They say that The Pig is a restaurant with rooms, so when we were escorted to the most beautiful rooms we had ever been in, we knew we were in for a treat if the restaurant is the true star of the show.

The Pig is the creation of Robin Hutson (previously of Hotel du Vin and ex-chairman of Soho House) and now consists of a litter of hotels across South West England including The Pig – in the Wall (Southampton), The Pig – near Bath (Bath), The Pig – on the Beach (Isle of Purbeck) and the original in Brockenhurst.  ‘Shabby chic’ seems to be the tag line for The Pig group, and describes the feel of the house in Brockenhurst down to a tee. We arrived around dinner time, and the place was buzzing with hotel guests and those just visiting for the evening.  We were shown around the main house, which consists of bedrooms upstairs, while the bar, restaurant and various lounge areas are situated on the cozy ground floor.  The main hallway is lined with croquet rackets and a selection of Hunter wellies, all for use of guests in the beautiful hotel grounds.  

We stayed in the Pig Lodge, which is just down the drive away from the main house, but there are various different accommodation options to choose from, from small snug rooms in the main house to luxurious hideaways in the forest.  There’s also a spa where you can go for beauty treatments – but this sells out so make sure you book in advance. You’ll be rewarded with a serene experience in the ‘potting shed’ on a delightfully heated massage bed if you do.

If you are staying at The Pig then breakfast is a must do.  It is served in the main dining room, and is only open to hotel guests.  At £10 a person it entails a glorious spread including a selection of muesli (luxury, healthy and standard), yogurt, croissants that are warm from the oven, boil your own eggs, granola slice, cake, an assortment of cheeses and meats and various fruits including poached pears, strawberries, prunes and apple compote, together with a range of tea and coffee. On top of that you can go for a cooked breakfast for an extra £5, with the options including poached eggs and avocado on toast (with the caveat that the avocado is not from within the 25 mile radius (explained below) – we didn’t hold a grudge) and a full piggy breakfast which comes complete with  pig 4 ways – bacon, sausage and both black and white pudding.  It’s the perfect place to sit and graze for the morning while reading the paper or catching up on some work.

After breakfast is the perfect time to take in the grounds.  As I’ve already alluded to, The Pig grows a lot of its own produce, and this becomes very apparently after a short stroll into the abundant gardens next to the main house.  There they are growing every vegetable under the sun, with various types of kale, broccoli and other greens, together with fresh herbs and fruits.  Further on are the resident quails and chickens which produce all the eggs for the restaurant, and if you go even further you’ll get to meet Spot and Boogie, the two kunekune pigs. There’s also a lovely courtyard which comes complete with a wood fired pizza oven for the summer months and lots of chairs around the grounds to lounge on.

Then comes the main event, the restaurant….we took a look at the menu before we sat down to eat and saw that it’s headed “25 Mile Menu” and is split into various sections, being: Piggy Bits, Starters & Small Plates, Literally Picked This Morning, Forest & Solent – Garden & Sides and Desserts & Puddings. The menu changes not just daily, but between lunch and dinner sittings which must keep chef James Golding very busy!

The reference to the 25 Mile Menu comes from The Pig’s commitment that about 80% of fresh ingredients will be sourced in the local area or from The Pig’s very own kitchen garden.  Piggy Bits are made up mostly of (surprise surprise) pig related nibbles – being pork belly, sausage rolls, brock eggs & Coleman’s dressing (which is basically ham hock Scotch eggs) and crackling served with apple sauce to name a few. All incredible. Then the rest of the menu is made up mainly of items foraged from the forest by the resident forager, and picked from the garden by the kitchen gardener.

Pre dinner cocktails are a must at The Pig. You can either sit in the bar, or in one of the surrounding rooms which are filled which comfy sofas, with open wood fires and candles making the rooms toasty and comforting. It’s also the perfect opportunity to sample the Piggy Bits before you sit down for the main meal.

After dinner, you can head to the bar, grab a cigar from the cigar cabinet to smoke outside or make the most of the lounge areas by getting into the board games.  Or if you’re too pigged out from all the grazing just head to the luxurious bed that awaits.

All in all, a weekend at The Pig is what dreams are made of.  It would be rude to finish this post without mentioning the staff – they were friendly, knowledgeable and went out of their way to help us with everything, which really is the difference between an average hotel and a fabulous one.  I can’t wait to go back!

Go here for: a break away from London – either on a girls trip or for a romantic weekend away; lunch on a Sunday or Saturday (the  fast train only takes just over 1  1/2 hours from Waterloo to Brockenhurst and then it’s only a 5 minute cab ride to The Pig); if you’re into the outdoors the New Forest is a great spot for walking and The Pig also has bikes to hire if you’re keen to cycle around the countryside

Menu highlights: with a menu that is ever changing, there isn’t much point giving you the menu highlights as they are unlikely to feature but our highlights were: Piggy Bits, The Pig’s “Extraordinary” Bath Chap (which is a whole pig’s head); poached pear and praline ice cream; tobacco onions; hake with chorizo; spatchcock BBQ partridge; tender stemmed broccoli with blue cheese and chestnut sauce

Top tips:  if you like gin then you will be pleased to know that The Pig has an extensive gin list and has actually just started producing its own gin in collaboration with Dancing Cows. The William Chase range of gins, in particular the grapefruit gin served with Fever Tree’s Mediterranean tonic, were an absolute hit; there is also a private dining room called The Green Room, which can accommodate 14 and sits just off the main dining room – it would be the perfect place for a Christmas lunch or a work team excursion

Price: lunch for 4, including a few Piggy Bits, mains, a couple of desserts to share and a bottle of wine comes in at around £200 – add on pre-lunch cocktails for £250 all in

#october2016