THE PIG
Hotel · Denny Lodge ·
Locavore kitchen with rooms in manor house, greenhouse restaurant
Locavore kitchen with rooms in manor house, greenhouse restaurant
"One of the most exciting country retreats for U.K. food lovers, this locavore kitchen with 30 guest rooms occupies a limestone 17th-century manor house and red-brick dependency buildings 13 miles from Southampton. The property is surrounded by kitchen gardens, open fields, and one of Britain’s national treasures, New Forest National Park, which was originally claimed by William the Conqueror as royal deer-hunting grounds and designated as a national park in 2005, some 900 years later. English-country-house shabby-chic complete with worn kilims, artfully mismatched furniture, and, in the front hall, lined-up wellies and a watering can." - Ramsay Short
"A locavore kitchen with 30 guest rooms in a limestone seventeenth-century manor house and redbrick dependency buildings 13 miles from Southampton. It’s surrounded by kitchen gardens, open fields, and one of Britain’s national treasures, New Forest National Park. English-country-house shabby-chic complete with worn kilims, artfully mismatched furniture, and, in the front hall, lined-up wellies and a watering can."
"Established in 2011 by hotel hotshot Robin Hutson, The Pig in Brockenhurst, was an immediate hit for its menu, the ingredients for which were all sourced from within 25 miles of the restaurant. Today, the forest’s produce remains a focal point for chef James Golding, who plucks leaves from the garden and smokes local hog and trout whenever he can. The restaurant’s menu is split under headers like “piggy bits,” “forest bits,” “mostly picked this morning.” Hampshire wood pigeon, cauliflower cheese with Isle of wight blue, and zero mile mushroom risotto are all comforting stars of the show." - Chloe Scott-Moncrieff
"Crunching up the winding drive of this old shooting lodge, you could be forgiven for thinking you'd wandered into a Jane Austen novel. The sweeping grounds, handsome white building and majestic oaks evoke period drama, but inside lies a cosy, contemporary retreat - and a genuinely warm welcome. This is the little sister of luxurious Lime Wood up the road, but The Pig has its own USP: here, food rules supreme. A walled kitchen garden takes centre stage in the grounds and its bounty dictates the restaurant's menu. What's on offer changes daily, sometimes hourly, according to what the gardener deems to be in perfect condition, and one section of the menu reads 'literally picked this morning'. Almost everything else is sourced within a 25-mile radius, and mushrooms, berries and wild salads are foraged from the forest. But as you’d expect from hotelier Robin Hutson (the founder of Hotel du Vin), the intense culinary focus in no way detracts from the comfort and effortless style of the hotel itself. We loved the cosy formal-but-informal lounges with crackling open fires, and the gorgeous shabby-chic bedrooms, in a range of sizes to suit all budgets. Best of all, the conservatory dining room is an Instagrammer's paradise, with a colourful mosaic floor, mismatched vintage crockery and potted herbs. Combine it all with idyllic views and the heady smell from the restaurant's smoke house, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a perfect wind-down weekend. Highs Delicious, super-fresh food; think wood-smoked trout with fennel potatoes and garden mint mousse with chocolate ice-cream Gorgeous bedrooms with monsoon rain showers, top-quality linens, even roll-top baths. We stayed in Bert's Box, which was perfection The New Forest National Park, with its wild ponies and stunning heathlands: borrow Hunter wellies and go walking or hire bikes to explore Staff are helpful and friendly; the atmosphere is one of pure relaxation and in no way stuffy Lows Super popular; you'll need to book 2-3 months in advance for weekends (including restaurant reservations) Breakfast, though delicious, isn't included in the rates and bumps the bill up We've heard a few gripes about service, but we found it amazing! The rooms in the main house aren't huge but hanging out in the beautiful communal areas is half the fun" - Charlotte Bonsey
"Built into Southampton’s medieval city walls, THE PIG in the Wall is a Georgian townhouse with a long local life - once a private home, later the city’s first pub, and now a 12-room hideaway from the team behind THE PIG in Brockenhurst. Here, snug rooms and spacious hideaways share a playful, well-worn style with colorful tiled floors, freestanding tubs, vintage phones, and distressed wood. Details matter here: Bramley products, locally wrapped soaps, and larders full of treats. The deli-bar downstairs serves wine, snacks, and something always freshly baked. For a night before the ferry, or no reason at all, a stay here makes it unexpectedly hard to leave." - Tablet Hotels
