Rise and Shine
We like to take the time to slow down and savour the good stuff round here, starting with a really great cup of coffee. That’s where our good friends at Origin Coffee come in – at the B Corp certified speciality coffee roaster, they take their responsibility to people and planet as seriously as we do.
In 2025, our baristas are proudly pouring fresh cups of Origin’s newly launched Sail Ship coffee in our restaurants across THE PIGs. This high quality speciality blend – with creamy, moreish notes of milk chocolate and Brazil nut – is produced on a solar-powered farm in São Paulo, where it is carefully harvested and dried by a team led by passionate third-generation coffee farmers, brothers Fernando and Felipe.
When it’s ready for the roastery, the Sail Ship coffee is transported to the UK by sailboat rather than a conventional cargo ship –reducing transport emissions by up to 95 per cent by comparison (not to mention less noise pollution and no need for oil).
So, whether you enjoy your first sip of the day at our breakfast table, or as an after-dinner digestif with Piggy Fours, you’ll taste great quality coffee that’s also working to be a force for good in every cup. We’ll drink to that.
season of unmissable PIG events! Whichever PIG you pick, our house is your go-to place for fun, lively and inspiring entertainment, with some mouthwatering food in the mix. From much-loved music nights to restaurant takeovers with fantastic speakers, find out more and book your space at thepighotel.com/events
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 brilliant foragers, who bring us the best goodies hiding on our doorstep. These picks are from Giuseppe, our master forager at THE PIG-on the beach.
MARCH – MAY
Alexander is an aromatic wild green that is similar in taste to celery. Violet flowers give a beautiful colour and aroma to desserts such as panna cotta. Gorse flowers are vibrant yellow with a similar smell to coconut – they’re delicious in cordials.
Wild garlic flower buds can be foraged while still closed. Pop them in boiling water for 1 minute and they’ll be ready to serve as a side with vegetables.
Sea spinach grows close to the sea and has a salty taste – stir-fry or boil it for just a minute to keep its fresh flavour. Elderflowers are most loved in cordials, but can also make fritters or a simple tea with boiling water and a drizzle of honey.
JUNE - AUGUST
Marsh samphire is perfect to eat raw or lightly stir-fried in extra virgin olive oil; it’s excellent served with fish.
Wild fennel has an aniseed taste and is great with oily fish such as mackerel or delicious simply chopped in a salad. Rock samphire is perfect for pickling and is great served with fish or cheese. Meadowsweet is a flower that smells and tastes of almonds – use it to infuse cream for desserts like crème brûlée. Blackberry and lime cordial is a favourite treat. The jammy fruits are also great for preserves and added to an apple crumble. Rose hips are a natural source of vitamin C and can be used in teas, jams, jellies and sauces.
Elderberry is one of the most commonly used medicinal plants in the world. Use in syrups or to infuse gin.
RIGHT NOW, WE'RE HARVESTING
Spinach, onions, peas, agretti, courgettes, garlic, beetroot, white alpine strawberries, radishes, tomatoes, carrots, beans
AND WE'RE PLANTING
Edible flowers, herbs, cabbage, cauliflower, kales, kohlrabi, fennel, sprouting broccoli, dwarf french beans
Notes from the Kitchen Garden
Our Kitchen Garden supremo Ollie shares a spring/summer update from the veg beds
As we pass the equinox, and the days begin to grow longer than the nights, the Kitchen Garden year really starts to ratchet up. Before we start planting out summer crops, we use up the last of our winter produce and the lesser-used parts of the vegetable plants –my favourite by far is “sprouting broccoli” produced by the cavolo nero kales as they try to flower.
This is also when the short window for harvesting forced rhubarb and sea kale opens. These plants are both grown in the dark and produce delicate, tender shoots for the kitchen and bar teams.
As the summer continues, our greenhouses and polytunnels are cleared of the leafy salads that have seen us through the winter. They’ll be replaced with tomatoes, peppers and aubergines, all members of the Solanaceae family, which produce a cornucopia of colours, textures, tastes and shapes of fruit. We’ll be growing more than 140 different varieties of Solanaceae this year across THE PIGs.
Join us in our Kitchen Gardens
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 show guests around – and we can even lend you
Space is very much at a premium in our gardens over the spring and summer, and working out how to make the best use of it is a constant challenge. One way to overcome the problem is by companion planting – we use this to great effect in our greenhouses and polytunnels, planting crops such as basil, coriander and marigolds amongst the tomatoes and peppers. Not only does it help to fill the areas at the base of the plants, which would otherwise be unproductive, but it also helps to ward off insects such as aphids and black fly. Best of all, our companion plants are all edible!
Beyond our patch, we’ll be busy building show gardens at several horticultural shows this summer. So if you happen to be at either the RHS Chelsea Flower Show (20-24 May) or RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival (1-6 July), come and say hello. We’ll be teaming up with our good friends at Alitex and Claverton Cloches and can’t wait to see you there!
a pair of wellies. Simply speak to one of our friendly reception team and we’ll arrange to have you come and join us for a morning tour. thepighotel.com/events/kitchen-garden-tours-atthe-pigs
[Back page answers: A, THE PIG in the New Forest; B]
WHISKY BUSINESS
Meet some of our distiller friends, whose bottles you’ll always find behind our PIG bars
☞ Cotswolds Distillery
Our tried-and-trusted English whisky partner is nestled in the Warwickshire countryside, less than an hour’s drive from THE PIG-in the Cotswolds. With only 197 “barley miles” from field to final bottle, Cotswolds Distillery sources its barley from a local farm – and the finished product is very, very good. On our bar menus, you’ll spot our version of a Scotch Sour using this delicate, honeyed whisky… but be warned, it goes down exceptionally easily!
We’re big lovers of this independent, organic distillery on Scotland’s Morvern peninsula. Last November, our bartenders took their cocktail shakers to a showdown at THE PIG in the New Forest, where they were challenged to craft their best whisky creations. Izzy, from the team at THE PIG-at Bridge Place, took the top spot with her “Hop Scotch” cocktail made with PIG honey, lemon juice and bitters.
☞ Macallan
Like us at THE PIGs, Macallan is rooted in UK heritage and has the local community, traditional processes and people at its heart. We’re obsessively keen on its whisky – often dubbed the “Rolls-Royce of malts” – which is renowned for the quality of the oak it ages in at the Macallan distillery in Speyside, Scotland.
AND THINGS TO DO.
☞ Nc’nean
Give it some welly
Big news for you r muddy British summer!
THE PIGS are now partnering with Barb o u r, and we ’ve got you covered
HERE IN THE GREAT BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE, mud is a fact of life –regardless of the season. Even at the very height of summer, two weeks into a hosepipe ban, it would be foolhardy – reckless even – not to expect a downpour heavy enough to burst every bank this side of Scotland. And yet, despite knowing full well that rain means mud and mud requires sensible shoes, when it comes to packing for a weekend in the sticks, it’s easy to revert to a naive meteorological optimism. Or maybe you know that, ideally, you’d love to have access to a solid pair of wellies for a stomp around the countryside, but also need to travel light; a pair of muddy boots isn’t the easiest thing to squeeze into an overnight bag.
Fortunately for guests at THE PIGs, we’re well prepared for when terra firma suddenly isn’t all that firm. We’ve recently partnered with British outdoor brand Barbour to provide wellies – both short and long – for anyone who misread the forecast or simply forgot to pack theirs.
“We’re a perfect fit,” says Tom Ross, our CEO, of this Barbour-and-PIG collab. “Family-founded, British countryside obsessives, who love nothing more than getting outside and exploring and adventuring. All of us are deeply committed to reusing and repurposing everything that we can. So when you come to a PIG, you’ll always be greeted with friendly faces and higgledy-piggledy rows of Barbour wellies by the front door to borrow – just like at a mate’s house. Well, a mate who has a great stash of boots!”
“When you come to a PIG, you’ll always be greeted by rows of Barbour wellies to borrow”
a place to source oilskin outerwear, ideal for protecting working people from wet weather conditions. J Barbour & Sons began offering customers the chance to make a purchase via catalogue, taking orders from as far afield as Chile and Hong Kong – a feat in the pre-internet age. By 1917, catalogue orders accounted for almost 75 per cent of Barbour’s business. By the mid-1930s, in what would become a winning habit for the brand, Barbour made a play for a new customer: the motorcyclist. Malcolm’s son, Duncan Barbour, introduced a motorcycling range that became a hit with British racers. Tough economic times and the distraction of World War II were to follow, but Barbour pulled through and continued to reach customers beyond its original fanbase of sailors, fishermen, farmers and dockworkers.
In the decades since, the Barbour clothing range has become much wider than the still-iconic waxed jackets that have been spotted on everyone from MPs to it-girls and rock stars to royalty. The late Queen’s favourite Barbour piece was a jacket designed in 1982, the Beaufort.
The British heritage brand best known today for its iconic waxed jackets started life in South Shields in 1894 when a draper, John Barbour, opened his first shop: J Barbour & Sons. Thanks in part to his son Malcolm Barbour, the shop would later become well-known locally as
Whether or not you wear one of the waxed jackets – and at the PIGS, we’ve even seen quite a few dogs walk in wearing the canine range –Barbour definitely has an unmatched track record in stopping people from getting wet. We can confirm that the brand’s stylish wellies are similarly up to the task of keeping your feet safely dry and cosy, however squelchy things get outside. In the UK, it wouldn’t be festival season without the mud, after all.
Feel free to borrow a pair of Barbour wellies any time during your stay at THE PIGs. Whether it’s for a wander down to the Kitchen Garden or a longer ramble, pick up a pair and just leave them with us when you come back inside
“The Victorians made kitchen gardening an art form”
Two organic gardening obsessives meet for a chat
OLLIE HUTSON, THE PIGs’ Group Head Kitchen Gardener, is in a running battle with slugs. He has always admired the Victorian approach to horticulture, one of the hallmarks of which is the cloche, to protect plants as they grow. He chatted with Beth Gregg, founder of Claverton Cloches, about the joy of gardening.
OLLIE How did you come to found your business? Cloches are quite niche.
BETH I’ve always loved gardening, but like so many people, I got really into it during lockdown. I was looking for something to grow my chillies under and I’d seen some Victorian cloches that looked perfect, but no one was making them. The antique ones are hard to find and often the frames are broken or the glass is smashed. So I decided to make some. Since then, we’ve sent Claverton Cloches as far as New Zealand and the US, and they’re in Kew Gardens, Balmoral Castle and THE PIG.
OH The Victorians were the masters of kitchen gardening. They refined knowledge that had been accumulating for thousands of years, and made it an art form. For me, West Dean Gardens [near Chichester] is the best Victorian-style kitchen garden in the country. They have an amazing collection of cloches there. Is it true that you make yours by hand?
BG That’s right, in the traditional Victorian way. In fact, I dare say ours are slightly better, because they’re galvanised as well, plus our
materials are better than those the Victorians had. It’s all about longevity. We’re trying to create something your grandchildren might still be able to use. A lot of gardening knowledge is passed down through generations – it’s nice if a product or tool can be, as well.
OH I remember you approached us at THE PIG-near Bath to see if we’d be interested in using your cloches, which we absolutely were. We’ve currently got a few in some of our bigger Kitchen Gardens, but by the end of the summer I think we’ll have Claverton Cloches in all THE PIGs’ gardens. And it looks like we’ll be teaming up at Chelsea Flower Show, too. How do you plan to use yours over the next few months?
BG In early spring, I use cloches on bare earth to warm up the soil about a week before I plant any seeds. This helps germination to begin a lot faster. I’ll be doing that with things like cutting flowers and salads. I put them on my strawberries, to keep the blackbirds off. A lot of people put cloches over brassicas [cabbages] to keep pigeons away, too. Moving into the summer, I put them on my dahlias, especially if the temperature is lower than I’d like.
OH I find carrots do particularly well - if you get them in some nice warm soil, you can start them as early as February. Cloches are also great for fending off carrot flies in the warmer months. Dwarf tomato plants and chilli plants also love the heat. Have you ever thought about putting a copper strip onto the base of your cloches to keep slugs out?
BG Yeah, I have! I think that’s probably something we’ll look to add next year. Tell me
a gardener who doesn’t struggle with slugs! As you know, there’s now a massive trend for people to ‘grow their own’, whether that’s herbs on a balcony, in an allotment or in their back garden. These days, people care far more about where their food comes from.
OH True. I think more people are actively gardening now, and these days, they are more interested in sustainability, proper design, proper materials and zero-waste; products that stand the test of time. I’ve actually got an idea for a cloche design that I’ve never put into practice – a modular one, in fact – but perhaps that’s a conversation for another day.
BG I like the sound of that. At the end of the day, most gardens don’t have space for a big greenhouse, so there are lots of different types of cloche, each with its pros and cons. The ones with aluminium frames can blow away and the classic barn cloche isn’t that sturdy. The plastic domes you pick up for a fiver don’t always provide much ventilation, so your plants can swelter on a hot day. They never last long either. So many gardening tools end up in landfill after a year or two, which feels at odds with why we’re gardening in the first place.
OH And, of course, with Victorian cloches there’s also the aesthetic value. They’re timeless. The Victorians were masters of the trade, so it’s nice to pay a bit of homage.
BG It is, isn’t it? We’re continuing a legacy, but updating it for today.
“There’s a massive trend for growing your own”
BETH
See more at clavertoncloches.com
Our PIGs offer regular Kitchen Garden toursjust ask for details at reception
OLLIE
INFO & GOINGS ON Welcome to
~ ESSENTIAL INFO & HOTEL GUIDE
~ WHAT MAKES US UNIQUE
~ SOUTHAMPTON CALLING:
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
~ THE INSIDE STORY ON ISLE OF WIGHT TOMATOES
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.
Smoked halloumi & Isle of Wight tomatoes
Serve s 4 as a side
• 1 smoked (or regular) halloumi
• 50ml rapeseed oil
• 400g mixed tomatoes, (Isle of Wight, if possible)
• 200g rocket leaves
• 25ml balsamic vinegar
☞ 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.
• black pepper
Cut the halloumi into strips and halve them. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and fry the cheese for a couple of minutes on each side until it turns golden brown.
Cut the tomatoes in quarters or halves, depending on size and shape, and mix with the rocket in a bowl.
Once the halloumi has cooled a little, mix it with the tomatoes and rocket and place in a large serving bowl.
In a separate little bowl, mix 25ml oil and the vinegar with a fork, then use this to dress the salad. The halloumi is fairly salty so taste the salad as a whole before seasoning and add pepper and salt only if it’s needed.
Seeing red
How Isle of Wight Tomatoes put flavourful, heritage varieties back on the map
“UNTIL THE EARLY OR MID-2000s, all the tomatoes grown in the UK were pretty much just round and red, with very little flavour,” says Paul Thomas, Managing Director of Isle of Wight Tomatoes. In 2007, he and some friends began to explore the market for selling some of the intensely flavourful tomatoes grown on the island, experimenting with different varieties.
“A few friends and I were setting off in a transit van every weekend, going to London to set up a stall at Borough Market and farmers’ markets, and we soon found we had a queue,” says Paul, “because we had tomatoes that had been sourced and grown for flavour. That was very different to what was commonly available at the time. Tomatoes had just become a commodity that was all about price – nothing was about flavour or variety or texture.”
Buoyed by the clear signs of demand for better quality, tasty tomatoes, Paul and his co-founder established a more permanent business. “We expanded and started to grow more speciality tomatoes on the island, sourcing from seed companies all over the world to grow new and interesting varieties,” he says. Today, Isle of Wight Tomatoes employs more than 50 people and grows more than 40 varieties every year, between March and October. These include the almost-brown chocolate marmonde; yellow cherry, which looks exactly as you’d expect; green tiger, named for its colour and the faint stripes of its skin; and a heart-shaped beef tomato, coeur de boeuf.
It’s no coincidence that a successful tomato-growing business is headquartered here on the island. “Sunlight is the main food source for the tomato, and because of its geographical location, the Isle of Wight gets the highest sunlight levels in the UK,” says Paul, adding: “And as we’re a small island, the surrounding water intensifies that light. Tomatoes began to be grown here industrially in the late 1960s, and some of our greenhouses actually date from that time.”
VARIETY ACT: PAUL THOMAS (BELOW LEFT) SPECIALISES IN GROWING DISTINCTIVE, TASTY TOMATOES
“Our ethos has always been to harvest the tomatoes in the morning and deliver them to THE PIG that same day”
☞ 3 minutes
Pop down to see what fresh, seasonal salads our fantastic team have rustled up this morning in the Deli-bar.
☞ 30 minutes
Cross the road and go for a stroll in waterside Mayflower Park to take in views over the River Test. Or pop into the Dancing Man Brewery for a cheeky drink.
☞ 3 hours
The popular Calshot beach is a quick 25-minute drive away. You can have a dip in the sea, watch the boats sail by and be back in the city, all in one afternoon.
From the earliest days of the business, reusing materials and minimising food waste were natural priorities for Paul, and today, Isle of Wight Tomatoes is B Corp certified, meaning it meets high standards for social and environmental impact. Elsewhere, tomatoes are often grown in an artificial substrate called rock wool, but Paul and the growing team have chosen to do things differently. “With the rock wool, what you have left at the end of the year can only go to landfill. So, about 10 years ago, we switched to growing in coir, made from coconut husk, which is a waste product from the coconut industry.”
When tomatoes have split or have an odd colour or appearance that means they can’t be sold commercially – but are no less flavourful – Isle of Wight Tomatoes uses them in its ketchups and sauces. This has given it a product range for the off-season months to supply chefs and customers cooking at home.
The brand’s emphasis was at first firmly on the restaurant industry, and its teams continue to work with chefs and other hospitality partners to help develop new dishes and communicate the culinary possibilities of tomatoes, which at one time were an almost criminally underused ingredient in UK cuisine.
During the pandemic, Paul and his colleagues also developed a way to send tomatoes directly to customers. The brand’s now hugely popular three-kilo mixed heritage box is always sent out within 24 to 48 hours of the tomatoes having been harvested, in ecofriendly compostable packaging. “Who would have thought you could send tomatoes in the post,” he laughs.
Among the restaurants that are proud to serve Isle of Wight tomatoes is ours here at THE PIG. “One of the things that our supply chain allows us to do is leave the tomatoes on the plant as long as possible. Once you’ve harvested the tomato, it won’t develop any more sugar or flavour – bear in mind that something that’s coming to the UK from Spain or Morocco is six to eight days in transit.” In contrast, “We’re only about 15 miles from THE PIG, our ethos has always been to harvest the product in the morning and deliver to THE PIG that same day.” Ultimately, says, Paul, “When you eat a really high quality tomato, it should be a sensory experience.”
We’ll never look at a tomato quite the same way again.
Enjoy Isle of Wight Tomatoes’ produce when you dine with us and order your own at iowtomatoes.co.uk
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.
HOUSE OF HACKNEY
CO-FOUNDER
MIDNIGHT (FAR RIGHT)
Temple of bloom
Characterful
prints by the intriguing House of Hackney have proved the perfect fit for our PIGS
LEGEND HAS IT, WHEN THE PIG’s former Creative Director, Judy Hutson, first saw Moon Garden Midnight, a new botanical print from interiors brand House of Hackney, she burst into tears. It’s safe to assume they were tears of approval because it wasn’t long before we started noticing wallpaper, cushions and curtains with that same print dotted around the place. Besides, Judy has made no secret of her passion for the brand, once enthusing that House of Hackney is “just so correct for us” because it “reflects how we are rooted in tradition” with “a playful quirkiness that differentiates us from the norm”.
Javvy M Royle, one half of the husband-and-wife duo behind the brand, is equally effusive about Judy and her design ethos. “I think we have the same kind of outlook on life,” says the designer from his home in Cornwall, 40 minutes from THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay (a journey he’s come to know well). “We both take inspiration from nature and try to bring the outdoors in. If House of Hackney opened a hotel, it would basically be THE PIG.”
Flattery aside, there’s a lot our companies align on. We both launched in 2011, spotting gaps in our respective markets for something decidedly more British. House of Hackney’s manifesto – “Built upon the foundations of creativity with purpose, integrity in our actions and compassion for people and planet” – sounds like something we might have said. The great William Morris is clearly a huge influence on the brand’s prints as well as its approach to business and the environment.
Javvy jokes that Morris was “doing B Corp” long before its time. “I think B Corp is a really brilliant thing,” he says, of the recognised certification for a company’s considered impact on society and the planet. “I think it’s the right way of doing business. At House of Hackney, we’re no longer satisfied with being merely sustainable, we’re aiming to be measurably regenerative. For us, it’s become a restoration project where we’re trying to actively heal and restore our business touchpoints and communities where we have an impact.”
“We take inspiration from nature and try to bring the outdoors in”
With that in mind, the team has worked out a “true cost” per metre of wallpaper and fabric, factoring in the often-unspoken social and environmental costs. The exercise has shown that 70 per cent of the brand’s environmental and social impact comes from its cotton fabrics and 20 per cent from wallpaper production. “This has focused our attention on finding solutions for these product categories, as well as continuing to experiment with new material and manufacturing innovations, such as mycelium and cork products,” explains Javvy. “In 2023, we protected over 150 acres of Ancient and Endangered Forests through our partnership with the World Land Trust, which compensates for more trees than we use in our annual wallpaper production.”
“He was a true craftsman,” says Javvy. “But also a revolutionary. He was against mass production, mass pollution and industrialisation. He employed a lot of women and gave good wages. Before him there was William Blake, so I think every 100 years someone comes along and tries to take up this crazy baton. I’m not saying that’s us, but that’s what we’re about: preserving arts and crafts for the next generation. You can’t get these things back once the knowledge is lost.”
A mission statement from Javvy and his wife, Frieda Gormley, on House of Hackney sounds a lot like their hero, Morris: “Leaving a legacy is not about leaving money in the bank, it’s about leaving our world better than how we found it. Nature doesn’t belong to us, we are Nature. And we have a responsibility to tend to it with care, not just for ourselves, but for those yet to come.”
Then again, wasn’t it Morris who once said “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”? Or was it Javvy? Maybe Judy…
Enjoy House of Hackney at our PIGs, and at houseofhackney.com
Simpsons Spritz
• 2 lime wedges
• a slice of ginger
• 20ml lime basil cordial
• 20ml dry port
• 60ml Simpsons Railway Hill Rosé 2023
• 60ml Fever-Tree Mexican Lime Soda
For the lime basil cordial (makes 500ml)
• the peel from 2 limes basil (a generous handful totalling the same weight as the lime peel)
• 250g sugar
To make the cordial, put the lime peel and basil in a saucepan
and cover with 250ml water and the sugar, then bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Once fully cooled, strain the cordial into a glass bottle or container using a fine strainer.
For the cocktail, add the lime wedges and ginger together in a cocktail shaker. Muddle together with 20ml of the lime basil cordial and the dry port. Add ice and shake hard until the mixer gets cold. Double-strain the mixture using a fine strainer into an ice-filled wine glass and top with the rosé and lime soda. Give everything a quick stir with a bar spoon and garnish with a large fresh basil leaf.
What to drink with this dish…
Our PIG Head Sommeliers recommend three perfect pairings for this comforting classic
Sugrue South Downs Rosé Ex Machina, Sussex, 2016
Composed of a blend of 50% pinot noir, 20% pinot meunier and 30% chardonnay, this foodie rosé hits all the right notes for our crab on toast. Upfront crunchy red apple and ripe hedgerow fruit complement the recipe’s fragrant basil, while the mature backdrop of spice and umami character sits brilliantly with the buttery, toasted sourdough. We love this style of rosé at THE PIG!
Stopham Estate Pinot Gris, Sussex, 2023
This English pinot gris is the perfect companion to a dish that celebrates both freshness and indulgence. Bursting with tropical aromas of ripe mango, juicy peach and zesty citrus, it has a hint of sweetness with a lively acidity to balance the rich, creamy crème fraîche. A true taste of summer, come rain or shine.
Gusbourne English Rosé, Kent, 2023
This pinot noir rosé from Gusbourne is bursting with vibrant aromas of strawberries, raspberries and orange zest, and is very similar to Provence rosé. The light colour and tannins complement the delicate flavour of the white crab meat, while the vibrant acidity will cut through the richness.
Hand-picked crab & garden basil on toast
Crab sandwiches are a British summer favourite, and this is our nod to that tradition – not a sandwich, but all the same components – so simple and yet deeply satisfying. Lovely for lunch outside on a summer’s day – maybe with a few freshly picked garden leaves.
Serves 4–6
• 250g white crab 25g crème fraîche
• salt and pepper zest of 1 lemon
• 8 basil leaves, thinly sliced sourdough bread
• butter a few leaves of purple basil (to garnish)
• borage flowers (to garnish, if you happen to have them)
Make sure there is no shell in the crab meat and set aside somewhere cool.
In a bowl, mix the crème fraîche, some salt and pepper, lemon zest and the sliced basil leaves. Add the mixture to the crab, one spoonful at a time, to get the right consistency, as you don’t want it to get too heavy. Check the seasoning and place on toasted, buttered sourdough bread. Garnish with purple basil leaves and borage flowers, if you have them.
ARE THE FUTURE OF CARING AND CONSIDERED HOSPITALITY OUR PIG PEOPLE
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!
How to build a bug hotel
Homemade bug hotels are a striking feature in our PIG gardens – attracting a wide range of minibeasts, as well as the admiration of many of our guests. Here’s how to make your own at home.
You will need
• 4-6 wooden pallets
• some bricks
• 6-12 plastic bottles
• bamboo canes – as many as you can find!
• old cardboard
• leaves
• stones / pebbles
• twigs / loose bark
• straw
• old tiles, plant pots and other bric-a-brac
1 - Place a wooden pallet in your chosen location. On top of the pallet, lay bricks around the corners and across the middle.
2 - Place your next pallet on top of this and repeat the process for all of your pallets.
3 - Cut off the top two-thirds of your bottles. Fill up half of them with bamboo canes and the other half with rolled-up cardboard. Place these inside the hotel.
4 - Fill in the remaining spaces with more bricks, leaves, stones, pebbles, twigs, loose bark and straw.
5 - Add in any extra materials you want to recycle, eg old pipes, carpet, toilet-roll tubes, tiles and plant pots. Be creative – add a welcome sign or give your hotel a name!
James Woodward
Restaurant Supervisor at THE PIG-at Bridge Place
A much-loved member of our team here, James has been an integral part of life at THE PIG-at Bridge Place since 2019. While working with us in a variety of roles, he passed his PIG apprenticeship with distinction and in record time, and won a place on our Homegrown Entrepreneurs scheme to develop future leaders.
WHEN I MOVED TO KENT FROM MANCHESTER, I took on a bartender role at THE PIG-at Bridge Place. I was thinking, “cool, that’ll be a job just while I get on my feet” – but then I found I didn’t want to leave! I have had opportunities here to really make progress in my career.
I COMPLETED OUR TEAM LEADER apprenticeship scheme, and am now on THE PIGs’ Homegrown Entrepreneurs scheme for leadership roles. I had a bit of a fire in me that I wanted to do more, and, thanks to encouragement from the people I have worked with here, that’s what THE PIG has been helping me to do.
THE TEAM HAS REALLY SUPPORTED ME. When I was training here, I was struck by how guest-focused the service is. We were told to treat THE PIG like our house: we look after guests just as carefully as we would in our own home. I have moved house a lot in my life, and that stuck with me. THE PIG really feels like a home to us all.
SINCE 2024, I HAVE WORKED in the restaurant, and have been lucky enough to be promoted to Supervisor. It means planning the day from start to finish and addressing any issues that come up. I love problem-solving. At the start of each day, I try to park my own agenda and listen to the team. I find that’s a better way to ordering of stock, for us often means going into storage and getting hold of interesting stuff that [former Creative Director] Judy has picked out – all the little antique plates and spoons.
THERE’S A LONG before I’m a department manager, but I’d love to be able to help other people to develop
Spotter’s guide: great spotted woodpecker
In the UK, the great spotted woodpecker begins to appear in late May and early June. The bird has what the RSPB calls “a very distinctive, bouncing flight”. Almost cartoonishly striking in appearance, with black, white and (on males) red feathers, these shy birds can nevertheless be hard to see, given their fondness for clinging close to tree trunks and branches. You might hear one before you see it, thanks to the loud drumming sound of its beak on bark.
BEFORE IT WAS A PIG...
It’s a 17th-century farmhouse whose original name was Whitley Ridge Lodge, and whose first occupant was George Bright, an English stage actor of the 17th and early 18th century. What do we know the property as today?
A) THE PIG in the New Forest
B) THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay
C) THE PIG-near Bath
[Answer on page 3]
As a matter of fact
On 29 December 1170, Canterbury Cathedral – the stunning medieval pilgrimage site not far from THE PIG-at Bridge Place – was the scene of a decidedly unholy murder. Who was killed here?
A) King Henry II B) The Archbishop of Canterbury C) Joan of Arc [Answer on page 3]
PIG HACKS NO. 6
Dolly tub TABLES
Galvanised vintage washing bins can be repurposed as bedside tables –just add a stone or timber top.
To help support bird life, we have installed more than 150 nesting boxes across our PIGs.
HALL OF FAME
MAVIS
The black resin pig statues that sit proudly outside of all of our PIG properties were modelled on one specific, real-life pig. Named Mavis, she was an Oxford Sandy and Black, owned by the sculptor Brendan Hesmondhalgh in the early 2000s. Mavis served as the muse for a clay sculpture initially, and later for 20 bronze resin pieces that were eventually sold to THE PIGs. We salute you, Mavis. Your legacy lives on, welcoming our PIG guests across the country.
THE PIG IN NUMBERS...
1,000,000
seeds sown in our New Forest nursery in 2024 to supply our Kitchen Gardens.
2,005 hours spent volunteering for local charities by our PIG teams in 2024
1,600
... find out more here
candle ends collected from our PIG restaurants and recycled with the Recycled Candle Company in 2024
OVER AND OUT