Hogwash issue 03 | THE PIG Hotels by THE PIG Hotels

SPRING

NO 3

2024

Hogwash THE SEASONAL DISPATCH

BEST BUDS

Our homegrown vineyard Proper fish pie Why we all need more seaweed (and spa treats)

+ hotel guide + news + outings + recipes HOGWASH \ SPRING

PIGGY BITS

FOR AG ER’S PICKS... All our hotel kitchens love to make the most of wild, seasonal produce. Over the years, we’ve built relationships with a network of brilliant foragers, who bring us the best goodies hiding on our doorstep. These picks are from Giuseppe, our master forager at THE PIG-on the beach.

We’re retreating Need a breather? If there’s anyone who wouldn’t benefit from the self-care of some good food, gentle exercise and time in nature – possibly with a few cocktails and spa treatments thrown in – we haven’t met them yet. THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay is delighted to be offering limited places for its Ground & Grow retreat weekends, in collaboration with our friends at Cabilla Cornwall. As well as enjoying the hospitality and food of THE PIGat Harlyn Bay, guests will be welcomed to Cabilla Cornwall’s unique retreat destination for activities including a meditation and yoga class (with a soundtrack of live classical music), a guided tour of the extraordinary temperate rainforest on the grounds and a chance to plant a tree yourself. You’re also invited to go wild swimming at Harlyn Bay and OUR warm up in the sea sauna. NEW PIGS After-dinner speakers, More PIGs are coming soon. We an evening cocktail are so excited about them – and will be and Potting Shed working hard to create places that we know you’ll love. Look out for more news spa treatments help soon about… to complete the offering. Sounds like THE PIG–on the farm, Stratford-upon-Avon, opening at the end of 2024 the perfect way to stay THE PIG–at Groombridge, grounded. Tunbridge Wells, opening in The next retreats take place summer 2025 19-21 January and 8-11 March; thepighotel.com

JANUARY Douglas fir has an orangey smell and is great to infuse with gin, add into ice cream or serve with game – a port and Douglas fir sauce goes well with venison. Sea spinach can be either stir-fried or wilted to go with fish. It’s also excellent on breakfast toast, with smoked salmon and poached eggs. Alexanders are plants that taste good simply boiled, served with a knob of butter.

FEBRUARY Wild chives are useful for infusing oil or chopped as a garnish. Three-cornered garlic works with fish, meat or vegetables. Its vibrant green colour makes it pretty to use with butter for garlic bread. Wild violet has an amazing aroma. Make a syrup and use in desserts such as panna cotta or as a garnish for cocktails and ice cream.

MARCH Gorse flowers have a delicate, coconutlike smell and can be used to make liquor or syrup. Wild garlic can be used in the same way as three-cornered garlic or to colour pasta dough. You can also blanch the wild garlic flower buds for a minute and serve them with a drizzle of olive oil. Rock samphire has an aniseed flavour; pickle it to serve with fish.

LOCAL GUIDE: TURN TO THE CENTRE PAGES FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO ENJOY YOUR STAY. ALL YOUR ESSENTIAL

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artichokes, Jerusalem

☞ How it all started

artichokes

Here at the PIGs, we love sourcing delicious things that aren’t easy to get your hands on elsewhere. So, when our friend Ben Smith, a talented winemaker, told us of some unclaimed pinot noir on a nearabandoned Sussex vineyard in 2022, we were intrigued.

WE'RE WE AND WE'RE PLANTING… Leeks, spring onions, cabbages, tomatoes, aubergines, peppers and even more winter

☞ Roll out the barrels

salads!

Under Ben’s supervision, the wine was aged in Burgundy oak barrels to enhance its texture and complexity. Regular tasting by Ben and the PIGs’ wine team helped determine the perfect time for bottling and release.

Notes from the Kitchen Garden Our Kitchen Garden supremo Ollie shares a spring update harvest between November and February. These produce masses of small tubers with a crunchy texture and a nuttiness not dissimilar to water chestnuts – it’s crucial to put a few aside for replanting in March. March is also when we turn to our rhubarb and sea kale crowns, which require “forcing” later in the month and into April. This cultivation process includes time spent growing in total darkness, which produces pale, tender shoots that are sweeter than those grown in summer. Sea kale grows on many shingle beaches in the UK and has long been enjoyed by foragers. An absolute delicacy to those in the know, it is now in demand from top chefs all over the country – including ours. Our gardening teams are always happy to show you what’s new, so if you’re at a PIG, come and see what we’re up to. Meet you by the veg beds!

patches, peek into the polytunnels and even say hello to our four-legged friends. There’s always plenty to see and we’ll be venturing out rain or shine, so pull on your boots and join us. thepighotel.com/events/walled-garden-wanderings

☞ Ready to drink The team describe the ﬁnished result, a wine we’ve called Abandoned Pinot Noir, as having “an elegant and pure nose – it’s a basket of ripe, wild berries underlaid by a savoury and subtly earthy backdrop”.

☞ Try it yourself The hand-numbered bottles are being sold exclusively across the PIGs at £75. There are just 250 available – and once they’re gone, they’re gone. But watch out for more “abandoned” wine, from our vineyard at THE PIG-at Groombridge later this year.

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Enjoy a free guided tour of our Kitchen Gardens at THE PIG-at Combe, THE PIGnear Bath and THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay, every last Friday of the month at 11am. Our kitchen gardeners will help you explore the veg

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The story behind our limited edition Abandoned Pinot Noir

colder months, Chinese

Join us in our Kitchen Gardens

ONE OF A KIND WINE

gap”kales, such as Red Russian, that grow in

It’s an exciting time in the Kitchen Gardens and beyond, as we prepare for the 2024 growing season. Our central nursery in the New Forest, where we do all of our propagation, is in full swing. We completed the first sowing in late December, and more trays of seedlings are being sown every week. Towards the end of January and into February, we’ll sow over 2,000 tomato, pepper and aubergine plants to grow in our greenhouses and polytunnels over the summer. In the Kitchen Gardens, we’ll continue to harvest our winter salads, leeks and brassicas daily, until the last produce in April. As each of these beds finish, we’ll start to plant our seedlings, ready for some early harvests to bridge the “hungry gap”: the period when winter crops have ended, but the new season’s plantings aren’t yet ready. Our crops in the colder months include Chinese artichokes (aka crosne), which we

RIGHT NOW, WE RE HARVESTING… WE' WE'RE Winter salads,“hungry-

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

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subtlety and finesse. When you use smaller barrels, the imprint of the barrel can be much more noticeable.” Named after the vineyard’s previous occupants (and hence why the soil is so well fertilised), Alpaca Block (2023) will be a still rosé combining pinot noir, pinot meunier and gamay grapes from the vines at THE PIG-in the South Downs with seyval blanc from the vineyard at Groombridge Place, our next PIG opening. “Gamay, the main variety of the Beaujolais region, is extremely rare in the UK,” says Dermot. “It’s a really ambitious and adventurous move from Robin, but I think it could make some exceptional wine should we get a particularly warm summer. Meanwhile, the vines at Groombridge were planted in 1989, and they look very, very good.” That British winemaking is in such rude health really is bittersweet. “Yes, we have talent, expertise and investment, but,” Dermot believes, “we are where we are also on account of climate change. Thirty years ago, we simply couldn’t make the wines we’re making today and in 10 years, we’ll be able to grow even more varieties. Grape vines are an incredibly precise barometer for temperature increases,” he cautions. “Their ripeness level is made visceral by heat.” As much as we might appreciate more balmy grape-growing conditions in the UK in general, human-induced climate change definitely isn’t a price that any of us can afford to pay for them. In that sense, it would be for the best if we are now at the limits of where English vineyard temperatures will climb to. But there are also some more straightforwardly positive ways in which the forecast for UK winemakers looks bright. With English-made wines, including those of Sugrue South Downs, consistently winning internationally recognised prizes at the highest levels, the stigma of wine from this part of the world – once regarded as such an oddity – seems to have been shaken off for good. As for how our Alpaca Block will be received? According to the expert, all the elements for success seem to be in place. All we can do now is wait. If you are visiting THE PIG-in the South Downs, ask the team for a roam around the vineyard. And keep an eye on our wine lists – you can expect to see the first bottles of Alpaca Block appearing on there later this year!

“We’ve got the most magnificent winemaking conditions here”

HARVEST TIME AT THE PIG’S SOUTH DOWNS VINEYARD

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FOR AS LONG AS WE CAN REMEMBER, it’s been the dream of our founder, Robin, to make his own wine. Granted, we’ve collaborated with various local winemakers, and that has certainly scratched an itch, but it doesn’t compare to making wine from your own grapes, grown in your own vineyard on your own parcel of land. That is wine you can really call your own. “Robin’s passion for English wine really manifested when he acquired THE PIG-in the South Downs,” says English-winemaking royalty Dermot Sugrue, founder of the much-awarded Sugrue South Downs. “Over the past 20 years, we’ve proven that you can produce exceptional wines with that chalky South Downs terroir. It seemed absolutely appropriate for him to plant a vineyard there.” In early 2020, we did just that and, as predicted, four summers later we harvested a bumper crop of grapes. Our first vintage (2023) is maturing as we speak, and it couldn’t be in safer hands. Dermot has agreed to be our chief vintner, and having recently moved his operations to the beautiful Bee Tree Vineyard, 30 miles from THE PIG-in the South Downs, the Irishman sounds like a winemaker reborn. “It’s the first winery that Ana (Dermot’s wife and fellow winemaker) and I have actually owned, and it’s here that we’ll make wine for the PIG,” he says, barely containing his excitement, midway through the harvest. “It’s just the most ideal location – all you can hear is birdsong, the views are impeccable and we’re protected on all sides by ancient woodland. We’ve got the most magnificent winemaking conditions.” Anyone particularly well acquainted with our wine list may recognise the name Bee Tree. Dermot has already created a couple of wines for us – THE PIG Reserve (2019) and Lobster Shed Pink (2018) – using grapes from that very vineyard, and there’s good reason why the wine tastes so unique. “We’re making wine using 600-litre oak barrels called demi-muids, typically used in the Rhône Valley,” explains Dermot, who honed his craft in Bordeaux before spending 16 years with Wiston Estate. “They’re incredibly difficult to source, but perfect for producing delicate sparkling wines.” “Given the barrels’ size, the contact with the oak is very light,” he adds. “That suits the style of wine that we’re making, which is all about

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THE CON VERSA TION

“Massage and f o t r a p e r a k r o w body Indian culture” Our Potting Shed treatment rooms are all about holistic wellbeing – an approach we share with our friends at spa brand VOYA OUR LEGENDARY Spa Operations Manager, Harpreet Ghatora, shapes the wellbeing offering at our PIGs. Here, she chats about her holistic approach with Lucy Pike Bowyer, UK Sales Manager at VOYA. A family-run business, VOYA harnesses the natural benefits of organic seaweed harvested off the Irish coast to create scrubs, body wraps and spa treatment products that we are proud to offer in our Potting Shed treatment huts and wagons. LUCY The partnership between VOYA and the PIGs feels to me like two businesses coming together with a shared vision. Both companies were created by families striving to make something exceptional, and both have the same values – sustainability and local sourcing – but also a belief in the power and beauty of nature and its surroundings. HARPREET Our treatment spaces are surrounded by beautiful countryside, medicinal herbs and animals in their natural environments, and in my experience that definitely makes a difference to wellbeing. The PIGs also have the cosiest treatment rooms, made with reclaimed wood – an environment that also supports me as a therapist. To deliver the best treatments, therapists want to feel grounded and balanced. And speaking of treatments, let’s talk about seaweed …

LPB Always a good idea. HG One of the reasons we use VOYA products is the power of seaweed for wellbeing. LPB VOYA has grown from the Irish wellness tradition of seaweed bathing, which dates back hundreds of years. The benefits of seaweed are phenomenal. From Laminaria digitata seaweed, we can stimulate the production of type 1 collagen within our skin, for example. Then there’s the phenomenal antioxidant power of seaweed to help fight free-radical damage. Historically, it’s been used to help skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis and acne, but also to address physical and mental fatigue, because seaweed can help to stimulate the lymphatic and circulation systems. HG I grew up in a household that believed in treating and healing the body, mind and spirit holistically. Massage and bodywork are very much part of Indian culture. When I was younger, people would often come to the house to ask my father or mother to help treat their ailments, whether physical, mental or spiritual. As a child, I remember being fascinated by that. LPB It sounds like that was formative for your approach to wellness today. How would you define a holistic approach to health?

“The benefits of seaweed are phenomenal” LUCY

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HARPREET HG Holistic health is nothing more than the concept that the body, mind and spirit should be considered as a complete organism – the health or sickness of each individual part affects the whole. So, instead of using medicine to target specific areas or functions of the body, holistic medicine aims to improve the health of the entire system. LPB Since the Covid-19 pandemic, at VOYA we’ve noticed more clients coming to us with the sense of our spa and wellbeing treatments being something they are doing for their mental as well as physical wellbeing. The first product we launched, back in 2006, was our Lazy Days seaweed bath, and that’s one that people can use at home. But in the postpandemic period, we’re seeing a lot of people who want to return to in-person treatments. HG When it comes to in-person treatments, the power of touch and connection is the single most important aspect. My approach is to treat your guest and their body with love, respect and care. If, as therapists, we can maintain a sense of curiosity about the body, this helps shape massage technique and ensures every treatment is bespoke to each guest. LPG We love that the PIGs take an individual approach to every guest. Our drive at VOYA is to continue to help create those amazing experiences. That’s what we think about when we look forwards, and we do that by building on hundreds of years of proven traditional wellness treatments. So it’s also about honouring the past. HG Absolutely. The power of touch and connection with other human beings can convey comfort, empathy and compassion. At the PIGs we are all about being homegrown, authentic and real. Try VOYA products whenever you book a treatment at one of our PIGs – you’ll find the treatment menu inside this issue of Hogwash. If you’re a guest at THE PIG-in the wall, your nearest Potting Shed treatment rooms will be at THE PIG, Brockenhurst

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE ~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU ~ KENT CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO ~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR LOVELY NEW STREAM WAGONS

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IT’S FITTING THAT THE FIRST OWNER of Bridge Place should have been known for the good table, good wines and good company he kept. Bridge Place was built in about 1638 by Sir Arnold Braems, the first manager of Dover Harbour. It was a society attraction – the Dutch painter Willem Schellinks visited in 1661 and reported that Sir Arnold kept a princely table and had many visits from knights and high-born gentlemen and ladies. Second only to Chilham Castle in east Kent, it was painted by society artists Jan Siberechts and Adriaen Jansz. By the early 18th century, the house was falling on hard times and was sold to neighbouring landowners who pulled down much of the property – the current building is just one wing of the original. Glory days returned in the 1960s, when it became a much-loved music venue. The arched wooden door to the sitting room was once the entrance to a nightclub where Led Zeppelin, The Kinks and The Yardbirds all played early gigs. The rural location meant there were few neighbours to disturb. These days, we also use this idyllic Kentish location to nurture our Kitchen Garden, accessed via a bridge and practically on its own island. Here, you will find productive raised beds brimming with vegetables, our Alitex Mottisfont greenhouse and our polytunnels, which help to nurture tender crops with heating and lighting. Today, the knights and rock stars have departed – or not, depending on who your fellow guests are. But with plenty of lovingly refurbished, original features to soak up, a stunning countryside setting and the PIG’s emphasis on the best local Kentish produce, this remains a very special house where the good times always roll.

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All treatments are 60 minutes and £115 RESURFACING RADIANCE FACIAL 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. ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL A treatment that is suitable for all skin types. For those in search of anti-ageing results, this 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. UPPER BODY UNWIND A luxurious tailored treatment that starts with a warm exfoliation of the back, followed by a soothing back, arm and hand massage, and finishes with a facial oil specific to your skin. We use blended oils to feed your skin, leaving you completely relaxed and nourished.

Wander through the walled Kitchen Garden... ... past the raised beds, alongside the river and into our warm rustic retreats: our Potting Shed treatment rooms, quiet and calm and designed to help you escape it all. Take inspiration from the garden surroundings and experience deeply relaxing full body and facial treatments using products by VOYA, made only with natural and organic ingredients and accredited to the highest standards by the Soil Association. VOYA is an Irish familyrun business that shares our ethos of authenticity and wellbeing. The brand’s seaweed-based products and results-driven treatments use top-quality botanicals and aromatherapy oils, and are all created using sustainable processes.

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HOT STONE MASSAGE A deeply indulgent body massage, using aromatherapy oils and volcanic stones, which help to melt away tension, ease stress and improve blood circulation. It is said that one stone movement is equivalent to ten hand movements. The following treatments can be enjoyed in our new Treatment Wagon, tucked away in a tranquil corner of the sheep field. We are

ORGANIC WARM SPICED MUD WRAP Seaweed from Ireland produces a mud wrap rich in potent antioxidants and minerals, infused with aromatic spices of ginger and orange. This wrap has immediate and noticeable effects on the skin, including firming and toning. It is also a serious detoxifier, metabolism stimulator and a natural anti-ageing boost.

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Old tobacco tins, gardening tools, balls of twine … Unlikely as it may seem, the decor of our Potting Shed 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.”

unable to take two bookings of these treatments at the same time.

Our therapists have been professionally trained to offer safe and effective spa treatments for those with cancer. Just ask at Reception to speak to one of the Potting Shed team if you would like to know more.

SHED MEETS SPA

MUM TO BE This massage treatment is tailored to suit the specific needs of a mum to be, and provides a peaceful and uplifting experience that also helps to relieve fatigue and aches. Suitable for those in their second and third trimester of pregnancy.

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ORGANIC OCEAN ESSENCE TOTAL BODY WRAP Combining the detoxifying power of Fucus serratus and the cellulitereducing abilities of Laminaria digitata seaweed, this treatment stimulates the blood and lymph flow, detoxifies and hydrates the skin and encourages the renewal of skin cells. FULL BODY SUGAR SCRUB This refreshing all-over exfoliation treatment awakens the skin and body using an uplifting mix of organic peppermint leaf, seaweed and sugar to invigorate, exfoliate and nourish. Afterwards, enjoy a shower and finish off with an all-over deeply nourishing body cream.

PL ANKBRIDGE FOUNDERS RICHARD AND JANE (BELOW ), CHECK OUT OUR NEW STREAM WAGONS

Field trip Inspired by Victorian shepherd’s huts, our new wagons at Bridge Place have indoor and outdoor baths, showers, stoves and more. No shepherd ever had it this good

“THE WAGONS THAT WE MAKE FOR THE PIG have what I can honestly only describe as a certain magic,” says Plankbridge founder Richard Lee, speaking by phone from close to the HQ of his wagon-building business, near Dorchester in Dorset. Stepping out of his workshop for a breath of fresh air, Richard is strolling outside as he speaks, looking down to the valley below where in Victorian times huts were wheeled out to provide shelter for shepherds lambing and tending to vast flocks. When founding the business in the early 2000s, Richard and his partner, Jane, were inspired to create huts and wagons that evoked the cosy, nurturing atmosphere of these shelters. Yet for all the rustic atmosphere, no shepherd could have dreamed of the conveniences of the two new Stream Wagons at THE PIG-at Bridge THE PIG-AT BRIDGE PL ACE \HOGWASH HOGWA SH\ SUMMER \ SPRING

“There’s even a private area with a discreet outdoor bath” Place. As well as a cast-iron bath and large walk-in shower, they are kitted out with oil-filled radiators and a wood-burning stove, while a side door leads to an outdoor shower. Just outside the hut, which sleeps two, there’s even a private area with a discreet outdoor bath. All this is set in a suitably secluded Kent countryside spot by Nailbourne stream, in the grounds of the property. “The PIG is a unique customer in that we use materials that they themselves choose to supply us with, such as beautiful reclaimed timber,” continues Richard, whose business has also created treatment huts and accommodation at multiple PIG locations, including Harlyn Bay and Combe. “The location of the new wagons means they are probably the most private of the rooms we have here, other than the lodges, so that is part of their appeal, too,” adds Freya, the Deputy General Manager at THE PIG-at Bridge Place, when we call in for a wagonrelated chat. To reach the setting, “You walk down a path as if you’re going out into the woods to stay in them,” she explains. The huts also “have an outdoor seating area where you can have your morning coffee feeling that you’re in the middle of nature. And, of course, the outdoor and indoor baths are a selling point, plus the lovely wood-burning stoves heat up the room in an instant.” “Because of the age of the building and the main house not being that big, we’ve already got a number of different styles of bedrooms, and these new wagons fit in perfectly and add something else again,” agrees her colleague Jamie, the Hotel Director (see page 15 for more on him). “The main house bedrooms date from 1638, so people really like them. The majority of our rooms are in the Coach House, which is made from reclaimed brickwork, then there’s our seriously spruced-up barn, our Hop Pickers’ Huts … we have so many categories of bedroom and this is another one. A truly unique one.” Book your stay at thepighotel.com/at-bridge-place

The PIG wagons at home Liked your wagon stay with us so much you’d like to acquire one of your own? “We’ve had people phoning us from their wagons, such as from THE PIG-at Combe, asking if we can make one just the same for them,” says Richard. “And the answer to that used to be no, but now it’s yes! We’ve already had our ﬁrst order.” There are some caveats for those who want to order such winning style on wheels, including the fact that the designs can’t be a mix-andmatch or a partial-PIG look. It’s the real deal or nothing – and it’s now available in your garden. Tempted by your own wagon? Visit plankbridge.com

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Head to the restaurant to take a look at our impressive pickle-jar wall. While you’re here, you can chat to our chefs about what’s on the menu through our open kitchen.

☞ 30 minutes

Put your feet up in one of our bar and lounge areas and read one of our own PIG books, while enjoying a slice of homemade cake.

☞ 3 hours

Head to Canterbury and check out the medieval cathedral. A couple of doors along, you’ll ﬁnd specialist wine shop Corkk, where you can taste an array of English wines.

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

QR codes you’ll want to scan Go straight to Things to Do on our website

THE HUTS SIT IN A PEACEFUL, SECLUDED SPOT – IDEAL FOR OUTDOOR BATHING

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Download two of our favourite walking routes

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ HOTEL & ROOM GUIDE ~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU ~ SUSSEX CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO ~ THE INSIDE STORY OF OUR VERY OWN MR PICKLE

THERE’S A QUINTESSENTIAL ENGLISHNESS and gentle grandeur to the South Downs in this part of Sussex, where the villages don’t get much more hidden away than Madehurst. But if you know where to look, you’ll find our elegant Georgian house, not so far from the more prominent Arundel Castle. Historically, Madehurst Lodge, as the house was previously known, was part of the neighbouring Dale Park Estate. Land for the estate was purchased piece by piece in 1780 by the then MP for Arundel, Sir George Thomas (grandson of the Governor of Pennsylvania), who planted extensive woodlands. He is buried beneath the altar in St Mary’s, the village church, where there are also monuments for both George and his wife, Sophia, who remained in the house after his death. For many years, Madehurst Lodge was owned by the Barron family, who were champions of organic farming and early supporters of the Soil Association. They sold the house to the Tod family, who remained here from 1971 to 2017, when the PIG’s story here began. Our move included a long and careful process of converting the house and outbuildings, and making sure we can gather a plentiful daily harvest from our carefully tended Kitchen Garden, as well as planting our first-ever vineyard, before proudly opening to guests in September 2021.

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Potting Shed Treatment Menu

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All treatments are 60 minutes and £115 RESURFACING RADIANCE FACIAL This highly effective resurfacing facial targets congested, lacklustre and dull skin. Using a combination of seaweed extract, naturally derived glycolic and lactic acids blended with pineapple fruit enzymes, this facial will give your skin back its natural radiant glow. ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL A treatment suitable for all skin types. For those in search of antiageing results, this 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. UPPER BODY UNWIND A luxurious tailored treatment that starts with a warm exfoliation of the back, followed by a soothing back, arm and hand massage, and finishing with a facial oil specific to your skin. We use blended oils to feed your skin, leaving you completely relaxed and nourished.

Wander through the walled Kitchen Garden... ... past the raised beds and fruit cages, and into our original lean-to Victorian Greenhouse, where you will find our warm rustic retreats: the two Potting Shed treatment rooms, quiet and calm and designed to help you escape it all. Take inspiration from the garden surroundings and experience deeply relaxing full body and facial treatments using products by VOYA, made only with natural and organic ingredients and accredited to the highest standards by the Soil Association. VOYA is an Irish familyrun business that shares our ethos of authenticity and wellbeing. The brand’s seaweed-based products and results-driven treatments use top-quality botanicals and aromatherapy oils, and are all created using sustainable processes.

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BESPOKE MASSAGE 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. HOT STONE MASSAGE A deeply indulgent body massage using aromatherapy oils and volcanic stones, which help to melt away tension, ease stress and improve blood circulation. It is said that one stone movement is equivalent to ten hand movements. ORGANIC WARM SPICED MUD WRAP Seaweed from Ireland produces a mud wrap rich in potent antioxidants and minerals, infused with aromatic spices of ginger and orange. This wrap has immediate and noticeable effects on the skin, including firming and toning. It is also a serious detoxifier, metabolism stimulator and a natural anti-ageing boost. ORGANIC OCEAN ESSENCE TOTAL BODY WRAP Combining the detoxifying power of Fucus serratus and the cellulitereducing abilities of Laminaria digitata seaweed, this treatment stimulates the blood and lymph flow, detoxifies and hydrates the skin and encourages the renewal of skin cells.

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FULL BODY SUGAR SCRUB This refreshing, all-over exfoliation treatment awakens the skin and body using an uplifting mix of organic peppermint leaf, seaweed and sugar to invigorate, exfoliate and nourish. Afterwards, enjoy a shower, and finish off with a deeply nourishing all-over body cream.

Meet Mr Pickle For our acclaimed Head Chef Kamil, preserving the best fruit and veg for winter was always part of family life in Poland

“THE PIGS ARE ALL ABOUT WHAT’S LOCAL, what’s in the garden, what’s in season and avoiding food waste. Well, growing up in Poland, that was our culture,” says Kamil Oseka, our Head Chef at THE PIG-in the South Downs. “The weather isn’t as great as it is here,” he says generously of the British climate. “Sometimes in winter it can be -20°C, so nothing grows. Summer foraging was a way to get free food, and pickling was the way to preserve it for winter.” Growing up in Warsaw and the countryside, Kamil, who is now in his early forties, can’t remember a time when he wasn’t familiar with the skills of foraging, fishing and pickling. His grandmother also had a summerhouse where the family would pick fruit to turn into jams and sauces for the winter. As an enterprising seven-year-old, Kamil even built a working smoking oven from old bricks. “It was half-term, so I needed to find something to do,” he offers by way of partial explanation. Kamil would go on to build our first smoking oven at THE PIG in Brockenhurst. “So the PIGs are just carrying on what I started,” he laughs. Kamil has been at the helm here at THE PIG-in the South Downs since we opened our doors in 2021 and famously has his own dedicated pickle room behind the kitchen, its shelves heaving with a rainbow spectrum of hefty glass jars of his creations. He sports a chef’s jacket THE PIG-IN THE SOUTH DOWNS \ HOGWA SH \ SPRING

“I developed my own pickle liquor that works in 24 hours”

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Visit our secret Well House – you’ll ﬁnd a well that’s over 67 metres deep! One of our friendly team can show you where it’s hidden.

embroidered with his nickname, Mr Pickle. “It was a gift from my team,” he says, with some quiet pride. Whichever name he goes by, this Mr Pickle is also our longestserving chef across all the PIGs – first working with us when we opened THE PIG in Brockenhurst in 2011 (he also had a spell working in France, alongside the British star chef Angela Hartnett). “With my preserving skills, a PIG is the perfect place for me,” continues Kamil. “I always have an interesting menu in the winter because we have preserved what was in season in summer – we make pickles, jams, marmalades, syrups and compotes. I might serve local venison with a sauce made from summer berries.” In one of the most appealing ways of reducing food waste that we know, Kamil is also a master of alcohol infusions, such as using leftovers from hulled strawberries to create a strawberry-infused vodka. “We can use up things that might not be needed in the kitchen,” he says. “Every week, we make about 50 kilos of mixed pickles, with slightly different vegetables each time.” These large volumes also prompted Kamil to become innovative in his methods. “Pickling can take a month, but that’s impossible for me because of the amount of stock I’d need to hold,” he explains, “so I developed my own pickle liquor that works in 24 hours.” He cooks any veg “for just a few minutes so it’s still crunchy” before adding his pickle liquor to the jars and storing them upside down. The 24-hour magic potion is a heady mix, including red-wine vinegar, white wine, star anise, juniper berries, coriander, sugar and a bay leaf. Kamil has also created a “cheese and pineapple” dish that is not as it seems. “If you pickle some types of pumpkin or squash, it tastes incredibly similar to pineapple. I put it on the menu and ask people if they can tell the difference.” This spring, he’ll also be serving a salad that includes artichoke crowns pickled with garden beetroot, which “adds flavour and a touch of a nice pink colour. It’s special and I don’t think you’ll find that anywhere else,” he says. “It’s unique to us.” A bit like Mr Pickle himself, really. Enjoy food from Kamil and his team whenever you eat at THE PIG-in the South Downs

☞ 30 minutes

Head to the Nuttery in the Kitchen Garden, just beyond the wall past the Potting Sheds. Here you’ll ﬁnd our almond trees, which should be just starting to bloom, as well as our friendly hens.

☞ 3 hours

Pay a visit to the Weald & Downland Living Museum, and learn what rural life was like 1,000 years ago on the South Downs.

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

QR codes you’ll want to scan Go straight to Things to Do on our website

KAMIL’S PICKLED PRODUCE ADDS A UNIQUE CHARACTER TO OUR MENUS

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Download one of our favourite walking routes

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ HOTEL & ROOM GUIDE ~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU ~ HAMPSHIRE CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN THE NEW FOREST

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR GREENHOUSE

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THE NEW FOREST IS UNLIKE ANYWHERE else in Britain, and as the home of our very first PIG, it couldn’t be closer to our hearts. It was created by William the Conqueror as a royal hunting ground in 1079, with special laws protecting the hunted deer and wild boar. To this day, ponies, donkeys, cows and even pigs roam freely in the ancient woods and sandy heathland, sometimes pottering through the village streets. As for our setting of Brockenhurst – the name comes from the Celtic for badgers’ home – we’re still very much in love with it. There are fascinating places to visit, such as Beaulieu (home of the Motor Museum) and the sailing town of Lymington, but there is plenty to enjoy here at home. Our house is one of the many lodges built for the groomkeepers who protected the Forest – the original building dated from 1602. With its thick stone walls and handsome proportions, it has a very particular, cosy charm. After 1853, it became a private residence, and from 1950 was a (different) hotel, once run by Brigadier John Doyle of the Conan Doyle family. So much of what we do at THE PIGs started here. It was the lovely old walled Kitchen Garden that inspired us to grow so much of our produce ourselves, and the richness of the local food scene feeds directly into our 25 mile menu. Explore the grounds and you’ll find huts and outhouses, the Potting Shed treatment rooms and, of course, our animals.

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Potting Shed Treatment Menu All treatments are 60 minutes and £115 ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL A treatment that is suitable for all skin types. For those in search of anti-ageing results, this 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 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.

Wander into the walled Kitchen Garden... ... through the raised beds, out past our greenhouse and beehives and into our warm rustic retreats: the two Potting Shed treatment rooms, quiet and calm and designed to help you escape it all. Take inspiration from the garden surroundings and experience deeply relaxing full body and facial treatments using products by VOYA, made only with natural and organic ingredients and accredited to the highest standards by the Soil Association. VOYA is an Irish familyrun business that shares our ethos of authenticity and wellbeing. The brand’s seaweed-based products and results-driven treatments use top-quality botanicals and aromatherapy oils, and are all created using sustainable processes.

Good to know

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UPPER BODY UNWIND 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 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 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 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.

Greenhouse effect Why our Victorian-style hothouse never seems to go out of style

“I DO THINK THERE’S SOMETHING incredibly British about a greenhouse,” says Nelly Hall, co-founder of Alitex, a luxury greenhouse manufacturer. “It’s also the smell and the atmosphere that really stays with you.” That Britishness is undeniable in the company’s Victorianinspired greenhouses, where you can almost see and feel the intense humidity, the passing butterflies and the unmistakeable whiff of tomatoes on a warm summer’s day. We have acquired a few of Alitex’s architectural creations for our kitchen gardens over the years, and have them at five of our hotels (and counting). That the family-founded company is based in Petersfield, a hop and a skip from THE PIG, was also a huge draw when it came to acquiring our first, over 12 years ago. “Our greenhouse has become invaluable,” says Alex, the Head Kitchen Gardener at THE PIG. “By creating an artificial climate, we can

grow things that we just wouldn’t be able to grow outside. Put it this way,” he adds, “we tried growing cucamelons in the walled garden last year and they yielded around a kilo and a half. This year we’ve moved them into the greenhouse and we’ve produced more than 10 times that. It’s like a jungle. And you can’t buy cucamelon anywhere. If you want them, you have to grow them yourself.” Yes, it’s fair to say we have some serious Victorian ingenuity to thank for much of our fruit and veg. “There are some classic proportions – those steep pitched roofs, for example – that make these greenhouses work so well,” explains Nelly. “Essentially, it’s a critical combination of roof ventilation and side ventilation. The key thing is having a really buoyant atmosphere that doesn’t overheat or get too cold.” Alitex uses that same 19th-century technology. When it gets too THE PIG \ HOGWA SH \ SPRING

“Victorian greenhouses hark back to a time of discovery, a period in which plant collecting was big business”

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Peek into our greenhouse and see all the seedlings the gardeners have sown, ready for the summer season.

☞ 30 minutes

Pop into Brockenhurst village and see if you can spot the donkeys making their springtime wander through the high street.

☞ 3 hours

hot inside their greenhouses, wax pistons expand to open the roof vents. The hot air rises, dragging cooler air through the side vents, creating what is known as the “chimney effect”. A good gardener, Nelly says, quickly gets confident with vent opening and closing. Aside from how wonderfully they function, Victorian greenhouses don’t look too shabby either. They’re the kind you’ll find at Kew or in the gardens of stately homes up and down the country. Indeed, Alitex is to thank for the greenhouses at Arundel Castle, Ramsey Abbey and Fulham Palace, and has worked closely with the Royal Horticultural Society, English Heritage, Royal Botanic Gardens and Ireland’s Garden & Landscape Designers Association. “Victorian greenhouses hark back to a time of discovery, a period in which plant collecting was big business,” says Nelly. “This was a time when famous botanists would return from their expeditions and present Queen Victoria with a potato or some tobacco leaves or a citrus tree.” For us, gardening never lost its glamour – and based on how many of our guests see the greenhouses as an Insta-worthy photo opportunity, perhaps we’re not alone. This is not lost on Alex, who is growing a banana tree and multicoloured corn, mainly just to juice up these moments with a splash of colour. Ultimately though, keeping a greenhouse is about taking pride in your produce. “I think we align on the value and importance of growing your own food, of time outdoors and of having your hands in the soil,” says Nelly. “These things matter not only on a functional and practical level, but they also matter to our soul and our wellbeing.” Experience the fruits (and veg) of our greenhouse when you stay or eat at thepighotel.com

Take a trip down to the Tall Trees Trail and enjoy the ancient redwoods of Rhineﬁeld Ornamental Drive that are reckoned to be the tallest trees in the forest, planted in 1860.

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

QR codes you’ll want to scan Go straight to Things to Do on our website

PEOPLE IN GL ASS HOUSES: NELLY HALL, CO-FOUNDER OF ALITEX, WHICH HAS PROVIDED GREENHOUSES FOR FIVE OF OUR PIGS

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Download one of our favourite walking routes

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE ~ WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE ~ SOUTHAMPTON CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON SOUTHAMPTON’S CITY WALLS

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.

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

Squash soup Makes 8–10 bowls For the squash • 1 Crown Prince squash (if you can’t ﬁnd it, use another variety) • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

☞ VISIT OUR NEIGHBOURING 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 have time, why not head over there for lunch, dinner or just a drink in the bar – followed by a mooch around the veg beds!

• 5 thyme sprigs • rapeseed oil • salt and pepper

For the soup • 2 onions, peeled and sliced • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped • 2 sprigs of savory or thyme, just the leaves, chopped • a good knob of butter • 500ml vegetable stock • salt and pepper • a handful of seeds from your squash

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Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Cut the squash into quarters, scoop out the seeds and set aside. Put the squash in a tray with the garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper, add a drizzle of oil, cover with foil, and roast for 30–45 minutes, until soft. Sweat the onions, garlic and savory (or thyme) in a large pan with the butter until soft. This will only take a few minutes. Remove the squash from the oven, scoop out the squash from the skin, add to the pan with the onions, garlic and savory, cover with the vegetable stock and cook for 15–20 minutes, gently simmering. Finally, blitz in a food processor or with a hand blender until smooth, and season to taste. Toast the pumpkin seeds that you set aside earlier in a dry pan for a couple of minutes. To serve, pour the soup into bowls and sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on top with a drizzle of chilli oil.

Tall tales

THE PIG-IN THE WALL OCCUPIES A SPLENDID SPOT, NESTLED INTO SOUTHAMPTON’S HISTORIC CITY WALLS

Southampton’s city walls went up amid medieval drama, and even played their part in World War II. Now 3D mapping could reveal more of their story IF YOU’VE STAYED AT THE THE PIG-IN THE WALL, you’ll know that our location feels positively unique: an 18th-century residence, set rather curiously within a medieval city wall. Some of the fortifications that once enclosed the town have decayed or been destroyed, but the many evocative walls, gates and towers that have survived since the 1300s hold plenty of intrigue. “Not all the walls were created as defensive structures,” explains archaeologist Dr Kristian Strutt, of the University of Southampton, who is part of a team creating new 3D computer models of the walls. “Near where THE PIG-in the wall now is, there were once several 12th-century merchants’ residences – so some walls that survive were once the front of people’s houses, with doors that gave them access onto the quay, because the sea came right up to parts of the walls THE PIG-IN THE WALL \ HOGWASH HOGWA SH \\AUTUMN SPRING

“The king’s wine vault became an air-raid shelter” here then,” says Kristian. “The site where there was once the castle was also by the water, including the king’s wine vault, as were the goods-stuffed cellars of rich merchants’ houses. But all that changed after 1338, when there was famously a French raid on Southampton.” Following this successful French looting, which briefly brought all trade out of Southampton to a halt (in part because the raiders stole the weighing scales for wool), there was a royal command to fortify the port city – which meant throwing up plenty more walls. “People were also ordered to block many doors and windows, and put in arrow slits,” says Kristian. “Later, gun ports to allow cannon to swivel are added to the West Gate tower, close to THE PIG-in the wall, which you can still see if you stand and look up there.” As the years rolled on, the walls began to feel less essential to some, with parts destroyed to make room for wider carriage routes in the 1800s, for example. “A lot of damage occurred as part and parcel of the modernisation of the part of the town near Arundel Tower,” explains Kristian, who adds that some parts were torn down in the name of town planning as recently as the 1960s. But during the Blitz, some city walls once again took on a defensive role: having weapons and searchlights mounted on them, with an anti-aircraft battery set up to the north of where THE PIG-in the wall is now. The king’s wine vault even became an air-raid shelter. As for how the walls are regarded today? Some sensitive restoration has helped damaged areas stay standing, and the 3D-mapping effort by Kristian and other archaeologists seeks to create a digital model of the city’s walls, structures and artefacts. “The 360-degree mapping uses a laser to quickly collect millions of data points,” explains Kristian. “It’s so much quicker than previous methods and helps us to see what’s there and to better understand it. It can also be a way of making it possible for people who are not able to visit these places in person to see them.” He even plans to map part of THE PIG-in the wall’s car park for historic interest. But, if you’re lucky enough to be able to, we’d recommend taking a look at these characterful city walls in person. There’s an easy walking route to follow to see and learn about the city walls. Simply ask our friendly Reception team, or see visitsouthampton.co.uk

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Head down to the Deli-bar to see what homemade cakes are available today.

☞ 30 minutes

Walk to the historic Guildhall and admire its impressive six-pillared portico before grabbing a coffee at Mettricks cafe and enjoying the buzzy atmosphere.

☞ 3 hours

Take a 20-minute stroll to the Mayﬂower Theatre to catch a show. It often has touring West End productions, as well as comedy nights and music events.

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

A MID-19THCENTURY IMPRESSION OF THE PORT AND CITY WALLS

A QR code you’ll want to scan

Go straight to Things to Do on our website

THE PIG - IN THE WALL \ HOGWASH \ SPRING

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ HOTEL & ROOM GUIDE ~ SHEEP HUT TREATMENT MENU ~ DORSET CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO ~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR FAVOURITE FORAGED FINDS

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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.

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Sheep Hut Treatment Menu All treatments are 60 minutes and £115 ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE 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 antoxidant 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 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.

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.

Good to know

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Our therapists have been professionally trained to offer safe and effective spa treatments for those with cancer. Just ask at Reception to speak to one of the Sheep Hut team if you would like to know more.

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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 huts 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 hut would be complete without a few potted plants. And the massage table is dressed with a big picnic rug.”

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UPPER BODY UNWIND 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 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.s HOT STONE MASSAGE 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 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.

Where the wild things are

Ever wondered how we get all our freshly foraged food for THE PIG-on the beach? “Foraging is part of life in Sicily,” says Giuseppe Sinaguglia, a chef and friend of ours who grew up rummaging around the island’s hedgerows and rock pools in search of asparagus, capers and babbaluci (snails). “It’s tradition,” he adds. “Most Sicilian meals will contain at least one foraged ingredient.” We’re not quite there yet, but here at THE PIG-on the beach, we do aim to use locally foraged fare as much as possible. Luckily for us, Giuseppe now runs a cookery school (The Olive Tree) near Studland, and for the past eight years, when not busy imparting his culinary expertise, he spends a great deal of time snuffling out the best wild ingredients each season has to offer – purely on our behalf. Mushrooms in particular have always excited him. When working under British chef and restaurateur Marco Pierre White at The Criterion, he learned “the importance of precision”, not least when it comes to chopping mushrooms. In his next role, Giuseppe remembers Italian chef Antonio Carluccio often bringing in a variety of foraged mushrooms to cook for his friends – and it was these moments that really piqued his interest. “Back home, we just don’t have the climate for mushrooms,” he says. “But when I first moved to Dorset, I remember seeing them everywhere. That’s when I really started to look into what I should and shouldn’t pick.” Almost 20 years later, Giuseppe is as well versed in mycology as anyone we know. More to the point, he knows exactly where to find the best winter chanterelles, portobellos, hedgehog mushrooms and elf cups – and, such is the way of the forager, he’s not likely to tell anyone else where to find them. However, knowing where they grow is only half the battle. “When searching for mushrooms, you’re at the mercy of the weather. The conditions need to be the perfect mix of warm and wet,” he says. THE PIG-ON THE BE ACH \HOGWASH HOGWA SH\\AUTUMN SPRING

“The ‘foraging code’ is that everyone leaves at least half of what they find behind”

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Walk across the road and visit St Nicholas’ Church, Studland, a Romanesque Norman building that has been here for about 1,000 years.

☞ 30 minutes

For Giuseppe, and indeed our chefs, nothing beats porcini mushrooms. “Beautiful young penny buns [as they’re also known] will always be my favourite thing to find, but also the most difficult,” says the forager. “You can cook them in so many ways: you could just add olive oil and garlic, put them in a salad or a soup, make some fresh pasta and add a nice creamy sauce, or during the game season they go really well with venison. Otherwise, you could simply put them with scrambled eggs for breakfast.” Of course, most of the time Giuseppe brings us baskets containing more than just mushrooms. Like any forager worth their salt, he’ll have his eyes peeled for any of the “four Fs” – fruit, foliage, flora and fungus – at all times. Early in the year, he’ll bring some lovely spinach, alexanders, chives and chickweed, and as it starts to warm up, we can expect samphire, wild garlic, elderflower and sloe berries. These are ingredients that are difficult and often expensive to find at the best of times, so every year we’re indebted to him. There’s an art to foraging, which requires subtlety and restraint. According to the “foraging code”, providing everyone leaves at least half of what they find behind, there should be plenty left to procreate and for others to enjoy. Still, the best way to ensure this happens, Giuseppe says, is to keep your best foraging spots close to your chest. Mum’s the word. Enjoy a changing selection of foraged finds among the ingredients on our menus at THE PIG-on the beach. You’ll find more of Giuseppe’s foraging tips on page 2 of this issue

Head to Knoll Beach and grab a coffee at the cafe while enjoying the wilderness of the sand dunes – but don’t wander too far unless you want to come across the naturist beach!

☞ 3 hours

Take in the stunning Isle of Purbeck scenery by walking the medieval Priests Way footpath – why not take a piggy picnic with you?

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

QR codes you’ll want to scan Go straight to Things to Do on our website

GIUSEPPE SHOWS OFF AN EXCELLENT FORAGED HAUL

THE PIG - ON THE BE ACH \ HOGWASH \ SPRING

Download one of our favourite walking routes

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE ~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU ~ SOMERSET CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO ~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR FIRST DECADE

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NOWHERE ELSE MARRIES MELLOW ENGLISH countryside and buzzing creative energy quite like Somerset, where a dairy farmer invented the world’s most famous music festival and cutting-edge galleries sit amid dreamy meadows. The local cheese isn’t bad either. THE PIG’s suitably laid-back and impossibly romantic home here is Hunstrete House. This Grade II listed building dating from 1820 was once part of an estate belonging to the Abbey of Glastonbury, and known as The Lodge. Built in creamy Bath stone and set in 30 acres of deer park, we find it more than comfortable. Look out from our gardens, though, and you’ll see the ruined arches of a mansion that its owner in the 1800s had hoped – but ultimately failed – to add here. The origin of the name Huntstrete is unclear, but might derive from the Old English hund (hound) and street. Certainly, the area has been inhabited since the earliest times, as confirmed by a flint axe head found locally in Common Wood. At the start of the 17th century, the house was acquired by the family of Sir John Popham, whose descendants owned it until 1977 when it was sold to John and Thea Dupays, who converted it into a hotel. We’re proud to say that today our most extensive Kitchen Garden is here at our Somerset PIG. Its features, including the original greenhouses, were lovingly renovated by our team – ensuring the design laid out by gardeners past was not lost. The Kitchen Garden has also grown with demand for its wonderful produce, and is now double the size it was when we opened in 2014. Our historic property is definitely enjoying a whole new chapter.

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Wander into the walled Kitchen Garden... ... through the raised beds, out past our greenhouse and fruit cages, and into our warm rustic retreats: the two Potting Shed treatment rooms, quiet and calm and designed to help you escape it all. Take inspiration from the garden surroundings and experience deeply relaxing full body and facial treatments using products by VOYA, made only with natural and organic ingredients and accredited to the highest standards by the Soil Association. 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 top-quality botanicals and aromatherapy oils, and are all created using sustainable processes.

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Ten out of ten We’re celebrating a decade of THE PIGnear Bath! So far, we’ve hosted family parties, visiting rock stars and more – and the good times are still rolling

TIME TO GET OUT THE BUNTING – THE PIG-near Bath is 10 years old this year, so alongside raising the odd glass or two, we’ve been doing some reminiscing and hearing tales from the people who know it best. Tom Ross, now CEO of the whole PIG group, kicked off his PIG career here in Hunstrete, albeit after an ignominious start. “I’d just moved back to Bath with my family and no job,” he says. “I asked Robin (the PIGs’ founder) to look over a business plan I’d drawn up, which he declined to invest in! But two weeks later, he called me to say that he couldn’t tell me at the time, but he’d just completed on the purchase of Hunstrete and asked if I’d like to join the PIG team as hotel director. It was serendipitous.” For Tom, the opening team was particularly special: “We had such a brilliant mix of PIG people and new people, many of whom are still in the business.” But the loveliness of the building and surrounding deer park played their part. “The house has a wonderful mellow feel. It’s a special building, for sure, but with no pretence about it,” he says. One of Tom’s partners in crime in that intense run-up to the March opening was Sarah Holden, the hotel’s first Restaurant Manager. She went on to become Hotel Director for seven years, before taking on a new role last year, nurturing talent and career development across all of the PIGs. “My first memories involve lots of mud, rain and Portakabins!” she recalls. “But the Old Dining Room will always hold a place in my heart. It’s where we used to sit and work with scarves and coats on – it was so cold! A fortnight in, Robin threw a hard-hat party for the neighbours – wheelbarrows of prosecco, hard hats and a firstglimpse tour. I knew then we were on to something magic.” Built in the 18th century in creamy Bath stone, Hunstrete House was originally the lodge of a much larger, grander estate, but had been a hotel for several decades by the time it came up for sale, one of about 20 being sold by a hotel group. But, as Robin remembers, “The only one I really wanted was Hunstrete.” Sarah recalls: “He and Judy always stressed that we were just the building’s custodians – we were to treat it and take care of it as if it was our own home.” Opening week was a blur, kicking off with a big party for the locals, with the first guests arriving as the last touches were put in place. For both Tom and Sarah, many of the most memorable times have

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“To have a tangible connection to an old house ~ is a beautiful thing”

Judy’s design notes The PIG-near Bath was our second hotel, and Judy Hutson enjoyed spreading her design magic over the place

been hosting their guests’ big moments, such as weddings or special birthdays. “Whole-hotel private parties are so joyous,” says Sarah. “There’s no formula and we don’t do it often, so you really remember every single one.” And then, of course, there’s Glastonbury. The hotel has a special connection with the festival, having hosted many of its stars and their management teams over the years. As Sarah explains, “Robin loves music and goes to the festival himself. I think he always had it in the back of his mind to have a link. It’s one of the hardest but best weekends for the team to work. I am talking 24 hours for five days running, but the adrenaline is brilliant.” Tom agrees: “We run a nonstop Land Rover shuttle service for anyone staying. At any time of the day or night, they can call for a lift – which can be interesting!” One standout Glasto moment came in 2015, when Florence Welch was given late notice that she was headlining. She was spotted in the garden in the very early morning with her headphones on, singing out loud, practising her set. So what is so special about this PIG? Sarah thinks it’s “the people in Somerset who give it its vibe. They want authenticity, and I think when they saw that we genuinely wanted to be part of their community and contribute to it, they gave us their full support.” For Tom, the really distinctive thing is the deer park. “I can tell what time of year it is just by looking at the deer: their coats; the way they behave; their antlers,” he says. “There is still something magical about the first couple of weeks of June, when all the fawns are born within days of each other, or the brutality of the big boys during the rut in autumn, when they all go at each other.” Asked about their favourite room, neither hesitates – room 18. “Our dear friend Bea Salter, who lives down the hill with her husband, Richard, in Hunstrete Cottage, was born in that room,” explains Tom. “And to have a tangible connection to an old house is a beautiful thing. We still get figs from Bea’s garden, which you can see on the menu at the right time of year.” Sarah agrees: “They have told us some amazing stories about the house that we can now pass on.” Tom takes particular pride in all the staff who have progressed up the ranks to new roles within the PIG group, and the couples who met working here and have gone on to have children together. Sarah, who stayed with her own family in the hotel during the Covid-19 pandemic to caretake it, was especially glad to see it returned to its rightful convivial state. “It’s a building that’s meant to be filled with sounds of laughter, camaraderie, happiness and corks popping,” she says. There will be plenty of that this year. Be part of our next chapter, whenever you stay or dine with us at thepighotel.com/near-bath

“When we took over Hunstrete House, we felt the building had been laid out in a slightly back-to-front way, and we swapped things around so that the restaurant overlooked the Deer Park. This gave us our ﬁrst clues for the approach to the interiors - it was all about bringing the outside in.”

~ “Overall, this was a simpler style, relying on a muted and mellow pale-green palette with lots of natural textures, cosied up with splashes of colour and, of course, plenty of roaring ﬁres.” ~ “The Garden Rooms brought a much more rustic feel, including converting an old apple store and a swimming pool pavilion into two of our most soughtafter bedrooms.”

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Wander out to the Kitchen Garden and see if you can spot the old cider press.

☞ 30 minutes

Put your feet up in one of our bar and lounge areas and read one of our PIG books while enjoying a slice of homemade cake.

☞ 3 hours

Visit the tiny nearby city of Wells and check out the impressive cathedral. Make sure to take a stroll down the adjoining Vicars’ Close, which is thought to be the only complete medieval street in England. Wells Market is on every Wednesday and Saturday, 9am–3pm, and well worth a visit.

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

~ “Recently, I’ve introduced more colour and vibrancy into the bedrooms with the use of contemporary gardenand ﬂoral-design wallpapers with matching paint. We’re constantly evolving the look as I’m inspired by new fabrics, colours and patterns. The spirit of the place stays the same, but there’s a subtle change of direction that people seem to really like.”

QR codes you’ll want to scan Go straight to Things to Do on our website

OUR PIG TEAM GET INTO THE SPIRIT OF THINGS AT THE ANNUAL WAITERS RACE IN LONDON’S HYDE PARK IN 2014

THE PIG - NE AR BATH \ HOGWASH \ SPRING

Download one of our favourite walking routes

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE ~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU ~ DEVON CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO ~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR OWN WINES

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COMBE MEANS WOODED VALLEY – in the Domesday Book you’ll find the Welsh word for the same, “Cwm” – and this leafy part of Devon certainly lives up to the name. This building is probably our “poshest PIG”: a Grade I listed Elizabethan manor house, set in 3,500 acres in the Otter Valley, with expansive views towards the Blackdown Hills, and plenty of pheasants pottering about. All sitting on land whose first recorded owner, in 1086, was Bishop Odo – the half-brother of William the Conqueror. We picked up the keys quite some time after that, in October 2015, and worked on restoring, renovating and redesigning the hotel here – Combe House has been a hotel of one kind or another since 1968 – as well as what has become one of the loveliest Kitchen Gardens of all of our PIGs. The terraced garden, set within a mature pinetum, retains original features lovingly renovated by our team, including two Victorian greenhouses. In one, you’ll find a Black Hamburg grape vine that is thought to be more than a century old. We also have a Mushroom House, where we grow and harvest our own mushrooms, and a Smokery for curing and smoking meat and fish. We’ve handled the house and its grounds with great care, breathing new life into the building’s old bones but seeking never to over-restore. We especially love the Folly, our rustic hideaway restaurant that sits in the gardens, and the bedrooms we created in the stable yard behind the main house. We have made the most of other features, such as the original Georgian Kitchen and cavernous cellar where we sometimes host wine tastings – do ask us to show you if you’re curious – and the Elizabethan great hall entrance, dating from 1580, which now holds our lively bar. And while we’ve had plenty of new guests, we’ve also been careful not to bother some of the residents who were already here on-site, including a colony of bats. After all, they found the place before us.

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Wander through the walled Kitchen Garden... ... past the raised beds and fruit cages and into the Herb Garden, where you will find our two warm, rustic retreats: the Potting Shed treatment rooms, quiet and calm and designed to help you escape it all. Take inspiration from the garden surroundings and experience deeply relaxing full body and facial treatments using products by VOYA, made only with natural and organic ingredients and accredited to the highest standards by the Soil Association. VOYA is an Irish familyrun business that shares our ethos of authenticity and wellbeing. The brand’s seaweed-based products and results-driven treatments use top-quality botanicals and aromatherapy oils, and are all created using sustainable processes.

Good to know

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MUM TO BE 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 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.

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THE GENTLY ROLLING HILLS OF EAST DEVON PROVIDE THE PERFECT ASPECT FOR CASTLEWOOD’S VINES

We’ll drink to that Our friends at Castlewood Vineyard have collaborated with THE PIG teams to create some unusual – and acclaimed – wines IT WAS LUCKY FOR THE PIG that Rob Corbett, Head Winemaker at east Devon’s Castlewood Vineyard, is willing to take a punt. We first saw Rob’s generous side in 2016, when he offered our PIG group founder, Robin, and his friend and fishing buddy, the chef and restaurateur Mark Hix, two hectares of recently planted vines. It’s worth mentioning that the three of them were slightly inebriated at the time. The conversation happened late in the evening at the annual Castlewood Wine Festival, “so by the time the vines matured, I wasn’t totally sure Robin and Mark would actually even remember,” laughs Rob. The resultant Devon Minnow, named after a 200-year-old local spinning lure that’s excellent for catching salmon and trout, is a magnificent drop. Made from bacchus grapes, it’s a white wine with intense citrus notes. “I advise everyone in the land to try this wine,” wrote the wine critic Matthew Jukes. “It will reconfigure the bacchus landscape forever.” Perhaps buoyed by the success of Devon Minnow, the vineyard went on to collaborate with another of our PIG people. Around 2018, Luke Harbor, now the PIGs’ Head of Wine, was busy putting together the wine list for THE PIG-at

Bridge Place. He was also studying for his WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) diploma, so could often be found hovering around Simpsons winery in Kent’s Elham Valley – and at Castlewood whenever he came home to Devon. “I just remember him being incredibly passionate and eager to learn,” says Rob. “And it wasn’t long before I asked if he’d like to make a wine with me.” Luke jumped at the chance, but against Rob’s judgement, he was keen to create a more natural expression, which typically means minimal intervention from the winemaker. “I was very wary,” says Rob. “I told him, ‘I don’t want to go fully natural, but we can certainly do some crazy stuff.’” “In the UK, we’re not restricted by appellation rules or PDO [protected designation of origin] regulations, but very often our winemakers still play it pretty safe,” explains Luke. “So I wanted to have some fun, go against the grain and create something unusual.” Artefact, which, like Devon Minnow, is made from bacchus grapes, is now on to its third bottling. Having thrown caution to the wind, the latest iteration, the 2021 vintage, is more or less a fully natural wine. It’s fermented THE PIG-AT COMBE \ HOGWA SH \ SPRING

“There are no limits to what we can do with this project” using wild yeast and matured in 300-litre clay amphorae from Tuscany. Clay can be considered the middle ground between steel and oak, both of which are used at Castlewood. Like oak, it’s mildly porous, allowing some oxygen exchange, enhancing the texture; yet, like steel, it’s neutral and does not impart any flavour directly. “I’m always careful when I speak about natural wine because it can be pretty divisive,” says Luke. “This project was more about using different techniques and fermentation vessels, and experimenting with interesting ideas. However, many of those techniques do coincide with those used by natural producers.” Artefact is limited to somewhere between 800 and 1,000 bottles a year, and while THE PIG-at Combe gets the lion’s share, a few bottles do find their way elsewhere. Chef Chantelle Nicholson, for example, tried it at Dory’s in Margate and has served it at her own restaurant, Apricity in Mayfair. Some of the wine’s success, the pair are proud to admit, comes down to its ancient-looking, steep-shouldered bottle – and the unusually illustrated label. “Our incredible labels come from the mind of local designer Tommy Gillard,” says Rob. “Wine is a natural artefact. It’s a product that encapsulates a year – a time capsule, if you will. So we thought, why not showcase that year on the label?” The label for 2021, the year the world recovered from the pandemic, is inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which broken pottery is glued back together with a mix of resin and gold. It also shows a number of the year’s biggest geopolitical talking points, including the first transgender Olympian, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the shipping container stuck in the Suez Canal and the QAnon Shaman charged with storming the Capitol building. “Looking to the future, there are no limits to what we can do with this project,” says Luke excitedly. “If next year we decide to change the variety or the winemaking technique, it really doesn’t matter. For me, this is just about two friends having a bit of fun, and if people continue to enjoy the wine then that’s a bonus.” Book to visit Castlewood Vineyard, just eight miles from THE PIG-at Combe, or buy Devon Minnow and Artefact at castlewoodvineyard.co.uk

A Closer Look ~ Artefact 2021 Vintage Grape variety: 100% bacchus Tasting notes: guava, grapefruit zest and mandarin peel; darjeeling-like tannin, with bracing acidity. Did you know? Artefact is a “natural” wine – it was racked into a stainless-steel tank before bottling under gravity, with no ﬁning or ﬁltration.

~ Devon Minnow Grape variety: 100% bacchus Tasting notes: citrus fruit with layers of broad tropical and herbal undertones; subtle vanilla and buttery roundness with delicate complexity and long-lasting mouthfeel. Did you know? Devon Minnow is aged for 12 months in oak barrels to add what Castlewood Vineyard describes as its “sumptuous complexity”.

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Check out the old portraits on our main stairwell and in the bar area; the faces recorded here are those of previous owners of Combe House from times gone by.

☞ 30 minutes

Ask our Reception team if they can take you in the PIG Land Rover to Catshayes Farm, to meet our pigs, sheep, ducks and bees.

☞ 3 hours

Take part in a rustic bread-making class and learn how to bake your own sourdough with our friends at Glebe House, just 20 minutes down the road.

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

QR codes you’ll want to scan Go straight to Things to Do on our website

THE PIG - AT COMBE \ HOGWASH \ SPRING

Download one of our favourite walking routes

INFO & GOINGS ON ~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE ~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU ~ CORNWALL CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY OF THE CABILLA RAINFOREST

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OUR CORNISH PIG’S HOME IS HARLYN HOUSE, which has been for centuries one of the most prominent houses in an area of the county that is justly famed for its rugged beauty, sandy coves and great produce from sea and land. Its name is said to be derived from the Cornish for “important place by the water” and we are very proud to be its current custodians. Before we picked up the keys in 2018 and opened two years later, in its 600-year-history, only three families had owned this dramatic stone property, set on a breathtaking stretch of coast overlooking Harlyn Bay. The first owners of this 15th-century farmhouse were the Tregoyes or Tregewes (one of whom, Richard Tregew became MP for Cornwall in 1448), followed by “gentlemen-farmers” the Hellyars. The house became ever grander over the years, as new architectural details were added. When a Captain Millar purchased Harlyn in 1947, he thankfully ignored architectural advice that it was “past saving”, instead bringing in master craftsmen to restore it to its former glory. Among the surviving features, although it was heavily overgrown and neglected when we arrived, is our Kitchen Garden. It’s been here for almost 200 years, enclosed by three sides of Cornish slate wall. Our team has lovingly restored it and works year-round to keep it flourishing with vegetables, fresh salads and herbs. We are also growing our own rock samphire, sea kale and sea beet. The many lives and eras of the house are displayed in the exterior stonework, as well as in the flagged floors, heavy wood doors and gorgeous details throughout. Harlyn House has a moody charm all of its own – and simply by staying here, you’re now part of its story.

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Wander through the Kitchen Garden... ... and wildflower beds and into our warm, rustic retreats: the two Potting Shed treatment rooms, quiet and calm and designed to help you escape it all. Take inspiration from the garden surroundings and our coastal location, and experience deeply relaxing full body and facial treatments using products by VOYA, made with natural and organic ingredients and accredited to the highest standards by the Soil Association. 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 top-quality botanicals and aromatherapy oils, and are all created using sustainable processes.

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HOT STONE MASSAGE A deeply indulgent body massage, using aromatherapy oils and volcanic stones, which help to melt away any tension, ease stress and improve blood circulation. It is said that one stone movement is equivalent to ten hand movements. ORGANIC WARM SPICED MUD WRAP Seaweed from Ireland produces a mud wrap rich in potent antioxidants and minerals, infused with aromatic spices of ginger and orange to revive the senses. This wrap has immediate and noticeable effects on the skin, including firming and toning. It is also a serious detoxifier, metabolism stimulator and a natural anti-ageing boost – a must for the results-conscious guest. ORGANIC OCEAN ESSENCE TOTAL BODY WRAP Combining the detoxifying power of Fucus serratus and the cellulitereducing abilities of Laminaria digitata seaweed, this treatment stimulates the blood and lymph flow, detoxifies and hydrates the skin and encourages the renewal of skin cells. The wrap is an excellent skin rejuvenator, combating the appearance of cellulite and fatigue, while producing a deeply moisturising effect.

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MUM TO BE 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 that also helps to relieve fatigue and aches. Suitable for those in their second and third trimester of pregnancy.

FULL BODY SUGAR SCRUB This refreshing, all-over exfoliation treatment awakens the skin and body using an uplifting mix of organic peppermint leaf, seaweed and sugar to invigorate, exfoliate and nourish. The treatment finishes with a light cleansing shower, followed by a deeply nourishing all-over body cream.

Enchanted forest Our neighbours at Cabilla Cornwall are on a mission to restore the UK’s temperate rainforests, one tree at a time

THE DIRTY WEEKEND RETREAT at Cabilla Cornwall, a 300-acre farm and wellness centre on Bodmin Moor, isn’t as salacious as it sounds. Rather, it’s a weekend dedicated to planting trees, as part of a monumental effort to triple the amount of temperate rainforest growing across the UK over the next 30 years. This is the aim of the Thousand Year Trust, a new charity created by the farm’s owner, Merlin Hanbury-Tenison. “Temperate rainforest is not only the best habitat we have in the UK for carbon sequestration and biodiversity, it’s the best habitat we have for the mental health and wellbeing of those who walk within it,” says Merlin. “Sadly though, due to deforestation in the UK, we’ve lost 99 per cent of these forests. It’s time to reverse that trend.” Merlin and his wife, Lizzie, are in the process of planting 100,000 oak trees on their land – which is where the Dirty Weekenders come in – at the same time working with local farmers and landowners

to massively expand Cornwall’s estimated 3,000 to 4,000 acres of surviving temperate rainforest. Currently the UK has a meagre 330,000 acres of rainforest, but the charity hopes to increase that to one million acres by 2053. There is, we ought to point out, more to Cabilla’s tree-planting retreats than digging holes and picking dirt out of your fingernails. The itinerary also includes yoga classes, sound bathing, live music and sauna, not to mention delicious meals cooked by the farm’s private chefs. And we can certainly vouch for the hospitality: THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay has recently partnered with Cabilla for our own series of special retreats that incorporate cold-water swimming, guest speakers and Potting Shed treatments (find out more on page 2). For Merlin and Lizzie, spending time in the forest has become a form of therapy. After three front-line tours of Afghanistan, Merlin had suffered with PTSD; and Lizzie has struggled with postnatal anxiety.

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“It’s a monumental effort to triple the amount of temperate rainforest growing across the UK” They both found that time in nature – and woodland walks in particular – had profound healing effects, and it wasn’t long before they decided that the grass was in fact greener in Cornwall. In 2018, the couple left London – where Merlin had been working in management consultancy and Lizzie had been working as a senior marketing executive – and took over the family farm from Merlin’s father, the legendary explorer and conservationist Robin Hanbury-Tenison. “These trees secrete volatile organic compounds called terpenes, which are hugely beneficial to our physical and mental health,” explains Merlin. “They reduce our cortisol levels, help to increase kidney function and improve our immune system response – they’re beneficial in many, many ways.” The initial idea behind Cabilla was to help people experience those benefits, but with all the luxury trimmings. And Merlin believes the farm’s cows and sheep will also benefit from more time spent in the forest – and the trees will benefit from livestock being there, too. “I believe that farmers have a multifaceted role in the management and stewardship of the land,” he says. “Part of that is always going to be food production, but there’s also an element of climate mitigation and providing services to society through the protection of natural habitats and the restoration of ecosystems.” A large proportion of UK land is given over to sheep grazing, for example, even though we only get a tiny proportion of our calories from them. “This is not an effective way to manage land if we really want to restore nature’s abundance and feed ourselves,” says Merlin. Merlin believes the only way to solve this problem would be to stop dividing land into pasture and woodland, and start thinking more in terms of woody pasture – an approach that is being championed by the Forestry Commission and the Woodland Trust. He says, “By replanting temperate rainforests, you don’t take any land out of farming, you just farm it in a very different way.” Sounds to us like a cause worth getting your hands dirty for. thousandyeartrust.org

Past and future rainforests of the UK

~ The tropical rainforests of regions such as the Amazon are not the only kinds of rainforest on earth. Temperate rainforests are essentially damp woodlands with conditions that foster plants such as ferns and mosses (epiphyte plants, which grow on other plants). ~ These temperate rainforests can occur in midlatitude locations in places that receive heavy rainfall, and once covered one ﬁfth of the UK. Britain’s west coast is thought to have been dense with rainforests between the last Ice Age and the Bronze Age, for example. Many of these temperate forests were later lost due to land

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ... ☞ 3 minutes

Check out the incredible door in our boot room. It was borrowed from Constantine Bay chapel in the 18th century – the chapel itself no longer exists, which makes it all the more precious.

☞ 30 minutes

If you’ve got little ones (or just like farm animals), come and help feed our pigs and chickens their breakfast. The gardening team are out at 8am – Reception can point you in the right direction.

☞ 3 hours

Explore the different biomes of the Eden Project, the spectacular landmark attraction that’s just a 40-minute drive away.

GET EXPLORING... From the loveliest bike rides to the best local pubs, we love to share our local intel. See our curated list online and ask at Reception for our map of local walks.

clearance for agriculture and some were felled in the 20th century.

~ Over the next 30 years, the Thousand Year Trust aims to triple the amount of temperate rainforest in the UK. It’s an effort that includes Merlin and Lizzie HanburyTenison planting 100,000 trees on their 300-acre farm.

QR codes you’ll want to scan Go straight to Things to Do on our website

MERLIN HANBURY-TENISO N, CO-OWNER OF CABILL A CORNWALL AND CO-FOUNDER OF THE THOUSAND YEAR TRUST

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Download one of our favourite walking routes

F RI E NDS OF T H E PIG

NATASHA’S APPLE WORKS ADORN THE NEW WAGONS AT THE PIG-AT COMBE (ABOVE LEFT ). GATHERING SUBJECT MATTER IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN (ABOVE)

Freshly drawn Artist Natasha Clutterbuck, whose work you can see at some of our PIGs, captures the charm of organic produce

“SOMETIMES I FIND IT rather hard to eat the veg or fruit I’ve been drawing, because it’s like I have a relationship with them by then,” says artist Natasha Clutterbuck, speaking from the family home she shares with her husband (Colin, a twice-crowned “national champion hedgelayer”) and their two young daughters in the village of Stanton Drew, Somerset. “I’ve been sketching a lot of Crown Prince squash recently and I just found them too beautiful to eat. But actually, you do feel good when they make it to the pot,” she says. “What I draw definitely ends up affecting what we grow and cook.” Few know more about the pros and cons of having vegetables as your muse than Natasha, who has found her niche with drawings that capture seasonal, organic produce in all its vivid glory. Typically, she sketches rapidly in charcoal, on paper that she has stained with tannin-rich local oak bark. Then she’ll add colour to her subjects with natural pigments, including paints made from red ochre from the Mendip Hills that she grinds herself. For mud, Natasha has stopped using brown paint in favour of actual mud. “It’s usually right there on the vegetable anyway, and there’s something magical about just using the real stuff,” she says. Natasha’s home studio includes a veranda to allow her to sketch from her garden. “Sometimes I am drawing naturalistically, showing what’s growing here. But I will also arrange still-life compositions in my studio, which can feel more theatrical and can tell a story, such as by grouping companion species together.” As for how her veg fixation started? In 2010, Natasha, then a ceramicist and a new mother, was struggling to find enough time for

her art. “I had this urge to reconnect with my creativity, so I offered to teach a drawing workshop in my village one day,” she says. “And when the new owners of the local pub happened to see the sketch I had made, of a bowl of squash, they invited me to create some artworks for their walls.” Natasha took on the commission, and has been taking on commissions ever since. “I got really into the subject matter,” she says, in something of an understatement. “Because that natural vibrancy of local, seasonal veg really translates into the drawings.” Her various large-scale works include a pumpkin-themed mural for the headquarters of Yeo Valley Organic, where she is also the artist in residence, leading workshops in the organic garden. Her current work in progress is a pastoral mural design for the new Dyson Cancer Centre in Bath, which will feature pollinating insects. The PIGs have also been supporters; Natasha’s drawings feature in some rooms at THE PIG-near Bath and in the new wagon accommodation at THE PIG-at Combe. For these, she was invited by Judy Hutson, who masterminds all our PIG interiors, to create a series of new drawings. “They are works that show apples growing on the branch, capturing the qualities of different varieties such as ‘Golden Hornet’, ‘Red Sentinel’ and Bramley,” explains Natasha. “To see my works in the PIGs’ beautiful environments always means a lot. It feels like such a natural fit.” In her own way, Natasha is just another one of our trusted food suppliers. See Natasha’s work at THE PIG-at Combe, THE PIG-near Bath and at natashaclutterbuck.co.uk

Portraits: Nanette Hepburn

“That natural vibrancy of local, seasonal veg really translates into the drawings”

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COCKT

TAIL

•

S • COC

F O OD & DR INK

Proper fish pie Fish pie is a comfort-food dish that never disappoints, and is often on our menus at this time of year, when the Kitchen Gardens aren’t yet in full swing. Everyone has their own version, but we reckon ours stands up pretty well. The sauce has a bit of a kick and the topping has a good crunch. Use whatever fish looks freshest – and tastiest – that day.

ILS •

Non-alcoholic cocktail

Pentire Adrift Garden Gimlet

Serves 4

For the topping

• 50ml Pentire Adrift non-alcoholic spirit

• 500ml ﬁsh stock

• 25ml fresh lime juice

• 100ml white wine

(we use Maris Piper), peeled,

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or wildflower/local raw honey

• 500g seasonal fresh ﬁsh

boiled until soft, and mashed

• 3 bay leaves

Chill your chosen glass in the freezer. Add the Pentire Adrift, lime juice, maple syrup and two cracked bay leaves to a mixing glass along with a few large ice cubes and stir for 10 seconds. Strain into the chilled glass and garnish with a fresh bay leaf.

• 4 large ﬂoury potatoes

ﬁllets, skinless, cut into

• 50g butter

3cm cubes

• salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons parsley leaves, chopped

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon milk • 15g fresh white breadcrumbs • 10g Parmesan cheese, grated

• 50g butter • 50g ﬂour

Our friends at Pentire are offering Hogwash readers 20% off online purchases. Visit pentiredrinks.com with the code 20PIG (until 30 April 2024, one use per customer, terms and conditions apply).

• 180ml double cream • 2 teaspoons English mustard • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce • 1 teaspoon anchovy essence • salt and pepper

What to drink with our proper fish pie… Our PIG Heads of Wine – Luke, Ed and Greg – recommend these wines as a perfect match for this delish fish pie.

Chapel Down Kit’s Coty Chardonnay 2020 From one of the UK’s most well-known producers, this chardonnay is made from the best parcels of grapes grown in the Kit’s Coty Vineyard on the Kentish North Downs. This wine shows citrus and stone-fruit aromas, with crisp acidity to complement any fish dish. The nine-month ageing in oak barrels provides the rich, creamy and complex palate to stand up to the heartiness of the fish pie, and will strike a chord with this dish.

Wednesday’s Domaine Piquant Our non-alcoholic choice, Wednesday’s Domaine Piquant, is a de-alcoholised white wine made from the airén grape from La Mancha, Spain. When pairing with food, it acts like any other crisp, fresh white, so on those days when you’re being well-behaved, you don’t have to miss out on having a glass of something delicious alongside your meal. It has characters of citrus peel, delicate herbal tones and refreshing acidity to complement and cut through the creaminess of the sauce. 12

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In a large pan, bring the fish stock and white wine to a simmer before placing the fish in the pan to poach gently in the liquid for 2 minutes. Drain the fish in a colander over a bowl, as you need to collect the cooking liquid for the sauce. Leave the fish to cool. To make the sauce, melt the butter in a thick-bottomed pan over a low heat, then stir in the flour. Gradually add the drained stock and wine mixture, stirring well until it has all been added. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Add the double cream and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or so, until the sauce has a thick consistency that coats the back of a wooden spoon. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and anchovy essence, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, if necessary. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes. Gently fold the cooked fish and chopped parsley into the sauce – you want the fish to remain in large chunks, if possible. Spoon into four individual pie dishes or one large one, leaving around 3cm at the top of the dish. Leave to set for about 30 minutes, so that the mash doesn’t sink when piped on top. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C fan (350°F), Gas Mark 4. Mix the butter into the mashed potato, season with a little salt and pepper, and add the milk so that the mixture is soft enough to pipe. Using a piping bag, pipe the potato over the pie(s) or, for a more rustic variation, just dollop it all on top. Both can be very satisfying. Bake for 30 minutes, then scatter on the breadcrumbs and Parmesan, and bake for a further 15 minutes, until golden.

E THO S

IT’S A

PIG

THING TO BE THE FUTURE OF

CA RING A N D CON SIDER E D 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 on-site 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 believe that our team of almost 1,000 talented professionals working across our hotels – chefs, kitchen gardeners, waiters, sommeliers, bar teams, housekeepers and everyone behind the scenes – is helping to shape the future of caring and considered hospitality. From the newest apprentice to the most experienced manager, they are what make the PIGs 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! 14

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☞ What is B Corp st

atus and ing for it?

why are we apply

Here at the PIGs, it’s always been in our DNA to champion local suppliers and produce, curb our en vironmental impact and offer ou r PIG people real car ee r opportunities. All of which means that we’ve decided to ap ply for B Corp certiﬁed status. Bu t… what exactly is tha t?

BENEFIT FOR ALL

“It’s a holistic look at how a business is car ing for people and the planet and being a force for go od ,” explains Kate, our Group Su stainability Manage r, wh o has been leading our applicat ion for the internati on ally recognised certification. (As for the B, it simply stand s for “benefit for all”). “It’s basically a really thorough sel f-a ud it that shows you where an y gaps are and where the re’ s space to improve,” says Kate. “So even if you are ce rti fi ed , you can still work to get an even higher score the next time you apply, three years aft er that.”

WALK THE WALK

There’s nowhere for greenwashers or tho se who only “talk the tal k” to hide in this audit , which includes how a business interacts with its local community and the environme nt.

PIG PE O LE

PE OPL

· PIG EO

PLE ·

Jamie Banner Hotel Director at THE PIG-at Bridge Place He’s definitely too modest to broadcast it himself, but Jamie’s career is a significant PIG success story. He was the first trainee from our Budding Entrepreneur training programme to progress all the way up to hotel director level, at THE PIG-at Bridge Place. We grabbed him for a chat about what he learned on the programme, the property’s past life as a nightclub and what it’s like to return to work near your home town.

I JOINED THE PIGS’ Budding Entrepreneur programme 11 years ago, having been working in a hotel in Canterbury, where I’m from. The programme gives you an understanding of every different department and its challenges, from working behind a bar to being on reception or in the restaurant. You move around for the first three years and you bring that mix of practical understanding and empathy with you as a manager.

But more than that, the score includes whether staff have proper opportunities for career development and training, how many women are in senior roles and more. Here at the PIGs, we’re hoping that B Corp status could be a chance “to recognise things tha t we have already be en doing for a ver y long time,” say s Kate. “Things like ma kin g use of goods that are ver y locally produced an d sup po rting local communities – which are part an d pa rce l of how things work for us. So is having teams an d bu dg ets for professional develop ment and having tar ge ts so we ’re accountable for mo nitoring and reducing waste.”

A FORCE FOR GOOD

So even if we’re do ing a lot to be a bu siness that’s also “a force for good”, as Kate puts it, we know we could be doing even more. We ’re up for the challe nge. By the time you read this, we’ll have submitted our B Corp application – so watch this spa ce.

WE ARE TRULY PEOPLE-FOCUSED within the PIG group – and that is not always the case in hospitality. If you are not looking out for your team members and willing to pitch in, you would really stand out. I worked at several properties as part of my training, including THE PIG in Brockenhurst and THE PIG-in the wall, where I eventually returned and became general manager for two years. But when I heard that THE PIG-at Bridge Place was opening, I jumped at the opportunity to come home. IN THIS PART OF KENT you think “what a place to live”. It’s stunning. I feel I’ve come full circle with my career because I moved back to the place I am from, which I love and where I started out in hospitality. But now I am here as a Hotel Director. Decent times! WE GET A LOT of repeat guests at THE PIGat Bridge Place, including couples who met here when it was a nightclub in the 1960s. They tell us some amazing stories. We’ve had several couples like that, who come to celebrate their 50th or 60th anniversary. It’s perfect. ONE SPECIAL MOMENT was when I recognised the name of a guest who had checked in. We were best friends when we were five, but then his family moved away. So I reintroduced myself. Honestly? He didn’t remember me, haha! But it was lovely to see him again.

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HALL OF FAM

ACE OF SPADES

Spotter’s guide: goldcrests Among the UK’s smallest native birds, goldcrests typically weigh less than 6g, according to the RSPB. But these tiny beauties are easy to spot if you know what to look for. They are named for their vivid yellow “crown” of feathers (their Latin name Regulus regulus means “little king”) and their preferred trees are conifers.

HOLD THE BACK PAGE

BEFORE IT WAS A PIG...

Some notable ﬁgures once came to the Fort Henry bunker in the garden at what is now THE PIG-on the beach to see troops rehearse for the D-Day landings. But which of these famous chaps was not a visitor here? A) Winston Churchill B) Dwight D Eisenhower C) John F Kennedy

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

D) King George VI

[Answer on page 3]

As a matter of fact Protective measures at Studland Bay, Dorset, have seen the numbers of the endangered British spiny seahorse begin to recover. But which of these fantastic facts is not true about spiny seahorses? a) They can change colour b) The male carries a pregnancy c) They can sing d) You need a licence to photograph British seahorses [Answer on page 3]

PIG HACKS NO. 3 Crates for herbs

A simple way to create an appealing display of any herbs you’re growing is to use mismatched vintage pots, placed within an old crate. At our PIGs, we repurpose our old potato crates.

A boar going by the name of Ace of Spades was the first of the Berkshire pig breed to be recorded, and was bred by Queen Victoria. The monarch is known to have been a fan of the taste of Berkshire pig meat. The breed was first exported to the USA circa 1823, and in Japan, where Berkshire pigs also arrived in the 1800s, the breed remains popular as the source of the prized delicacy Kurobuta or “black hog”. In the 20th century, the Berkshire pig would go on to become a recognised rare breed in the UK, nearly going extinct in the 1990s, but surviving to this day.

THE PIG IN NUMBERS...

1,500

kg of honey extracted across the PIGs in 2023

970 214 lobsters released into the wild in 2023, together with the National Lobster Hatchery

... ﬁnd out more here

apprentices have joined our teams since 2015

Designed and edited by Uncommonly, 30 - 32 Tabard Street, London SE1 4JU (uncommonly.co.uk). Printed in East Sussex by Pureprint, a CarbonNeutral ® Company. The paper is carbon balanced with the World Land Trust, an international conservation charity. With special thanks to all of our partners and those in THE PIG team that have contributed to this issue.

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