THE PIG-in the wall | 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

~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE

~ WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE

~ SOUTHAMPTON CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE PIG'S INSIDER TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF THE CITY

Welcome to

THE PIG - IN THE

WE NEVER REALLY INTENDED TO HAVE a city hotel, but when we came across our historic townhouse, a truly unique Grade II listed private residence tucked into Southampton’s ancient walls, we just fell for it.

Our hotel was originally built as a private residence around 1820 and owned by the Countess Elizabeth Craven, an author and playwright, although she never actually lived here. In the late 1880s, for a while it was also a brewery and then a cosy pub, the Royal Standard. To create our PIG-in the wall, we also managed to purchase the adjacent house, adding more bedrooms.

The Western Esplanade we are nestled in once fronted right onto the water. To the right of our hotel (as you face it) you’ll find the city’s West Gate, built in 1338. It’s through this archway that Henry V and his troops marched on their way to Agincourt in 1415. Along the city walls, you’ll find all manner of plaques and signs leading you on a historic trail through Southampton. From here, it’s effortlessly easy to dip into the city’s storied past, at venues such as the Tudor House & Garden, the Medieval Merchant’s House, and the ruins of Holyrood Church.

THE PIG-in the wall is yours to enjoy as a characterful base for making the most of the city and its surroundings. If you fancy taking to the water, we’re also just a short ferry ride from the Isle of Wight.

WALL

If walls could talk

SOUTHAMPTON IS SO MUCH MORE than just a place to grandly sail into or out of, as you’ll soon see if you spend time with us here at THE PIG-in the wall. We’re a city-centre bolthole with more character than most: a converted 19th-century residence nestled in the middle of this port city’s medieval Western Esplanade. We’re within easy reach of the stunning Hampshire countryside and coast, with the New Forest National Park and the Isle of Wight just a short drive or ferry-ride away. And there’s a winning combination of storied landmarks and decidedly contemporary shopping and entertainment on offer in the city.

Your tour starts here...

~ Right on our doorstep is the Southampton Old Town walking route, a 1.6 mile circular stroll that highlights the city’s medieval history and includes some stunning turret-top viewpoints. You’ll find the route at historicsouthampton.co.uk.

~ Eight-hundred years of history are waiting to be discovered at Tudor House & Garden, an interactive museum in one of the oldest buildings in Southampton. Step outside for a beautiful re-creation of a traditional Tudor knot garden.

Make the most of your Southampton stay with our insider’s guide to the best things to do in the historic port city and beyond

RETAIL THERAPY

Westquay, just five-minutes' walk from us, is a handy shopping destination with a wide range of high-street stores, as well as a food court, cinema and bowling alley.

In nearby Winchester, you’ll find the Lower High Street general market every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and a different offering each Sunday – from art and antiques to a farmers’ market.

Seaside designer outlet

Gunwarf Quays in Portsmouth offers discounted stock from more than 90 brands. Stay for lunch or head up the 170-metre Spinnaker Tower for afternoon tea with spectacular views over the Solent.

LIVE PERFORMANCE

The historic Mayflower Theatre, just 20 minutes’ walk from THE PIG-in the wall, stages quality comedy nights and music events, as well as hosting touring West End productions. If you're staying with us in September, check out the Southampton International Boat Show, which takes place right outside our front door, showcasing everything from paddleboards to superyachts.

Discover your new favourite band at Southampton’s iconic local music venue the Joiners, or catch well-known artists on tour at Saint Mary’s Stadium.

ISLAND ADVENTURE

Just across the street from THE PIG-in the wall is the Red Funnel ferry terminal to the Isle of Wight. The crossing takes just under an hour and docks in the bustling town of East Cowes, and the ferry takes both foot and car passengers. With sandy beaches, seafront promenades and quaint towns, there is plenty to explore on this 22-mile-wide island. Our favourite spots include PIG suppliers The Garlic Farm, Queen Victoria’s holiday home, Osborne house, and the dramatic coastline at the Needles.

WALKING IT OFF

Just outside Southampton is the Itchen Way, a 30-mile river walk that can be joined from many spots along the route. Enjoy the scenery and keep your eyes peeled for kingfishers and seals.

Or head to the New Forest National Park, which has more than 150 walking trails through ancient woodlands, wetlands and open heathland. See the ponies, cows and even pigs roaming the forest, and pop into one of the pretty villages for a spot of lunch.

There are also several country parks nearby, perfect for family walks and cafe stops. A couple of PIG favourites are Lepe and Royal Victoria.

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ...

☞ 3 minutes

Step across the street from us to the American Wall, which bears the signatures of American soldiers from World War II.

☞ 30 minutes

Cross the road and take a stroll in waterside Mayflower Park. Or pop into the Dancing Man Brewery for a cheeky drink.

☞ 3 hours

Drive to the New Forest and immerse yourself in the beauty of nature. For dinner, book a table at THE PIG, in Brockenhurst, and enjoy our 25-mile menu and a Kitchen Garden tipple after a garden stroll.

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.

~ The SeaCity Museum, just a 15-minute walk from THE PIG, includes the fascinating Southampton’s Titanic Story display, with objects and messages from onboard the ship.

~ The engaging, family-friendly National Motor Museum, a 30-minute drive away in Beaulieu, takes visitors on a journey from the first motor carriages to today’s high-speed record breakers.

~ Motor down the M27 to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, where you can walk the deck of the famous HMS Victory or get up-close to the incredible remains of Henry VIII’s flagship, the Mary Rose.

~ Just over the River Test at the Eling Tide Mill Experience, you’ll learn how tidal energy has powered this flour mill for 900 years. Enjoy the beautiful riverside walk, then reward yourself with a brew and slice of cake at the cafe.

~ It’s a 15-minute train ride to Winchester to take in the architecture of the famous cathedral and the Great Hall, where you’ll find the Round Table of Arthurian legend on display.

~ Hurst Castle, a remote fortress at Milford on Sea built by Henry VIII, offers panoramic Solent views. On your way back, stop off at the Georgian market town of Lymington for fish’n’chips at Deep Blue. We like to get a takeaway and find a bench by the quay.

We are all about relaxed deli-dining here at THE PIG-in the wall, rather than the full PIG restaurant experience. Being tucked away in the city of Southampton we don’t have our own Kitchen Garden on site, but we are still totally committed to homegrown and local produce!

Daily deliveries from the Kitchen Garden at THE PIG, Brockenhurst – which is only 20 minutes’ drive away – and our local suppliers from Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight mean that our menus change just as regularly.

Our menu is a pig’n’mix selection of freshly prepared delicounter salads, hearty larger plates, such as the pie of the day, as well as quiche, our snack boards, piggy bits and sweet treats.

Beetroot & goat’s cheese

Serves 2 as a starter or 4 as a side

• 1kg mixed beetroot (golden and purple)

• 4 sprigs rosemary

☞ VISIT OUR NEIGBOURING PIG

If you’ve enjoyed lots of the fresh, seasonal produce in our deli bar dishes, the chances are some of it was grown in the Kitchen Garden at THE PIG, just 20 minutes down the road from us in the New Forest. Our very first PIG is situated in the most bucolic of settings, in a lovely old stone house in the leafy countryside outside Brockenhurst, alongside its abundant walled Kitchen Garden. If you’ve time, why not head over there for lunch, dinner or just a drink in the bar – followed by a mooch around the veg beds!

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.

• 1 whole garlic

• 200g creamy mild goat’s cheese

• 100ml rapeseed oil

• Salt and pepper

Place the beets in separate pans (to stop the colours bleeding) and cover with cold water. Put 1 sprig of rosemary and a quarter of the garlic in each pan. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer.

Finely chop the rest of the rosemary and garlic.

Heat the oven to 200°C, 180°C fan (400°F), Gas Mark 6.

Once the beetroot is tender, drain, and when it’s cool enough to handle, peel off the skin (you might want to wear gloves to stop your hands going pink!). Cut the beetroot into chunks and mix with rosemary, garlic, oil, salt and pepper.

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.

Spread on a baking tray and roast in the oven until the beetroot has nice crispy edges. Allow to cool slightly and arrange on a large plate. Crumble the goat’s cheese over the top and serve.

To book a treatment in our Potting Sheds, please call Reception by dialling 0.

TREATMENTS

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

We do things a little differently to the rest of the PIGS

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