Hogwash issue 05 | THE PIG Hotels by THE PIG Hotels

PIGGY BITS

OUR NEW PIGS

It was a busy, brilliant summer in 2024 as The Village Pub (our first PIG pub!) officially swung open its doors to the locals in Barnsley, in the heart of the Cotswolds. Shortly after, its honey-hued big-sister, THE PIG-in the Cotswolds, opened in September just across the road. Speak to reception to book a table either in the main restaurant or pub – we can’t wait to see you there

We are B Corp certified!

Ever since our first PIG opened its doors in 2011, it’s been in our DNA to champion local suppliers, help the environment thrive and provide real opportunities for our PIG people. So we couldn’t be more excited to share that THE PIGs are now B Corp certified. For a company to get certified, every aspect of the business is put under a microscope to see how well it’s really caring for people and planet. From supporting communities to using local produce, it’s a truly thorough audit –there’s nowhere for green-washers or those who only “talk the talk” to hide.

Being B Corp certified means we’re now part of a global community of businesses who can prove they’re meeting high standards of social and environmental impact. That really matters to us and to our local friends and carefully chosen partners (you can read more about them on page 14).

FORAGER’S PICKS...

All of our kitchens love to make the most of wild seasonal produce. Over the years, we’ve built relationships with a network of foragers who bring us the best goodies hiding on our doorstep. These picks are from Peter, our master forager at THE PIG-in the New Forest.

SEPTEMBERNOVEMBER

Sloe berries to make sloe gin, jams and jellies.

Rosehips are rich in Vitamin C, and traditionally used to make rosehip syrup. Beefsteak fungus look like pieces of meat but are bright red mushrooms!

Ceps, also known as “Penny Buns”, are among the most highly regarded of all wild mushrooms. Winter chanterelles are delicious, frost-resistant wild mushrooms. Hedgehog fungi have “spines” rather than gills – hence the common name.

Being a B Corporation isn’t about being the best – it’s about always working to be better. That’s why we’re committed to continuing to make responsible, thoughtful decisions to be a force for good and help lead the way for the hospitality industry. You can be sure we’re up for the challenge. Find out more about how we do things by visiting thepighotel.com/ about-us/efforts-ethos

DECEMBERFEBRUARY

Pennywort is a crunchy and succulent green leaf. Hairy bittercress are neither hairy nor bitter! They taste a little like watercress.

Three-cornered garlic has long, thin, often abundant leaves with a garlic and onion flavour. Chickweed is a salad green with small, low-lying leaves. Douglas fir needles can be used in syrups and as a flavouring. Alexanders are often called “Britain’s forgotten vegetable”, and taste like a cross between celery and parsley.

AND WE’RE

PLANTING

garlic, onions, broad beans, winter salads, cabbages

Notes from the Kitchen Garden

Our Kitchen Garden guru Ollie shares a seasonal update

As soon as there’s a chill in the air, our gardeners pull up a chair with the chefs to go through everything we’ve sown and grown throughout the season – and start planning for the year ahead. It’s a bit like getting ready for the beginning of a new school year. A fresh start brings a lot of excitement. We discuss what produce we want more (or less!) of, new varieties we’d like to try and different ingredients we can introduce to our menus.

We start getting garlic and onions in the ground in early autumn, so they’re ready for next summer, and plant out salads in our polytunnels and greenhouses at the beginning of October.

One trick is not to harvest celeriac too soon. It may look ready above the ground in October, but it’s still too early for the roots. You want big, swollen stems that form a nice, full celeriac ball, rather than having a round top with little, spindly roots, somewhat resembling a jellyfish! The perfect harvest time is around November and it is well worth the wait.

In the winter months, one of my favourite crops is ready for picking: Chinese artichokes. These plants are a relative of the mint family (although they’re unscented) and produce a tuber. They’re not much of a looker when you pull them out of the ground – but don’t let that fool you. On the palate, they have a similar taste and texture to water chestnuts, which are delicious in hearty winter dishes, and they can be pickled to use later in the year. It’s a great way of serving homegrown produce out of season.

Our teams are out in the Kitchen Garden every day – even on Christmas Day – picking the freshest produce for our menus, come rain or shine. And we’ll be planting throughout the new year, too. Towards the end of January and February, we sow thousands of tomato, pepper and aubergine plants across our greenhouses and polytunnels, and you’ll find lots of chard and colourful crops in the veg beds. There’s always vibrancy in our gardens and kitchens to keep us inspired all the way to spring.

Enjoy a free guided tour of our Kitchen Gardens across THE PIGs (excluding THE PIG-in the wall), every day at 11am. Our Kitchen Gardeners are always happy to answer any questions you have, and we can even

lend you a pair of wellies. Simply speak to one of our friendly reception team and we’ll be happy to arrange to have you come and join us for a morning tour. thepighotel.com/events/walled-garden-wanderings

[Back page answers: B; C]

☞ SMASHED IT

In summer 2024, fundraiser and adventurer Alex Lewis created a PIG 2 PIG challenge to raise money for some brilliant charities, including Hospitality Action. Alex, a quadruple amputee, rowed 350 miles from Falmouth to THE PIG-at Bridge Place in Kent, before hand-cycling back to THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay – stopping at each of the PIGs along the way. To support his fundraising, each PIG added a voluntary £1 donation to every food bill in June, raising £11,485 to contribute towards Alex’s total. What better reason to raise a glass?

☞ PRIVATE INVITE

Looking to celebrate? We will warmly welcome you and your favourite people in our characterful private rooms. From birthdays and business meetings to wedding parties and workshops, you’ll have your very own PIG space. We love any reason to gather people around the table – usually over a big PIG feast! Select your chosen PIG at thepighotel.com, then discover its amazing spaces for private hire under the Gatherings tab.

☞ TAKING THE LEAD

THE PIGs have won the Country & Town House 2024 Sustainable Hotel award! This new accolade celebrates the brilliantly committed work that goes on behind the scenes of the hospitality industry that we know our guests really value.

members including our founder , Robin Huts

Our own PIG wines

on , explain the story behind the creationofour

own wines, Alpaca Block and WhereEaglesFl

IN 2013, THE PIGS’ FOUNDER, Robin, was scouting out a potential new hotel property in Madehurst, generally pleased with what he was seeing, when he looked across a field in front of the house that was occupied by alpacas. It wasn’t these unusual residents that captured his imagination, though. “It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps we could grow some vines there,” he recalls. “I’ve been to lots of hotels in Australia and California where you have dinner overlooking a vineyard, and I guess they’d stuck in the back of my mind.” That two-acre, south-facing stretch of chalky grassland sealed the deal. The South Downs would have a PIG, and, with some help from the right people, Robin would try to fulfil a lifelong dream of becoming a vineyard owner.

The viticulture company VineWorks was brought in for a terroir study, to assess the pH of the soil and suggest a rootstock that would prosper. Based on the findings, it suggested chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, the three varieties used to make champagne. Perfect, one might think, given that Sussex has become renowned for its sparkling wine – but there’s always a twist with THE PIGs, and Robin was determined to make still wines. He convinced Dermot and Ana Sugrue, of the highly awarded English winemakers Sugrue South Downs, to oversee the winemaking for the PIGs, which is what made the whole venture possible.

“Both Dermot and Ana are unbelievable winemakers, pioneers in the UK wine industry,” says Luke Harbor, Head of Wine for THE PIGs. Sugrue South Downs, which opened its own winery, Bee Tree Vineyard, in 2023, is where THE PIGs’ wines are made. But this is not their first rodeo –the Sugrue team has been making wine since 2009, winning countless accolades including the prestigious WineGB’s Best Boutique Producer.

“What’s most exciting is that we basically have a blank canvas,” says Luke. “Becoming part of the UK’s wine journey at such an embryonic stage is really cool, and helping to establish a vineyard, then finding a partner to actually produce our wine, has given us a whole new perspective on the winemaking process.”

Today, the vineyard at THE PIG-in the South Downs (which has been affectionately named “Alpaca Block”), grows three rows of gamay vines alongside the chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot meunier, and produces two wines: a rosé and a chardonnay. Both are now on our PIG wine lists.

“These are very high-quality still wines,” says Dermot, and for better or worse, the changing temperatures in the UK have had a lot to do with it. “In terms of climate change, we’re where we were 20 or 30 years ago with English sparkling wine, so we’re just starting to be able to make excellent still wine.”

“I always say that wine, especially still wine, is made in the vineyard,” says Ana, who in the past 10 years has made wines in Peru, California, New Zealand, Germany and Austria. “There are lots of obstacles [in the UK] – starting with frost and higher rainfall, downy mildew and botrytis – but if we can get healthy, rich, juicy grapes, it’s very straightforward to make a good wine after that.”

Luke agrees: “The art and science of winemaking is in how you farm your vineyard. When do you do your pruning, and how? When do you trim the foliage? When do you weed? When do you mow? Do you plant cover crops? The craft of growing grapes involves incredible nuance.”

Meanwhile, over at Groombridge Place in Kent, our forthcoming PIG opening, Dermot and the team have resuscitated another vineyard planted by the “godfather of English winemaking”, Stephen Skelton, in the 1980s. Robin has named the first bottling – a blend of seyval blanc and pinot meunier – Where Eagles Fly, on account of the nearby UK Owl and Raptor Centre. “By having those beautiful birds of prey flying overhead, luckily we don’t get lots of hungry little songbirds tucking into our lovely ripe fruit,” grins Dermot. “They give that place a very wide berth.”

According to Luke, Alpaca Block Rosé – which he describes as “elegant, versatile and very drinkable” – has been carefully balanced to pair with our seasonal Kitchen Garden ingredients. It’s part of a concerted effort to blur the lines between winemaking and hospitality.

“The way things are going, wine could be an important part of the solution for declining agriculture in the south [of England],” says Robin. “As we’ve demonstrated with Alpaca Block, you certainly don’t need prairies to get started. Vines can thrive in small patches. There’s an enormous opportunity for THE PIG to be at the forefront of the UK’s wine tourism sector,” he says. “And there’s a huge opportunity for UK wine.” Try our Alpaca Block Rosé and Alpaca Block Chardonnay when you dine with us at THE PIGs, and look out for Where Eagles Fly, coming soon.

“It’s more honeyed and delicate than a bold smoky Scotch”

Our Group Bar Manager, Sam Vesey, talks with Rob Patchett of the Cotswolds Distillery – our tried-and-trusted English whisky supplier

WE CHAMPION LOCAL SUPPLIERS and produce at our bars at THE PIGs, and beyond the celebrated English wine scene, we also have a long-running relationship with topnotch English whisky-makers, the Cotswolds Distillery. Here, its Global Whisky Brand Ambassador, Rob Patchett, discusses the perks and particularities of building a whisky brand in the English countryside with THE PIGs’ own Sam Vesey.

SAM Can you explain how the Cotswolds Distillery started? It’s not the first part of the world that you think of when you think of whisky, which is part of what makes the brand interesting to me.

ROB Our distillery was founded by Dan Szor, an American who settled in the UK. He had been working in finance and was well compensated, but he didn’t enjoy it. He first caught the whisky bug when he visited Islay, and ended up buying a cask. Looking out at the barley fields at the back of his place in the Cotswolds one day, he just thought, “Why isn’t anyone making whisky here?” Soon he was speaking to longtime experts about the flavour profile he was looking for, finding investors and building the first distillery to make whisky in the Cotswolds. It opened here in 2014. We were the fourth English whisky distillery at that time – now there are 55.

SAM English whisky might still be a hard sell to some people, but we find at THE PIGs, the people who visit us want to try interesting things and they like seeing it behind our bars. The feedback when they taste Cotswolds Distillery is very, very good. What’s different about producing whisky in England rather than elsewhere?

ROB Environmentally speaking, we are able to have sustainable barley and very low “barley miles” of only 197 from field to final bottle. All our barley is sourced from a single farm nearby, and we only use local water. We’ve also created a new ecological wetlands system by converting old marshland into a wildflower meadow with five ponds that process more than 100,000 litres of our waste liquid weekly.

SAM I think you tried to show us that meadow the last time we visited for our annual trip with senior PIG bartenders – but it was raining so hard that day we all had to go inside.

ROB Yeah, it rained so much I ended up having to stop my talk and ask if everyone wanted to go inside and drink whisky instead! Speaking of the weather, we do have warmer summers than Scotland, so our “angel’s share” – the evaporation rate of whisky from a barrel over time – is higher, and we take that into account with our methods. Basically, we lean into being an English whisky and part of a new “world

whisky” movement. And we now export to 40 different countries.

SAM We recently began to offer an English version of a Scotch Sour with your whisky, which goes down really well. And, of course, every PIG bar creates its own cocktails inspired by the Kitchen Garden ingredients.

ROB The PIG bar teams always bring something different to the table and offer us different drinks ideas and executions. One that knocked me out recently was when Harvey, the Bar Manager at THE PIG in Brockenhurst, made a highball with raspberry and basil puree, with a little ginger beer and lemon juice. It looked stunning, too.

SAM Yes, we find whisky highballs work well with the Cotswolds Distillery, as the whisky is a bit more honeyed, delicate and fruity than a big, bold, smoky Scotch whisky. With drinks and with produce in general, we have lost so many of our traditions and knowledge from the past. My view is that anything we can make in England – well, we should.

ROB Absolutely. English whisky has come a long way, and we are really moving forwards now.

Try Cotswolds Distillery whisky, as well as its gin and more, when you drink with us at any of our PIGs. To find out more or buy online, visit cotswoldsdistillery.com

“We have very low barley miles from field to bottle” ROB

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE

~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU

~ KENT CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR SIGNATURE PICKLING WALL

Welcome to

THE PIG - AT

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.

BRIDGE PLACE

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the restaurant.

To find out our restaurant opening times, please call reception by dialling 0.

TREATMENTS

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

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

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.

Good to know

Our therapists have been professionally trained to offer safe and effective spa treatments for guests recovering from or undergoing cancer treatments. Just ask at reception to speak to one of the Potting Shed team if you would like to know more.

Potting Shed Treatment Menu

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.

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.

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.

The following treatments can be enjoyed in our new Treatment Wagon, tucked away in a tranquil corner of the sheep field. We are unable to take two bookings of these treatments at the same time.

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

SHED MEETS SPA

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.”

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.

Picked and pickled

Our team on how the much-loved pickling wall helps preserve the fresh ingredients we harvest here at Bridge, to use all year round

“OUR PICKLING WALL, and the fact we have so many pickled ingredients here, has been a core part of our kitchen since day one,” says Andy Feasby, the Head Chef at THE PIG-at Bridge Place. “Our colleague Kamil established all our pickling methods here when we first opened in 2019 –his nickname is Mr Pickle. It took us a bit of time to stop just keeping all the jars in the back and to start actually showcasing them. Now guests are always asking us if they can try things they’ve spotted, which we love.”

Andy is taking a brief break before the lunchtime service begins to give us a tour of the spectrum of colourful ingredients that have been picked on site, all now stored and displayed in satisfyingly hefty glass jars of pickling liquor, labelled by hand in white ink. Together, the jars on shelves form the pickling wall: an eye-catching signature feature of the restaurant interior that’s a guest favourite. There’s also a second, smaller selection on display outside, on the restaurant’s rustic terrace, where the Nailbourne stream burbles past.

There are pickled onions, naturally, which drinkers snack on in the bar; but also pickled heritage carrots, mushrooms, beetroot and much more. One jar is heaving with artichokelike tuber vegetables called crosnes, pickled in a hot-pink

HEAD CHEF ANDY FEASBY (BELOW)

“When you pickle chillies, it mellows out their heat”

liquor that’s tinted with beetroot; another holds golden beets. Whatever the contents, the produce has been preserved at its fresh best shortly after being harvested – usually from the grounds right here at Bridge.

Andy’s personal favourites include pickled chillies: “We harvest a lot of chillies from the greenhouses during the summer. When you pickle them, it mellows out their heat a little and improves the flavour compared to just biting a piece of chilli.” He also uses the tomato water left over from preserving tomatoes as a sauce for fresh crab when he has it on the menu.

The wall makes a colourful feature, but at its core is a functional purpose. “If we get hot weather in the summer, or even a sudden run of a few hot days, we then need to harvest more ripe produce from the Kitchen Garden that we can use up immediately,” explains Andy. “So it’s a very practical move to try to extend the life of that quality produce, to use it later in the year. Fresh seasonal produce is key to what we do at THE PIG.”

“We pickle fruit, too,” he continues. “We’re in one of the cherry capitals of the country here in Kent, so when we have a cherry harvest we’ll use an alcohol-based pickling method to save cherries for our pastry menus in the winter, when it can be hard to create a 25 mile menu. Our Head Kitchen Gardener, Fran, has just harvested a lot of currants that we’re now preserving, too. In early autumn, we harvest damsons, which we will use for sauces. I also like a plum sauce for venison.”

“Our pickling wall is a reminder that our Kitchen Garden is the heartbeat of our operation, and almost a direct line to it,” says Deputy General Manager Freya Morton. “We are very transparent about what we do here and we have an open kitchen where you can see the chefs working with ingredients. And we share our pickleliquor recipe with guests, too – it’s not a secret.” Freya points out that there isn’t a great deal of artwork in the restaurant – though there are some intriguing paintings and objects elsewhere – in part because the food itself is the visual focus here, with the jars arranged by colour and potted tomato plants and herbs on the restaurant tables, rather than flowers.

Freya also has first-hand experience of THE PIGs’ pickling culture, having chosen to be among the team members who lived on site during the pandemic lockdown of 2020 to keep THE PIG-at Bridge Place functioning. “It was summertime and we had so much produce from the garden that we didn’t know what to do with, but that couldn’t go to waste,” she explains. “So we pickled a lot! It was so satisfying when we were finally able to see the kitchen back [up and running] and make use of everything. Beetroots that I had pickled were finally getting eaten. Making use of our fresh produce all year is what we are all about.”

How to make your own jars of pickles

Ingredients

Makes 1 litre

250ml white wine

375ml white wine

vinegar

~ 500ml water

~ 250g sugar

~ 2 star anise

~ ½ teaspoon coriander seeds

~ 2 juniper berries

~ 1 bay leaf

~ ½ teaspoon white peppercorns

~ Your choice of fresh vegetables to pickle

Method

Put all the ingredients except for the veg in a pan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down and allow to simmer for 10 minutes, then pass the liquid through a fine sieve. If you want to keep the liquid for a later date, cool and pour into a sterilised glass jar. If you can’t wait to start pickling, use while still warm.

Harder vegetables should be parboiled for a few minutes before pickling to soften them. Then, put your chopped vegetables into sterilised glass preserving jars, fill with the pickling liquor and seal tightly. Leave for at least 48 hours before enjoying.

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ...

☞ 3 minutes

Walk over the short bridge that crosses the Nailbourne stream leading to our Kitchen Garden, and admire the countryside views.

☞ 30 minutes

If you’ve only got time for a quick bite, check out our afternoon menu, packed with delicious PIG dishes – perfect for when you’re on the go.

☞ 3 hours

Our house is set in the heart of the area dubbed the Wine Garden of England, so we heartily recommend visiting Simpsons Wine Estate for a tour and a tasting – it’s a wonderful, family-run winery right on our doorstep.

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.

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ HOTEL & ROOM GUIDE

~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU

~ SUSSEX CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON THE BEST LOCAL WALKS FROM OUR APPRENTICE CHEF

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.

Welcome to

THE PIG -IN THE

SOUTH DOWNS

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the restaurant.

To find out our restaurant opening times, please call reception by dialling 0.

TREATMENTS

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

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

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.

Good to know

Potting Shed Treatment Menu

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.

MUM TO BE

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 OCEAN ESSENCE TOTAL BODY WRAP

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.

SHED MEETS SPA

Local favourites

A chat with our Apprentice Chef Gabriel about his love of the South Downs –and some of his tried-and-tested places to make the most of the area

ONE DAY IN 2023, Gabriel Ramswell was walking home in the South Downs after having been foraging for mushrooms – he knows the best local spots for lots of varieties, from chanterelles to shaggy inkcaps, field mushrooms and snowy waxcaps – when a road closure meant he needed to vary his route.

“I passed a pub displaying an advert for the Apprentice Chef programme for THE PIG,” he says. “I’d only recently finished uni and was delivering pizzas to earn money at the time, and I thought, ‘This sounds a lot better than what I’m doing.’”

THE PIG appealed because “the apprenticeship can potentially include foraging and beekeeping, as well as shadowing others, working in the kitchen and taking on a lot of responsibilities. I love the fact that we have our Kitchen Garden. It’s been more than a year that I’ve been with THE PIG and it’s been a real journey. It’s changed my life entirely.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is his deep-seated love of the outdoors and the spectacular local landscapes here. Gabriel’s family moved to the area when he was seven, and he has a host of favourite walks, foraging and camping spots locally. “I’ll finish working in the kitchen, and sometimes I cannot sleep for overthinking. But out walking or in the woods, all of that completely goes away. You can be very present there in the moment and just appreciate the natural beauty around you.”

GABRIEL (BELOW) AND HIS FRIENDS ENJOY WILD COOKING IN THE AREA’S MOST SCENIC SPOTS

“You

can see the sea from one side and up to Midhurst from the other”

One of the local walks he recommends is “about a five-mile stretch of the South Downs Way – which is the 100-mile walk that stretches from Winchester to Eastbourne. I like to start the walk from a cycle café called the Cadence Clubhouse, in Cocking, and I usually end my walk at the Devil’s Jumps. That’s the name of a spot with probably the best preserved Bronze Age barrows [burial mounds] in Sussex, thought to be about 3,000 to 4,000 years old.” The views along the way are part of the reason he comes here so often. “It’s the peak among the valleys, and so from either side you can see a vast expansive view. It’s beautiful. You can see the sea from one side and up to Midhurst from the other side –proper rolling hills and countryside.”

The woodland near the Devil’s Jumps is another spot Gabriel recommends, but perhaps depending on how superstitious you are: “A Nazi pilot apparently crash-landed there during World War II and died, and you hear lots of ghost stories from other walkers, but I can’t say that my friends and I have ever been witness to any of that.”

They have been witness to some pretty impressive improvised cooking, though. On a recent walk to the Devil’s Jumps and beyond, Gabriel brought a light base for a risotto and some homemade salad dressing, and he and his friends finished the dish with foraged finds and leaves, including yarrow, red clover, ground elder (“similar to parsley”), sorrel leaves and pignuts, which “taste like hazelnuts, but you find them about three inches under the soil – there’s a custom to find one for the person you love every spring”. Speaking of risotto, “It’s a dish I always recommend to people at any PIG, because the chefs will update it with whatever is the best thing seasonally. And our pork dishes are always a firm favourite because we brine our pork very well.”

Gabriel also recommends an option “to extend the walk and head up to a place called Kingley Vale. It’s similar, with Iron Age barrows on the top, and a place of huge historical significance. Many historic battles were fought there, but there was also a lot of D-Day training with the Americans and the English.”

He points PIG-in the South Downs guests looking for local pub recommendations to establishments including The Three Horseshoes, “which has incredible views of some of the landscapes we’ve just been talking about”.

For now, the next walk will have to wait, as Gabriel is about to head back into the PIG kitchen. Still, he says, “It’s the first job I’ve truly wanted to stay with. It’s an exciting place to work.”

Try our food at the restaurant, and ask at reception for tips on making the most of the stunning local area.

How to become a PIG

Apprentice Chef

Our award-winning Chef Apprenticeship Programme provides budding chefs of any age with an accredited training pathway to develop unique knowledge and skills. Throughout the programme, apprentices have the opportunity to work their way around the various sections of the PIG kitchens. Alongside the Head Chef and kitchen brigade, apprentices learn how to work in an environment that is driven by the availability of ingredients produced on the premises and within a 25-mile radius. Learn more at jobs. thepighotel.com

☞ 3 minutes

Sneak away into our lovely Art Room, tucked away behind reception. It’s the perfect cosy spot, with a log burner, big squashy sofas and a characterful painting or two on the walls.

☞ 30 minutes

Stroll down to the Kitchen Garden to spot our magnificent kiwi vine that’s more than 100 years old, growing to the right of the entrance.

☞ 3 hours

Just 10 minutes’ drive from THE PIG-in the South Downs is the beautiful market town of Arundel. Step back in time with a tour of Arundel Castle and its grounds.

GABRIEL HAS BEEN WITH THE PIG FOR A YEAR AND SAYS IT HAS CHANGED HIS LIFE

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.

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 LOCAL CHARITY THE NEW FOREST TRUST

Welcome to

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 Old English 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.

THE PIG

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the restaurant.

To find out our restaurant opening times, please call reception by dialling 0.

TREATMENTS

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

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

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.

Good to know

Potting Shed Treatment Menu

All treatments are 60 minutes and £115

ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL

RESURFACING RADIANCE FACIAL

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

SHED MEETS SPA

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.

Loved by locals

From building affordable housing to keeping ponies safe on the roads, the New Forest Trust is working to preserve this beautiful corner of the world for generations to come

“THE NEW FOREST IS RECOGNISED by millions globally as a very special place,” says Hilary Harper of the conservation charity the New Forest Trust, speaking to us from her home not far from THE PIG in Brockenhurst. “But it faces constant pressures, including from visitors. The trust’s work is helping to secure the future of the forest, for those who live in it and for those who love it.”

A grant-giving charity, the New Forest Trust is able to help local people and groups secure funding for initiatives that speak to “the conservation, protection and improvement of the New Forest”. As Hilary, who is a practising solicitor with a passion for working to help her local area, explains, “People come to us with ideas, proposals or projects they believe fit with our charitable aims. Then we say, ‘Yes, we really like that, it absolutely ticks all the boxes for the charity – so here’s £50, £500 or £5,000.’”

Much of the work is about protecting the flora and fauna – one project funded by the trust worked to protect and survey the number of native reptiles, such as smooth snakes and sand lizards, in the forest. Unlike the reptiles, birds and insect life, however, “the iconic New

“The iconic ponies are owned by ‘commoners’, who have an ancient right to put their animals out onto the New Forest”

Forest ponies, the cattle and the donkeys here are all owned by individuals – they’re not wild,” clarifies Hilary. “They’re owned by ‘commoners’, who have an ancient right, by virtue of the lands they live in or rent, to put their animals out onto the New Forest.” This traditional practice remains a vital part of maintaining the forest environment: “If we didn’t have those animals grazing, it would very quickly grow out of control, like a garden that hasn’t been mowed.”

One simple but effective example of local knowledge being applied here has been the success of the “salt licks” project. “In the New Forest, most roads are unfenced, so you’ve got 140,000 acres of open forest, and the animals can just walk across the roads,” explains Hilary, by way of background. “In fact, they have right of way across the roads – but if they’re on the road, there’s a huge risk they’ll get hit, injured or killed.” Locals had observed that this problem was becoming worse during the colder months, and connected this to the fact that: “In winter, we salt our roads to stop them getting icy, but ponies and cattle love the salt, and animals will congregate on the roads to lick the salt off.

“We had some horrible incidents with donkeys and ponies being hit. But now, at the suggestion of the commoners of the New Forest, there are big salt licks placed away from the roads. The ponies know there is always salt in a particular place, so they’ll go there rather than risk the roads. And over the last couple of years, the accident numbers have hugely decreased.”

One of the New Forest Trust’s next projects is on a far larger scale: building dedicated affordable housing, complete with agricultural outbuildings, for commoners who will keep animals that graze in the New Forest. “As a charity, we are building up a stock of land and housing that we are going to rent out at affordable rates to young commoners – it’s really exciting,” says Hilary. “We’ve been given some land by Hampshire County Council and we’re negotiating our next steps. It’s preserving that way of life and giving an opportunity for a new generation.” Find out more or make a donation at newforesttrust.org.uk

Dos and Don’ts with New Forest ponies

~ If ponies walk into the road, pause your vehicle until they have moved away of their own accord – don’t try to drive through, as the animals have right of way.

~ Don’t make loud, sudden noises or sound car horns.

~ Don’t ever try to stroke or touch the ponies, and don’t stand too close to them.

~ Don’t try to feed them.

~ Do take your time to pause and admire them!

How THE PIG is helping

THE PIG in Brockenhurst is proud to support the New Forest Trust, including with guests’ optional donations on the 25 mile menu. “That’s made a huge difference,” says Hilary. “More than that, THE PIG is supporting our nonnative invasive plant project to help the biodiversity of the local area.” This has included our gardeners taking the time to learn from a local botanist about which plants to grow and which to avoid. “It’s something that fits with THE PIG’s values,” says Hilary.

☞ 3 minutes

You can’t beat a crisp walk in the New Forest –ask reception for a map to help plan the perfect route. You can even borrow a pair of wellies.

☞ 30 minutes

If you spot it on the menu, make sure to try our Pickled Garden Chilli Mayo, made with chillies from last year’s harvest. The heat is different every year – but it’s always delicious!

☞ 3 hours

Visit Milford on Sea, a lovely pebble beach with fantastic views of The Needles and a protected wildlife reserve, just 20 minutes away. We’ll warm you up with a hot toddy when you come back.

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.

Photo: Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE

~ WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE

~ SOUTHAMPTON CALLING:

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON NEW FOREST SHORTBREAD

Welcome to

THE PIG - IN THE

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

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

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

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

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 in the New Forest – 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.

Baked Tunworth

Serves 2

• 1 Tunworth cheese

• 1 sprig thyme

• 2 garlic cloves

• 2 teaspoons rapeseed oil

☞

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!

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served from the Deli-bar. To find out service times please call reception by dialling 0

TREATMENTS

If you fancy a relaxing massage or facial, then pop to THE PIG in the New Forest for a Potting Shed treatment. Call reception by dialling 0 to find out more.

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

• a pinch of smoked salt

For the croutons

• 2 thin slices sourdough

• 25ml rapeseed oil

• salt and pepper

With its sweet, nutty flavour and earthy aroma, Tunworth is probably the closest an English cheese gets to Camembert. Made by the Hampshire Cheese Company and named after the prettiest of hamlets, it’s won countless awards. At THE PIG-in the wall, we like to serve it baked whole with croutons, so get dunking!

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

With the point of a sharp knife, mark the top of the cheese with crosses – this will allow the oil, thyme and garlic to infuse the cheese while it’s cooking.

Chop the thyme and crush the garlic in a pestle and mortar with the oil and seasoning. Spread the garlicky mix over the cheese and bake for 10 minutes.

For the croutons, cut each slice of sourdough into 3, drizzle with oil, salt and pepper and cook at the same temperature for around the same time.

Short and sweet

New Forest Shortbread began life as a homemade treat baked by a local retiree in her cottage, but its popularity has seen it grow into an award-winning business

“I DIDN’T REALLY get on with being retired,” says Tracy Thew. In 2011, she moved into Burley Rails, a postcard-worthy cottage in the New Forest – “very remote, very idyllic” – where she and her husband were planning a quiet life soaking up the local scenery. But wanting to keep busy, Tracy decided to ask her local farm shop, Hockey’s, if it would sell her homemade shortbread. It was the start of a chain of events that would turn into a second career for her.

A former regional manager for a large corporation, Tracy had never sold her own homemade goods before, but she had always been a skilled and enthusiastic amateur baker. “My family and friends had always told me I should sell my shortbread, which I often gave them as a gift,” says Tracy. Made to her simple recipe of high-quality salted butter, wheat flour and cane sugar, the shortbread that had always been in high demand among Tracy’s family and friends turned out to

“We made half a million pieces of shortbread last year”

be just as big a hit with others who tried it. Her small independent brand, New Forest Shortbread, has since won multiple golds at the Great Taste Awards. Today Tracy oversees a team of eight. “We made half a million pieces of shortbread last year,” she says, “and we made a profit – which is not easy in these times.”

New Forest Shortbread is now supplied by Tracy’s team to the owners of many local holiday homes and a handful of boutique hotels, including to our guests here at THE PIG-in the wall. In 2019, Tracy took the initiative to ditch plastic bags in favour of sustainable packaging – “I felt that plastic was really not what people wanted any more” – and commissioned a local tattoo artist, Will Drew, to create original artwork of New Forest wildlife. The images are updated periodically, with some packaging including keepsake cards. Tracy’s husband, a writer, helps to add detail about the local flora and fauna, and doubles as the company’s delivery driver.

Tracy uses the local wholesaler Harvest Fine Foods for her core ingredients, and her range includes a choice of added flavours such as rosemary, lavender, chocolate and, somewhat unusually for shortbread, coffee. “That was an idea I had in the middle of the night – why not make shortbread with a coffee flavour?” she says. “I approached Mozzo Coffee in Southampton and they did a very fine grain of a classic roast for us. It just works brilliantly.”

There is a close-knit team working out of the cottage today. “I try to look after people,” says Tracy. “Many of us are mums and don’t make enough time for ourselves, so we have a teacher come to give a yoga class every Thursday afternoon. I love the people I work with and I feel that if I look after my team, they will look after the brand.”

She sees THE PIG-in the wall as a natural fit for her distinctly local business. “When people come to the area, they choose THE PIG because of the quality and the reputation that they’re going to be looked after and have a good time,” says Tracy. “But beyond that, it’s also about a sense of place and the experience of being in this part of the country. It feels good to bring something into the hotel that adds to that local experience.”

Pick up a box of New Forest Shortbread from the Deli-bar, or visit newforestshortbread.co.uk

There are lots of nooks and crannies to explore along the medieval city wall, which begins just around the corner from THE PIG-in the wall. Immerse yourself in some local history while taking a stroll. IF

☞ 3 minutes

Can you spot how many different types of taxidermy there are decorating our walls and shelves?

☞ 30 minutes

We’re famous for the fresh sausage rolls at our Deli-bar. Ask us to heat one up for you to enjoy as you sink into a comfy armchair by our crackling fire.

☞ 3 hours

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.

LOCAL TATTOO ARTIST WILL DREW CREATES ORIGINAL ARTWORK FOR THE BRAND, SUCH AS THIS FALLOW DEER (BELOW)

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ HOTEL & ROOM GUIDE

~ SHEEP HUT TREATMENT MENU

~ DORSET CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR FATHER-ANDSON KITCHEN CONNECTIONS

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.

THE PIG - ON THE Welcome to

BEACH

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the restaurant.

To find out our restaurant opening times, please call reception by dialling 0.

TREATMENTS

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

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

Wander down through the gardens

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

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

Good to know

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

UPPER BODY UNWIND

MUM TO BE

HOT STONE MASSAGE

BESPOKE MASSAGE

HUT MEETS SPA

Old tobacco tins, gardening tools, balls of twine … Unlikely as it may seem, the decor of our Sheep Hut treatment rooms was inspired by Beatrix Potter’s grumpy gardener, Mr McGregor. “I fill the shelves inside the 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.”

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.

Family friendly

Lots of our PIG people would tell you that a kitchen team is like a family – but occasionally we mean that literally

“GEORGE MOVED 200 MILES for this job and THE PIG team has always really looked out for him,” says Peter Morgan. “As a parent, I couldn’t be happier.” Peter’s son George is part of our kitchen team here at THE PIG-on the beach, but Peter is no stranger to us either – his Book and Bucket Cheese Company has been one of our trusted local suppliers and collaborators since 2018. (Look out for his cheeses, carefully crafted at his nearby dairy HQ, on our menus and cheeseboards – including the multi-awardwinning Shakespeare brie.)

“I’d never worked in hospitality before,” says George, “but applying for an apprenticeship to train with THE PIG is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s funny to think that not long ago I was working on a building site and now I’m cooking with my dad’s cheese. We used Book and Bucket cheese on our tomato tart recently and to make a wonderful gnocchi. Obviously, it’s amazing to sometimes be working with the cheese that’s made by my dad, but,” he is careful to add, “ultimately, it’s also about helping a lot of different local businesses and sourcing produce with sustainability in mind.”

“It’s amazing to be working with cheese that’s made by my dad”

In hospitality, teams often work long shifts at close quarters, and that can mean that restaurant teams in particular often refer to themselves as being, for better or worse, like a family. A busy kitchen is an environment in which you very quickly come to know everyone else’s idiosyncrasies, strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes and sense of humour. And occasionally, as with Peter and George, some of our PIG team members or suppliers are literally family.

It makes perfect sense, really. We’ve nurtured a familial culture, with close links to the local community and its traditions at all our THE PIGs from the very beginning. Robin, our founder, always collaborated with his own family to build the business. He is married to Judy, who is the interiors mastermind behind the look and feel of all of THE PIGs’ decor. Their adult children and their families have also been involved in the business over the years, from creating original artwork to gardening and beekeeping.

Another example of relative values here at THE PIGon the beach is our well-known local lobster supplier, Jeff Lander, and his son Ryan, who is a member of our PIG kitchen team. “He isn’t a fisherman, because he gets seasick,” laughs Jeff, who has been supplying us with fresh lobster since 2014. He has four sons and is part of a local family that has been fishing this part of the English coast for generations. As Jeff puts it, they have been “crabbing in Swanage since dinosaurs roamed the earth”. Jeff’s youngest son also worked with us here before heading to university. And as a longtime supplier, Jeff meets almost everyone here. “I’ve spent years coming in and out of this kitchen, so I’ve got to know some of the chefs pretty well,” he says. “They’re always threatening to come fishing with me! The offer’s always there...”

So it turns out that you don’t need to be one of Jeff’s kids to get an invite to join him on his boat. And you certainly don’t need to know or be related to anyone else here to apply to join our teams – THE PIGs have always thrived on our people’s brilliantly varied, wild-and-wonderful mix of different skills and life experience. It’s a family we’ve built ourselves, and that means that anyone can aspire to join it. And of course, like a lot of families, it’s often good food that brings us together.

☞ 3 minutes

Head down to the cosy lounge by reception to see what freshly baked homemade cakes are available today.

☞ 30 minutes

Try to spot the fencing around the outskirts of the tree in the centre of the Kitchen Garden. It was made by a local blacksmith as a structure for our grapes to grow.

☞ 3 hours

Warm yourself up with a session at Studland Sauna Hut – right on the sand at Studland Beach, just a 15-minute walk away. Nothing beats a lovely hot sauna after a dip in the Dorset sea. IF

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.

~ HOTEL & ROOM GUIDE

~ INTRODUCING THE FIELDHOUSE

~ THE COTSWOLDS CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON THE VILLAGE PUB

INFO & GOINGS ON THE PIG - IN THE

CLOSE YOUR EYES and visualise the perfect Cotswolds hotel – we reckon that the newest member of the PIG litter will be exactly what you have in mind. Tucked away in Barnsley, a quintessential honey-stone village just four miles from Cirencester, THE PIG-in the Cotswolds is a handsome Grade II listed house with wisteria winding across its façade, mullioned windows, Arts and Crafts-style gardens and – a first for us – its very own classic country inn, the Village Pub.

Barnsley House was built in 1697 by Brereton Bourchier, whose family had acquired a manor on the site from Henry VIII’s sixth and final wife, Catherine Parr, in 1548. If it looks a little unassuming from the main road, that’s because the back of the house was originally its front – at the end of the 17th century, said main road was merely a lane running through the grounds and veg gardens.

From the 18th century, Barnsley House served as the rectory for medieval St Mary’s Church, next door, but its glory days were still ahead of it. When Rosemary Verey moved here with her husband, David, in 1951, she decided to remodel the grounds herself – and so began a horticultural journey that saw her become one of the 20th century’s most famous garden designers, with a client list that included the future King Charles and Elton John.

Her laburnum walk, Tuscan temple and knot garden epitomise the style popular at the time, while the potager, or ornamental kitchen garden, positively screams PIG. Indeed, we like to think of a stay at this cosy, homely house as a visit to your great-aunt Rosemary’s.

After Rosemary passed away in 2001, Barnsley House became a boutique hotel (the vegetable beds in the back field were planted in 2004), with a separate space for treatments and wellbeing, nestled in the gardens near the gothic summerhouse. When THE PIGs became the new guardians of the house and grounds in 2024, we decided to keep this special space and rename it as our Fieldhouse – an extension of our PIG Potting Sheds, with even more treats to offer beyond our bespoke facials and massages. Then there’s The Village Pub, with beamed ceilings and open fireplaces, where we hope you’ll also join us for a pint and some seriously good-quality grub. That notorious bon viveur Henry VIII would doubtless have approved.

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

TREATMENTS

To book a treatment in our Fieldhouse, please call or go down to reception to speak to one of our friendly team.

CHECK OUT

Check out is 11am.

Wander into our newest rustic retreat

…follow the winding path at the back of the main house of THE PIG-in the Cotswolds to find our Fieldhouse – a space for treatments and wellbeing with extra special offerings, including our first nail bar, a hydrotherapy pool, sauna, steam room and outdoor terrace in the heart of the English countryside.

The Fieldhouse facilities are open 9am–6pm. You are very welcome to use them, even if you haven’t booked a treatment with us – all you need to do is pre-book a free 60-minute slot with reception. You can also use the Fieldhouse if you’re staying with us at The Village Pub. Call reception by dialling 0 for more details.

Good to know

Welcome to the Fieldhouse

We’ve teamed up with Tribe517 to help you unwind and completely relax during your time with us in our quiet and calming treatment rooms.

Tribe517 is a family-run, natural skincare brand that handcrafts its products in the beautiful south Wales countryside, not far from us at THE PIG-in the Cotswolds. Our partnership was meant to be: the company shares our ethos of using homegrown or ethically sourced botanical ingredients that help care for the planet, as well as mind and body.

Just like us at THE PIG, the team at Tribe517 are passionate about the provenance of their ingredients, which include their own honey. They are also committed to getting the little details right: recycling and using up everything they can, and crafting in small batches to ensure the best quality. Our Tribe517 products are suitable for anyone who has nut-based allergies on the skin.

A word from our Spa Operations Manager

“It makes perfect sense to partner with Tribe517 for the Fieldhouse,” says THE PIGs’ Spa Operations Manager, Harpreet Ghatora. “The brand’s values and ethos really align with ours. They put therapists and guests at the centre of everything they do and create, just like us. We all believe that when it comes to great ingredients, less is more – and we’re all doing our best every day to look after the land by growing and sourcing responsibly. We’re taking everything back to basics when it comes to looking after your face and body, to create personalised wellness journeys for every guest. That’s a tribe I can get on board with!”

A PIG FIRST

The Fieldhouse is our secluded and peaceful spot under the trees, tucked away from the main house, filled with even more deeply relaxing spaces to help you unwind and switch off. Carefully designed as the big sister to our PIG Potting Shed treatment rooms, the Fieldhouse has the familiar, cosy décor of old tobacco tins, gently flickering candles and balls of twine you can expect to find across the litter at THE PIGs, with even more treats to offer.

FIND YOUR COPY OF THE FULL FIELDHOUSE TREATMENT MENU, WITH DETAILS OF HOW TO BOOK, IN YOUR PIG BEDROOM

SMALL BUT MIGHTY: THE VILLAGE PUB IS PACKED WITH OAK-BEAMED CEILINGS, DIMLY LIT CORNERS AND ROARING OPEN FIREPLACES

Proper pub grub

Will Parkes, Head Chef at the first ever PIG pub, The Village Pub in Barnsley, tells us about what he’s cooking up for the menu

SINCE THE IRON AGE, the 110-mile Welsh Way has been used to connect south Wales and Oxford. By the 14th century, having been improved and extended by the Romans, it was mainly used by shepherds: the English recognised Welsh lamb as producing the tastiest shanks and the softest fleeces. But in those days it was approximately a week’s schlep, and so a number of watering holes began to emerge along the way – and among them was the sleepy village of Barnsley in the Cotswolds. As the centuries went by, quaint as it was (and still is), Barnsley became renowned for its hospitality. By the 18th century, the village had a public house – The Greyhound Inn – famed for its good food and even better ales. That pub remains to this day as quintessentially English as a steaming plate of shepherd’s pie. It had been on our founder, Robin’s, radar for years, and in summer 2024 it became THE PIG’s first pub. Heading up the kitchen here is Will Parkes, a Head Chef who is no stranger to THE PIG family. Will joined THE PIG in Brockenhurst in 2017, spending two years there as a chef de partie, before heading off for a season making “Italian-influenced mountain food” at the legendary Portetta, in Courchevel. He came back to THE PIG group with a cheffing role at THE PIGat Bridge Place, and now he’s joined us for a new chapter in the Cotswolds, as Head Chef at both The Village Pub and THE PIG-in the Cotswolds.

“The food appeals to local regulars as much as to hotel guests”

And it’s the pub in particular that we’re chatting about today. So what can we expect from the menu? “Traditional English, hearty pub food,” says Will from a kitchen he can now call his own. “It’s simple food, done well. I like to let the food do the talking.”

The menu is largely pub classics: bangers and mash, smoked gammon and pork scratchings, dishes that, according to Will, “can come across as simple, but behind the scenes a tremendous amount of work goes into them. It’s all in the execution.” Take the fishcake, for example. Whereas most are 50 per cent fish, bulked up with potato, Will’s are 95 per cent fish. “People expect it to be really potatoey, but actually when you cut into it, it’s just big chunks of fish and loads of lemon, herbs and seasoning,” he says. “And where you’d usually have tartar sauce, we’re serving it with a classic butter sauce and some spinach – very traditional.”

Likewise, he’s cut no corners with the jugged beef. This carefully seasoned dish takes 24 hours to create, with a centuries-old English spice mix that uses juniper, black pepper and bay leaves. “A lot of time and effort goes into making that braising steak so tender,” says the chef, “but it’s definitely worth it.”

With the cheeseboard, Will has opted to keep things simple, showcasing both a single and double Gloucester. But he has introduced a curveball by adding Eccles cakes: “Bakery on the Water, which is nearby in Bourton-on-the-Water, is renowned for its Eccles cakes,” says Will. “I brought some samples in for Robin recently and he absolutely loved them, so we just had to find a way to serve them. They go down a storm, and for us, it’s a nice, natural way to integrate into the local foodie community.”

In many ways, the menu is inspired by the pub itself, “very relaxed, very wholesome, very hearty”, as Will puts it. It is important to him that the food appeals to local regulars as much as to hotel guests. And surely everyone is partial to a ploughman’s, especially one that features a whopping chunk of double Gloucester? “We serve it with loads of bread, homemade pickled onions and homemade piccalilli. No fuss, but very tasty.” That’s what the best pub food is like, after all. Ask at reception to book your table at The Village Pub – or drop in for a pint.

☞ 3 minutes

Potter down to the library to browse our trusty collection of gardening books – you’re welcome to read them in any one of our cosy corners.

☞ 30 minutes

There’s nothing better than hunkering down in a toasty English pub in the chillier months. Pull up a stool at The Village Pub and settle in for a hot toddy and a seriously tasty bar snack.

☞ 3 hours

We warmly recommend a visit to Tetbury, just a 30-minute drive away. It’s famous for its rows of fantastic antique stores, filled with treasures –the perfect place to spend an afternoon.

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.

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE

~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU

~ SOMERSET CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON HEAVENLY HEDGEROWS PRESERVES

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.

THE PIG - NEAR

BATH

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

Check out is at 11am. Useful info for your stay

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the restaurant.

To find out our restaurant opening times, please call reception by dialling 0.

TREATMENTS

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

CHECK OUT

Wander into the walled Kitchen Garden

... through the raised beds, out past our berry house 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.

Good to know

Potting Shed Treatment Menu

All treatments are 60 minutes and £115

ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL

RESURFACING RADIANCE FACIAL

UPPER BODY UNWIND

MUM TO BE

HOT STONE MASSAGE

BESPOKE MASSAGE

SHED MEETS SPA

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.

Hedge bets

The delicious Heavenly Hedgerows jams on our breakfast tables are the awardwinning work of one dedicated woman, forager Chris Westgate

ONE OF CHRIS WESTGATE’S earliest foraging memories is of her mum returning home from a morning run brandishing an enormous, rather odd-looking mushroom, shouting, “Breakfast!”. In retrospect, she says, it was a parasol mushroom – easily identified, safe to forage and thoroughly delicious – not that her mother was any the wiser. “In those days, we were pretty gung ho,” she says, wincing slightly at the thought, “but remarkably no one ever got ill.”

Chris grew up in the suburbs of Auckland, New Zealand, and had what she calls “a free-range childhood … always playing out, making mud pies”. Her mother would make jams using strawberries and apricots from the fruit farms at the bottom of their road, but it wasn’t until Chris moved to the UK in 1993, to the outskirts of Keynsham in Somerset, that she started making preserves herself.

Having seen that the local hedgerows were bursting with brambles, sloes and elderberries, hawthorn and rosehip, before long Chris was making her own jams with foraged fruit, and without any commercial pectins. “I fell into it by accident,” she says. “I just really liked picking berries, and before I knew it I had over 70 jars of jam filling the cupboards.”

To free up some space, she took her jams to a local farmers’ market, and much to her surprise they sold out within a few hours. Heavenly Hedgerows was born. And as it turned into a commercial operation, foraging soon became a near daily occurrence, especially throughout the summer months. Realising she’d now

“I just really liked picking berries, and before I knew it I had over 70 jars of jam filling the cupboards”

need landowners’ permission, Chris set about collaborating with the local farmers, but even with them on side, it wasn’t long before demand outweighed supply.

“That’s when I created my ‘Not foraged – still fabulous’ range,” explains Chris, proudly. “I just had to be a bit more resourceful.” These jams have the same ethos of local produce behind them, but with ingredients sourced slightly differently. “There’s a lady down the road with a great big gooseberry bush who lets me help myself; people leave bundles of local rhubarb on my doorstep, and occasionally I’ll buy bits from British Frozen Fruits in Hereford if I need to. These days, approximately a third of what I produce is from foraged fruit.”

About 10 years ago, having been blown away by the taste of Chris’s wild plum jam, we asked if she’d supply us with some of her range at THE PIG-near Bath. Since then, we’ve continued to serve a selection of Heavenly Hedgerows jams at breakfast, and from time to time Chris will make us a limited-edition batch of something a bit special. There was a wonderful spiced grape jelly one Christmas; her redcurrant jelly pairs wonderfully with lamb; and we’ve recently been serving her damson jelly with our cheeseboards.

We at THE PIGs even helped convince Chris to start making marmalade, which she did with help from preserves expert Vivien Lloyd. Vivien had been impressed by Heavenly Hedgerows as a judge at the Taste of the West awards. “She actually reached out to me, saying she’d like to help develop my brand,” Chris says. “Long story short, I signed up to Vivien’s legendary marmalade clinic and she helped me develop a beautiful recipe.” That Heavenly Hedgerows marmalade recipe won gold at the Taste of the West awards 2024, as did the blackcurrant jam. It’s an impressive achievement for what’s very much a one-woman brand. “I do everything,” Chris grins, of her garden-shedbased operation. “I mean, it really is small scale. I do all the picking, the making, the labelling, the marketing – the whole shebang.”

And according to the judges’ feedback, she’s getting it right. “Sour but delightfully so,” they said of Heavenly Hedgerows blackcurrant jam. “It had a lovely depth of flavour … and would be phenomenal on a scone.” We couldn’t agree more. heavenlyhedgerows.co.uk

Taste of the West awards competition judges on Heavenly Hedgerows marmalade

~ “Lovely and zesty – quite a clean aroma with delightfully bitter notes shining through.”

~ “An even distribution of shred throughout the jelly, which was appealing, clear and of a beautiful orange colour.”

~ “Smooth and silky, it was almost glassy! The shred added a terrific contrasting firm texture … it was authentic and enjoyable.”

~ “A wonderful hit of sweet and floral flavours with a pleasant bitterness that complemented the zesty sweet marmalade.

The flavours lingered, enjoyably so.”

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ...

☞ 3 minutes

Take the main staircase from reception to find an inventory listing all the items contained in the house after the death of Sir John Popham in 1644.

☞ 30 minutes

Staying with little ones? Ask our reception team if you can take the kids to help our groundsman, Alan, collect eggs from the chickens for the breakfast table in the morning.

☞ 3 hours

Visit the beautiful neighbouring town of Frome, just 30 minutes away. It’s the quieter cousin to the city of Bath and has a treasure trove of independent shops and markets to explore.

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.

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE

~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU

~ DEVON CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON OUR ‘SECRET’ WINE CELLAR EVENT SPACE

Welcome to

PIG - AT

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.

COMBE THE

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the restaurant. To find out our restaurant opening times, please call reception by dialling 0. Food is also served daily in The Folly – speak to one of our friendly teams to find out today’s opening times.

TREATMENTS

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

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

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

Potting Shed Treatment Menu

All treatments are 60 minutes and £115

ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL

RESURFACING RADIANCE FACIAL

UPPER BODY UNWIND

MUM TO BE

HOT STONE MASSAGE

BESPOKE MASSAGE

SHED MEETS SPA

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.

Come down

We’d like to invite you to come and raid our wine cellar! A uniquely atmospheric private dining space hidden right beneath your feet at THE PIG-at Combe

THERE’S A RATHER STEEP, narrow staircase down to reach the vaulted-ceilinged space of the cellar here at Combe. But those who aren’t too claustrophobic, or who have realised that it is not exclusively for the use of our team, will be richly rewarded. That’s because the wine cellar is also one of the more unusual event spaces that we have available to us here in Combe – and, when it’s aglow with candlelight, perhaps the most atmospheric. Our sommelier team has helped to create a range of wine experiences that are offered in the cellar itself, allowing our guests to sample some of the best and most drinkable bottles that we have squirrelled away down here.

“The original, central part of the hotel is an Elizabethan house, but it was added to over the years,” explains Hayley Hopkins, our Events Manager at THE PIG-at Combe. “We believe the wine cellar was added to the house with the Georgian renovations by the former owner Thomas Putt, which also included adding the kitchen that we use today. He was the creator of the Tom Putt apple variety, which is well known locally. The Putt family planted fruit trees here in the 1700s and we know that for a time the wine cellar had a cider press in it. The Putts owned this house for a long time, from 1614 to 1846.” Hayley points out the bricks from the Champagne region that are dotted along the cellar walls. “The bricks had been used as

“Once guests have discovered the space, they often come back”

ballast for the ships bringing champagne, and then had to be left behind here. Over the years, many ended up being used as part of the walls.”

As for how a guest today might enjoy some champagne or other tipples down here? “We do afternoon wine tasting, where guests have a selection of five wines to try with a sommelier, as well as some lovely Piggy Bits to snack on,” says Hayley. “And there is even some natural light from the small windows to our outside terrace. But the space is at its most magical in the evenings, when we also have the option for a sommelier table, with a five-course menu that the sommelier and the chef create on the day. Guests are looked after all evening, with a sommelier explaining the wines and pairing them with the food. The space has an incredible ambience at night, when the overhead lights are dimmed and it’s lit partially with candles. We place wine bottles with candles on the old staircase that goes up to where the entrance used to be.”

Once guests have discovered the space, they often want to come back. “We have a lot of repeat guests, including a couple of shooting parties that come every year, and a couple who had dinner together here on the night of their wedding, just the two of them, and come back every year for their anniversary. We have often used the cellar for pre-dinner drinks, or as a sort of secret, extra bar for exclusive-use functions – it’s a space that lends itself well to surprises.”

Hayley is so fond of the cellar space that, even with the run of the place, she chose it as the venue for her mum’s surprise 70th birthday party. “The cellar is something of an under-utilised gem, even though our sommeliers do a good job of letting people know about it, simply because you can’t see it at a glance the way you can walk around the rest of THE PIG-at Combe,” she says. “But once people have experienced it, they are sold. It really is my favourite of all the spaces in the hotel. I love it.”

Ask our friendly team if you can see the cellar, or book your private wine-tasting or dining experience at thepighotel.com/at-combe

What size party can fit in the cellar?

“For dining, we recommend up to eight people, though we have squeezed in 10,” says Events Manager Hayley. “For wine tasting, we recommend eight to 12 people.”

What does it cost?

An afternoon wine tasting starts from £50, including four different wines and our Piggy Bits to eat. For a four-course feasting dinner with sommelier-guided wine pairings, there are options for £95, £160 or £300 per person.

What can you drink?

“At the moment, I am recommending the Abandoned Pinot Noir from Itasca Wines,” says our Head Sommelier, Istvan. “Made in West Sussex, it was a collaboration between THE PIG and talented winemaker Ben Smith. Only 250 bottles were made and we still have a few, which you can now try by the glass, too.”

☞ 3 minutes

Head into the Georgian Kitchen and you’ll find the original oven, designed by a local supplier, tucked into the back wall. The fire in the stove still works – and we still use it today.

☞ 30 minutes

Potter down to our Mushroom House, in the Kitchen Garden, where you’ll find plenty of delicious varieties growing. Ours was the first Mushroom House to be built across THE PIGs.

☞ 3 hours

Hunker down in our rustic Potting Shed treatment rooms. Whether you choose a facial or massage, they’re the perfect place to unwind.

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.

INFO & GOINGS ON

~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE

~ POTTING SHED TREATMENT MENU

~ CORNWALL CALLING: THINGS TO SEE AND DO

~ THE INSIDE STORY ON CORNWALL’S SAUNAS BY THE SEA

Welcome to

THE PIG - AT

OUR CORNISH PIG’S HOME IS HARLYN HOUSE, which has for centuries been 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.

HARLYN BAY

Useful info for your stay

HAVEAQUESTION?

Just call reception by dialling 0.

DIALLING OUT

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

COMPLIMENTARY WI-FI

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

BREAKFAST,LUNCHANDDINNER

All served in the restaurant. The Lobster Shed is open for occasional pop-up evenings throughout the winter season

– ask the team to find out more. To find out our restaurant opening times, please call reception by dialling 0.

TREATMENTS

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

CHECK OUT

Check out is at 11am.

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.

Good to know

Potting Shed Treatment Menu

All treatments are 60 minutes and £115

RESURFACING RADIANCE FACIAL

ANTI-AGEING RESTORATIVE FACIAL

UPPER BODY UNWIND

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.

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.

SHED MEETS SPA

Heat seekers

Brits are increasingly warming up to the joys of sauna – and what better place to indulge than the beautiful Cornish coast?

FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, Finland has been named the happiest country in the world. There are, no doubt, dozens of contributing factors, but few would overlook the impact sauna has on the national disposition. The majority of Finns enjoy time in a sauna at least once a week, and it’s thought that regular sauna use may help to improve our circulation, cardiovascular and immune function, skin, sleep quality, mental health and more. Here in the UK, we’ve been catching on to the benefits – and finding ways to combine sauna time with the increasing popularity of year-round sea swimming in our waters.

Steve French founded his mobile sauna business, Saunas by the Sea, in 2022. Based in Weybridge, he says he came up with the concept while building bespoke homes on the Cornish coast. “I saw an opportunity to produce wood-fired mobile saunas that could be positioned on some of the stunning natural locations of north Cornwall,” says Steve, “and it’s been a real hit.”

The hand-built saunas, made from 100 per cent sustainably grown timber, feature a window so guests can enjoy the view. They are wood-fired and stand on wheels, all of which means they can be moved and safely positioned on sand, ready to warm up sea swimmers before or after a dip.

“We’ve even had stag dos come and spend an afternoon in the sauna. The whole dynamic is changing”

Today, Saunas by the Sea’s (relatively) permanent locations include the wonderfully scenic Harlyn Bay, where the parking spot, as it were, for a mobile sauna was approved by the committee that oversees the beach. There is also a sauna at Pentireglaze Haven in Polzeath – a beauty spot that is better known by its nickname of Baby Bay. “It’s a small inlet that becomes separated from Polzeath’s main beach at high tide and is a really tranquil place,” explains Steve, “so it’s another perfect setting for us.”

Steve has also recently opened the Wild Spa & Wellness Garden in Polzeath. As well as saunas and plunge tanks, the new 5,500 sq ft space offers massage, reflexology, yoga classes, fitness classes, sound bathing and more. “People can really step back and unwind here,” says Steve, “even if that’s just to relax in a hammock with a book.”

Before becoming a carpenter, Steve spent eight years in the army. Today he finds that time in the sauna helps to speed up his recovery after an intense workout. “That, and stress relief,” he laughs. Some news outlets have even suggested recently that saunas are challenging UK pubs as places to meet and socialise. “We’ve hosted corporate events and we even have stag dos that come and spend an afternoon in the sauna,” says Steve. “The whole dynamic is changing rather quickly. People want to remember the day [on a stag do] rather than spend the whole time boozing.” Perhaps it’s also all part of a wider, more subtle lifestyle change in the UK. “These days, there’s more of an overlap between hospitality and wellness.”

And while we can’t argue with the Scandi adage that sauna is the poor man’s pharmacy, we much prefer Frans Eemil Sillanpää’s take on it. Finland’s first Nobel prizewinner for literature said, “The thoughts and feelings that emerge from being on the sauna bench could never appear anywhere else in the world.” That’s how we feel about a lot of the best things in Harlyn Bay, actually.

Guests at THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay receive a 15 per cent discount on Saunas by the Sea. Speak to our friendly reception team for details. See more about the experience at saunasbythesea.co.uk

Saunas and THE PIG

Here at THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay, we’ve been enjoying Saunas by the Sea for some time now. As well as offering our guests 15 per cent off bookings, we’ve also partnered with rugby-league legend Anthony Mullally, better known round these parts as “The Vegan Warrior”, on a series of breathwork workshops that culminate in a sauna visit. Please feel welcome to ask at reception if you’d like to know more.

IF YOU ONLY HAVE ...

☞ 3 minutes

Have you spotted our 400-year-old resident oak tree? It’s rooted right in front of the main house – ask our friendly team to point out which one it is.

☞ 30 minutes

Come and see our new covey of quails, at the Kitchen Garden entrance. They joined us in April 2024 and are now well and truly part of the family.

☞ 3 hours

Enjoy a great day out visiting our friends at The Lost Gardens of Heligan. There’s plenty to do and see in these beautiful botanical gardens, and we’ll warm you up with a delicious hot toddy when you come home!

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.

Softly, softly

Wiltshire-based brand Bramley is renowned for natural, sustainable luxury bath and body products – including exclusive PIG products inspired by our Kitchen Gardens

WHEN CHLOË LUXTON founded her botanical bath and body products brand, Bramley, in 2009, it was partly out of a need to create suitably appealing, sustainable toiletries for the bathrooms of the Wiltshire pub with rooms she and her husband had left London to take on. “That was the spark,” recalls Chloë, who is originally from Devon, where she grew up with a lot of beach time and liked to mix her own perfumes for fun. She had previously worked for the spa brand Cowshed, but, away from the capital, found that it wasn’t easy to source the ecologically sound, high-quality products she wanted to offer guests at the end of their bathtub. “This was 15 years ago, and it was very much 30ml, single-use plastic bottles. I thought, ‘Gosh, these are really not what I want to put in the middle of the British countryside.’ That started everything.”

Chloë solved the problem by fulfilling a long-held ambition to create her own brand. Bramley’s first range included a body wash and lotion, with an emphasis on essential oils, natural ingredients and sustainable packaging. These are the principles on which many credible brands are built these days, but in 2009, “there was really no one else doing it”, says Chloë. “It sounds a bit grand to say that we were pioneers, but we were.”

Today, the Bramley brand is based in Wiltshire, on the Dorset border: “We’re not too far from Stonehenge, is how I direct people.” Chloë collaborates with a local apothecary and all the products are made in Somerset before they arrive at the warehouse to be sent out into the world. Bramley products are available in John Lewis, Fortnum & Mason, carefully chosen hotels and online.

There is also a collection of Bramley x THE PIG products that you will only find in PIG hotels. “I wanted to create the best products on the market,” says Chloë. “They all have different essential oils that have therapeutic effects and really work. For example, the handwash includes clary sage and lemon, which are cleansing, and lavender, which is antibacterial. There are no artificial perfumes – instead, the scents come from the essential oils.

“It sounds a bit grand to say we were pioneers, but we were”

“THE PIGs are sensory, relaxed environments, and these products suit that. We worked closely with Robin, and products such as the hand creams and hand washes were directly inspired by Kitchen Garden ingredients, including chamomile, sage and rosemary.”

Guests soon began to enquire whether they could buy the Bramley products to take home – and, in some cases, to stock in their own hotels. When Chloë took a trip in October 2011 to stay in a buzzedabout new restaurant with rooms in the New Forest, THE PIG, she had a suggestion for its founder, a vague acquaintance called Robin Hutson (who had once been chairman at Soho House). “As soon as I got home, I sent him samples,” she says. “Robin has always had such a keen interest in sourcing locally and in independent brands, so he was interested right away, and he has been so supportive.”

Chloë has recently expanded the brand to include Bramley Skin, offering scrubs and facial skincare, as well as a children’s bath products range, Little B, and even an offering for dogs, Digby. As for the future, she has turned down offers for Bramley to be stocked in some rather smart supermarkets, but is exploring opportunities with international hotels and applying for B Corp status to assure customers of the high sustainability standards to which the brand holds itself. “We say no to more people than we say yes to,” says Chloë. “But you have to stay true to your values and really believe in your brand. I have faith in our sustainable approach.” bramleyproducts.co.uk

BRAMLEY FOUNDER CHLOË

PRODUCTS

Cocktail

The Botanist

• 25ml Sapling Gin

• 25ml apple and parsley dry vermouth (mix 100ml of dry vermouth

– we like The Aperitivo! – with a small handful of parsley and ¼ sliced green apple and let it infuse for 2 days)

• 25ml green Chartreuse

• 15ml Supasawa mixer

• Fever Tree tonic to top up

• parsley, to garnish

Shake all the ingredients together (apart from the Fever Tree tonic and the garnish) with ice in a mixing glass or cocktail shaker. Fill a highball with ice, then strain the mixture using a hawthorn strainer, a fine strainer or a tea strainer into the glass. Top up with the tonic and finish with a sprig of fresh parsley.

What to drink with this dish…

Our PIG Head of Wine, Greg, recommends three perfect pairings for this comforting classic.

Camel

Valley Pinot Noir Rosé Brut, Cornwall 2020

The racy acidity of an English sparkling wine is perfect for cutting through the fat in the gammon. Many wine producers in the UK focus on extended lees ageing in the bottle to give toasty, brioche characters, but these would clash with the flavours of the parsley sauce. Instead, Camel Valley’s pursuit of preserving purity of fruit and freshness makes this raspberry bomb a delicious partner.

Christoph Bauer ‘Spezial’ Grüner Veltliner, Niederösterreich, Austria 2022

If you’ve never tried Austria’s calling-card grape variety grüner veltliner before, this will teach you everything you need to know! It has a mineral freshness with characteristics of lime, white currant, white pepper and a herbal character that is reminiscent of fennel, tarragon and lovage. The herbal edge of this wine complements any dish with fresh, soft herbs.

Fattoria Carpineta Fontalpino Chianti Classico DOCG, Tuscany 2021

A perfect example of Chianti Classico done well! Gioia and Filippo Cresti have long been certified organic at their family estate in the south of the Chianti Classico region. This wine has all the classic hallmarks of crunchy red cherry, baked earth and dried herbs, with energising acidity that will bring the entire dish together.

Gammon with parsley sauce

Many of us remember this dish from our childhoods – it used to be served up as school dinners, except it was usually sopping wet or bone dry. Either way, it was enough to scar you for life. But don’t worry – this recipe can heal those wounds. Think of this as the very best school dinner you could ever eat, in an imaginary world where school dinners are made by a great chef using beautiful fresh ingredients. We use smoked collar – so ask your local butcher for something similar – and serve it with a classic parsley sauce made using the cooking liquid from the gammon. Delicious!

Serves 5–6

For the gammon

• 1kg gammon (smoked collar, if possible)

• 2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled

2 bay leaves

For the sauce

50g butter

• 25g flour

500ml gammon stock

• a splash of cream lemon juice

• a handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley

• spinach, to serve

This recipe is all about the quality of the meat, so buy the best gammon joint you can find from your butcher. Put it in a large pan and cover with water, adding the rosemary and thyme, peeled garlic and bay leaves. Bring it all to a simmer and cook for about 30–45 minutes, or until the centre reads 75°C (167°F) on a meat probe.

Leave to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the liquid –reserve the liquid.

To make the sauce, melt the butter, add the flour and cook gently for 3–4 minutes, then slowly add 500ml of the cooking liquid from the gammon.

Check the seasoning, add a splash of cream and a squeeze of lemon juice and finish with a generous amount of chopped flat-leaf parsley.

The dish is best served simply, with some wilted spinach, or with warm, buttery new potatoes and garden peas.

OUR PIG PEOPLE

ARE THE FUTURE OF CARING AND CONSIDERED HOSPITALITY

AT HEART, THE PIGs are restaurants with rooms where everything starts with the Kitchen Garden. Our gardeners and chefs work hand in hand to create menus brimful of the freshest seasonal flavours. What we can’t grow ourselves, we source from our local heroes – the best farmers, fishermen and foragers we know, who are the foundation of our 25 mile menu. We are obsessive recyclers and restorers: from vintage fabrics and china to DIY on-site smokeries and upcycled chicken sheds, we love anything homemade and ultra-local. Each of our 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!

With a little help from our friends

We’re lucky to have a long list of local heroes who collaborate with us at each PIG. These small, independent businesses help make up the whole delicious, fun and relaxing PIG experience when you come round to ours. And plenty of them are B Corp certified. Let us introduce you to a few…

Sapling

A nature-loving, treeplanting team who produce some of the best vodka and gin in the UK – which is why Sapling is the house spirit across our bars.

Cariuma

From Cornwall to Kent, our PIG front-of-house teams wear Cariuma sneakers. They’re ultra-comfy and consciously made, with two trees planted for every pair sold.

Pentire

Our pals at Pentire make botanical, non-alcoholic spirits by distilling plants native to the Cornish coastline – get a taste for their delicious drinks across THE PIGs.

Origin Coffee

You’ll find this impactful and progressive coffee in pods ready and waiting for you in the coffee machine in your PIG bedroom.

Rubies in the Rubble

From moreish Piggy Bits to mains, our condiment of choice is Rubies’ Ketchup – made with wonky pears, and bottled in 100 per cent recycled and recyclable packaging.

Sophie Fenlon

Our Head Chef at THE PIG-near Bath on sustainability and teamwork

WHEN I SAW A JOB POSTING to be a chef for a PIG, I applied right away. I first heard about THE PIGs because a few industry colleagues had worked for the group, and they always spoke so highly of the hotels. I joined THE PIG-near Bath in August 2023, and everything took off from there!

I AM A DUAL CANADIAN/BRITISH CITIZEN. I was raised as a west-coast Canadian, where our number-one priority as a culture is sustainability. “Green thinking” has always been important to me as a chef and as an individual. I respect that THE PIG group holds itself accountable as an advocate for traceability and sustainability. Back home, we write all our menus based on the seasons on both land and sea. I was happy to be able to continue that seasonal focus here in England.

EVERY DAY I BUILD THE 25 MILE MENU, based on what the Kitchen Garden has to offer. That might mean a garden tour in the morning, chatting with our Head Kitchen Gardener about what he needs me to use up, or input from my senior chefs. We build different dishes and get ideas for the weekend’s specials and preservation programmes for plentiful produce. Then there are the office tasks of organising rotas, invoices and so on. But my priority is always being with the chefs in the kitchen, prepping and creating both the food and the good energy for the day.

I LOVE TEACHING and ultimately THE PIG group loves training apprentices. My favourite part of the job is helping young chefs and being a mentor for some of their first recipes, knife skills and

burnout and who can feel discouraged

HOLD THE BACK PAGE

Spotter’s guide: starling murmurations

Between November and February is the prime time to look to the skies for the mass aerial flight display of starling murmurations, as the birds flock to Britain from as far away as Scandinavia to bask in the relative toastiness of our island climes. As dusk descends, tens of thousands of starlings assemble to find their communal roost, creating astonishing dark “clouds”. They swoop and whirl across the sky in rippling, ever-changing formation before gathering into one mass and descending into the reeds – now you see them, now you don’t.

BEFORE IT WAS A PIG...

Barnsley House has been lovingly reimagined as THE PIG-in the Cotswolds. It has hosted many weddings in its time, including that of which actor?

A)Elizabeth Taylor

B)Elizabeth Hurley

C)Elizabeth Olsen

[Answer on page 3]

As a matter of fact

The Mendip Hills in Somerset are famous for a dramatic cave complex full of spectacular stalagmites and stalactites. Is it called … A)Hookey Hole? B) Nookey Hole? C) Wookey Hole? [Answer on page 3]

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

HALL OF FAME

THE PIG THAT SAVED GLOUCESTER

An apocryphal tale has it that a pig was instrumental in saving the city of Gloucester from invaders at the 1643 siege of Gloucester, during the English Civil War. When Charles I sent potential invaders to the city, locals are said to have let a pig run outside the city walls, to give the impression they had plentiful food and supplies to sustain them. In some versions of the mightbe-true story, a pig made so much noise that would-be invaders thought there were many pigs. But was it a Gloucester Old Spot?

THE PIG IN NUMBERS...

3,706

bottles saved from wastage by using Sapling Spirits’ Vodka Bag in Box behind our bars.

11,485

pounds raised by diners at THE PIGs to support Alex Lewis’ PIG 2 PIG challenge

PIG HACKS NO. 5

Meat hooks hangers

Meat hooks can be repurposed to hang herbs or other decorative items –adding a rustic touch to the kitchen.

... find out more here

1,000 over

candle ends have been collected, ready to recycle and turn into new ones

OVER AND OUT