Oh yes (and oink), I finally made it down to the fabled Pig (the original one in The New Forest) for a supremely satisfying early spring lunch and a quick and easy countryside break from London.
Oozing with ye olde English shabby chic charm without coming across as twee, the look and feel of this “restaurant with rooms” very much did it for me. I could have staged a “you-can’t-make-me-leave” sit-in at the hotel’s ultra cosy lobby bar; I got a mini recharge from my brief amble through the kitchen garden and surrounding grounds; I would have loved to try a post-lunch treatment at the spa across the pond in the garden or maybe an expert-led forage in the forest for wild mushrooms.
That the hotel is “driven” by the gardener, forager and chef in the kitchen garden had me feeling all warm and fuzzy about the place as well. Produce and the vast majority of ingredients that aren’t grown on The Pig’s premises, but are featured on its restaurant menu, are sourced from within a 25-mile radius. And judging from my epically piggy lunch, the hotel is set amid as tasty a piece of earth as any ever could be.
Everything about my lunch was delicious. I especially loved my main course of “extraordinary” Bath chap: pig’s cheek served on the jowl (with teeth still attached) with some super crave-worthy crackling.
Wines were yummy. Desserts, very pretty. Service was cordial. The woodland view from the dining area’s conservatory soothed. And lit candles everywhere was a lovely effect.
Only there for an indulgent lunch, I can only imagine it’s a far more resplendent experience staying overnight at The Pig (and having your supper, nightcaps and breakfast there as well). I poked my head in an available suite – snug and homey. But heading down by train for half a day was definitely a very doable splurge that didn’t cut into too much time away from London.
Located off of Beaulieu Road, Brockenhurst, Hampshire, SO42 7QL, The Pig is a short (five minutes?) cab ride from Brockenhurst Station, which is about an hour and a half train ride from Waterloo. Find out more at thepighotel.com.
