and saved 74,224 bottles by offering refills, the boys have quickly come to realise they won’t be able to rest on their laurels. “One of the trickiest but most important parts about being B Corp certified is that we now have to show improvement every year,” grins Ivo. “We’ve got plenty of ideas in the tank, but that is definitely going to keep us on our toes.”

Find out more at saplingspirits.com

“Sapling was built on the promise to plant a tree for every bottle sold”

SAPLING FOUNDERS AND KINDRED SPIRITS IVO DEVEREUX (ABOVE) AND ED FAULKNER (ABOVE RIGHT)

If you’ve enjoyed a Sapling cocktail while staying with us, why not make one for yourself at home. Cheers!

Rosemary Bee’s Knees

• 60ml Sapling Gin

• 20ml lime juice

• 15ml British honey

• 4 rosemary sprigs

• a crack of black pepper

Add all the ingredients (setting aside one rosemary sprig for the garnish) to a cocktail shaker, and muddle the rosemary. Shake and double-strain over ice.

Serve in a rocks glass or tumbler and garnish with a sprig of rosemary.

Garden Bay and Chilli Highball

• 35ml garden honey, bay and chilli syrup

• 50ml Sapling Gin

20ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

• FeverTree soda water to top up (approx. 90ml)

• 2 bay leaves to garnish

For the garden honey, bay and chilli syrup

• 12 large bay leaves

• 250g honey

• 8g chilli flakes (we have made our own from dehydrated, then blended, chillies from the garden last year)

Finely chop the bay leaves and add to a heat-resistant bowl along with the honey and chilli flakes. Add 500ml boiling water and stir until the honey has dissolved. Leave to infuse until the syrup is cold, then pass through a sieve to remove all solids. (For more clarity, we have strained the syrup again through a v60 coffee filter.)

To finish the cocktail, shake all ingredients (except soda) in a cocktail shaker and double-strain into a highball glass over ice. Top with soda water and garnish with 2 bay leaves.

Broad bean & English mozzarella salad

Podding broad beans is endlessly satisfying – the feel of your thumb running along the edge of the pod and then that perfect pop revealing the emerald green jewels inside their velvet overcoat. When they’re fresh and in season, you really don’t need to do much to prepare your beans, leaves and pods – they’re tender and delicious enough just as they are, uncooked. Add soft, fresh cheese – try an English mozzarella such as Buffalicious, which is made with milk from a water buffalo herd – and lots of minty dressing.

Serves 4 as a starter or side dish

• 150g broad beans, podded (shelled weight)

• a few broad bean leaves

400g fresh young broad beans in pods

2 x Buffalicious mozzarella balls, roughly torn salt and pepper

For the garden mint dressing

• 50ml white wine vinegar (infused with 6-8 leaves mint)

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

100ml rapeseed oil

• 8-10 leaves mint, finely chopped a little honey or sugar to taste if needed

For the dressing, infuse your vinegar with mint at least 2 weeks in advance. Place the bruised mint into a jar with the vinegar, seal and leave for 2 weeks.

On the day it’s needed, remove the leaves and mix the minty vinegar and mustard to a smooth paste. Whisk the oil into this and finish with the mint. (Otherwise blend the vinegar and mustard in a small spice grinder, add the oil and mint and blitz.)

Depending on the vinegar you use and your personal preference, you might want to add a little sugar or honey to take the acidity down a notch.

Blanch the podded broad beans for 1½ minutes, drain into a sieve, run some cold water over them, then pop them out of their skins. Pick the leaves off the stalks. Finely slice the young beans in pods.

Combine in a bowl with the mozzarella, salt and pepper and the mint dressing. Toss together and put onto your plates. If you have any cornflowers to hand, add a few petals on top.

IT’S A PIG THING

TO BE THE FUTURE OF CARING AND CONSIDERED HOSPITALITY

AT HEART, THE PIGs are restaurants with rooms where everything starts with the Kitchen Garden. Our gardeners and chefs work hand in hand to create menus brimful of the freshest seasonal flavours. What we can’t grow ourselves, we source from our local heroes – the best farmers, fishermen and foragers we know, who are the foundation of our 25-mile menu. We are obsessive recyclers and restorers: from vintage fabrics and china to DIY onsite smokeries and upcycled chicken sheds, we love anything homemade and ultra-local. Each of our eight PIGs is totally different – we always go with the grain of the place, taking our lead from the spirit of the building to create somewhere that feels lived-in and well loved. The bedrooms are pretty comfy, too!

Rooted in some of the most stunning parts of the English countryside, the places that we are lucky enough to call home are pretty special –with endless things to do and see, tight-knit communities and loads of talent all around. It’s important to us to play a positive role, whether it’s providing employment, sourcing local ingredients, forging links with nearby schools and charities or simply being the go-to place for our neighbours to celebrate their special moments. It’s a privilege to work so collaboratively with all of these local heroes that we count as friends and to play our part in these strong, supportive local communities.

Our PIG people are what really make us tick. We think of the team of almost 1,000 talented colleagues working across our hotels – chefs, kitchen gardeners, waiting staff, bar teams, housekeepers – as a bit like an extended family. From the youngest apprentice to the most experienced manager, they are what make THE PIG a happy place to be and the reason our guests enjoy their time with us. We couldn’t be more proud of them – and you couldn’t be more welcome here!

A CLEAN START

We’re always on the lookout for clever new ways to reduce waste, and when we heard about Clean The World, we knew it was our sort of thing. We already worked with local artisan soap producers to create smaller bars, to minimise our environmental impact, but throwing away used soap between guest stays still bothered us. Our new partnership means our housekeeping teams now collect used bars at the end of your stay and send them to Clean the World. There they are sanitised, ground into soap ‘noodles’, lab-tested and formed into new bars. That soap is then distributed to vulnerable communities internationally, who really need it. Learn more at cleantheworld.org.

Paul is fundraising for our chosen charities

ACTION AGAINST HUNGER

A world without life-threatening hunger is possible. That’s the view of Action Against Hunger, a charity that works internationally to deliver life-saving care and to lead research on how to prevent and treat life-threatening hunger.

HOSPITALITY ACTION

Hospitality Action was established in 1837 and has since offered vital assistance to all who work, or have worked, within hospitality in the UK. From physical illness or mental health issues to financial difficulty or family problems, this charity offers help, advice and support whenever times get tough. .

Paul Trifanov

Our colleagues get up to some amazing things in their spare time, none more so than THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay kitchen porter Paul Trifanov. After developing a taste for running during lockdown, Paul decided to take on the extraordinary challenge of running the Montane Dragon’s Back Race, often dubbed the toughest mountain race in the world, a 380km, six-day ultra-race across the most rugged Welsh terrain. It's all in aid of two of THE PIG’s chosen charities – now that’s what we call going the extra mile. Here he explains how it all came about.

I STARTED WORKING at THE PIG-on the beach in 2015. I had just finished college and heard about the role from a friend of mine who was a waiter here, and I thought it sounded like a great opportunity. The locations are so great – so far I’ve worked shifts at Beach, Harlyn Bay, Combe, Brockenhurst and Bath. I also enjoy the atmosphere in the kitchen – it can be stressful, but we help each other out.

I HAD BEEN A RUNNER BEFORE COLLEGE, but not competitively. When I moved to the UK and started working I was looking for a way to quit smoking and be more healthy, so I started running again at THE PIG-on the Beach in 2016 but I wasn’t strong enough. Then, during lockdown, I started running again and have done so consistently since the last lockdown in January 2021.

I LOVE THAT the Cornish coastline has such varied scenery. (I’ve also come to love Cornish pasties and Cornish beer. But in moderation – at least until I’ve run the Dragon’s Back!)

IN 2021, I RAN IN THE HOSPITALITY ACTION CHALLENGE with colleagues. I enjoyed looking at the daily leader boards – it definitely inspired my competitive spirit! Then, last year, I set myself a target of running 700 miles in one month, which I’m pleased to say I achieved. Teams across THE PIGs aimed to raise £40,000; in the end, we raised £53,996.

I FIRST HEARD about Dragon’s Back from our head chef here, Adam. Robin Hutson’s trainer, Shaun, told him about it and Robin knew I enjoyed running, so got in touch with Adam. Initially, I thought it was a race along the coastline, but after I found out it was across mountains I thought, “This is what I’m looking for.” I’m very excited - I like challenges – and this one is extreme. I’ll be running with Shaun.

THE CHARITIES WE’LL BE FUNDRAISING FOR are Action Against Hunger and Hospitality Action. I’ve worked in hospitality for nearly eight years now and it’s a great way to support people working in my industry who might find themselves in difficult circumstances, while also doing something I love.

I HAVE MY EYE ON a race called Cape Wrath Ultra in the Scottish Highlands – maybe that could be my next challenge?

FAMOUS PIGS OF HISTORY

Spotter’s guide: swifts

Swifts are among the loveliest signs of summer, swooping through the skies from early May until they depart in August for warmer parts. They appear black in flight, but are actually sooty brown with a white throat, and are recognisable by their forked tails and curved, scythe-like wings. With declining populations, they are a less common sight than they used to be... so make sure to enjoy the view when you spot one.

BEFORE IT WAS A PIG...

Which legendary rock band was paid £100 to perform at Bridge Country Club (the building that's now home to THE PIG-at Bridge Place) on 13 December 1968?

Clue: on the night they played Communication Breakdown.

[Answer on page 3]

As a matter of fact

Mother Ivey’s Bay, Cornwall, is named for a witch who put a curse on a local man when he wouldn’t share ... what? a) His unsold fish b) The best spot on the beach C) His secret recipe

[Answer on page 3].

PIG HACKS NO. 1

How to make a coffee table out of an apple crate...

To help support birdlife, we have installed 149 nesting boxes across our PIGS.

THE PIG IN NUMBERS...

33,418

kg of fruit and vegetables harvested at THE PIGs in 2022

07/2011

Calling all upcyclers! We love a design hack at THE PIG, and this has to be one of our favourites.

1. Find yourself a nice old wooden apple crate.

2. Decide whether you want it sideways-on as a coffee table or end-up as a taller bedside table.

3. Get a glazier to cut you a piece of glass to sit on top. Voilà!

date the first PIG opened, in Brockenhurst

715 trees planted by THE PIGS since 2011