WHAT'S THE VIBE?
Jane Austen fever dream. The hotel feels like it’s been plucked straight out of a noughties-era film adaptation of one of the novelist’s deep cuts (maybe Persuasion rather than Pride and Prejudice). The entryway is dominated by an ancient oak tree that appears to have presided over a few hundred family sagas. Period detail is of paramount importance at The Pig, and guests are whisked away into a parallel universe where not only does the 19th century look good, but it tastes delicious, too.
It’s been over a decade since this hotel first opened its doors in a wooded hamlet in the New Forest named Brockenhurst. Since then, it has birthed shoats across England, with hotels dribbled across all of southern England’s most delectable towns, from Cornwall to Kent. However, we’re informed by the extra-cordial staff upon arrival that the first is still the finest. There are 32 rooms peppered across the property, billed as Snug Rooms, Comfy Rooms, Comfy Luxe Rooms, and Hideaways.
We were lucky enough to stay in the Pig House. Situated on the opposite of a sprawling lawn on a quiet corner of the estate, it comes complete with a bunk bed for the little ones, a freestanding bathtub and monsoon shower, and a fully-formed living area and kitchen stocked with everything from fresh sourdough to biscuits where you can pig out.
The foyer at The Pig New Forest
Jake Eastham
WHAT TO EAT
On that note, you’ll be well-fed here. Since its inception, The Pig has been food-forward, and has inspired any number of country hotels with its laser-sharp focus on locally provenanced produce, as evidenced in its 25-Mile Menu. Sharpen your appetite with an excursion to the cocktail bar, where punchy drinks are supercharged with ingredients plucked straight from the ground – the Garden Margarita sees Tapatio tequila spiked with homegrown chilli, rosemary, lime and Pig honey. Fibre up with one of the hotel’s exceptional salads – we were particularly smitten with the Isle of Wight tomatoes with Buffalicious mozzarella and sourdough croutons – or starters like chalk stream trout tartare with Sapling’s Gin and greenhouse cucamelons.
However, this place does what it says on the tin, and you’d be remiss not to try its many iterations of pork, whether that’s in-house coppa with pickled onions and apple chutney or porchetta with garden greens and beef dripping roast potatoes. The same applies to breakfast; the sausages and bacon are otherworldly. With a full library of newspapers to pore over, you’ll be as happy as a pig in…
The eponymous animal
Jake Eastham
WHAT TO DO
My daughter is a devout member of the Peppa Pig fandom so we had a particularly porcine visit and made an outing to Paultons Park, Home of Peppa Pig World. That being said, unless you’re somebody habituated to thousands of toddlers in a feverish state of excitement, it’s not for the faint of heart. The Pig is located in the heart of the New Forest National Park and ideally situated for exploring, whether you’d like to ogle some of the local livestock (ponies, donkeys, cattle and sheep roam freely) or get your heart rate elevated on a mountain bike or a trail run. In fact, a quiet stroll through a sylvan idyll is the perfect antidote to the high-volume twisted metal of a children’s theme park.
