The Pig, Brockenhurst – Reviewed

We approached The Pig with the rave reviews of our friends and families ringing in our ears, but it is a pleasure to say that our visit lived up to everything we had heard. And more! The Pig is beautifully tucked away amongst the trees and greenery of the awe inspiring New Forest. The main house is 29 bedrooms in size and is decorated throughout with muted, subtle colours and with a classic natural vibe. Imagine a high-end, luxury farm house setting and you will not be too far wrong.

For us, there is something so appealingly simple about The Pig’s ethos; they aim to offer a natural and honest experience. It does this very well and with a subtle precision. Even though this pig is a part of a small selection of hotels, each one has its own unique feeling, setting and décor.

Sleeping

Our gorgeous residence for the night was the aptly named “Hog House”. A spacious, luxurious and shabby chic out-house, we instantly felt welcomed. The décor contains elements of farmhouse living with high-end fixtures and fittings worked in subtly. The out-house is separate from the main house and sits behind the hotels very own kitchen garden. Hog House offers a quant living area with fire and sofa, outdoor seating areas and a wonderful bed, with dressing area. The bathroom is wonderfully rustic and yet simultaneously refined; the floor is dark wood throughout and upon this sits a classic, cast iron bathtub. The whole feel of Hog House was just sublime. We managed to take a sneak peak at the rooms in the house also and these were equally as luxurious, if not a little less spacious. See some snaps below.

Eating

For me, it was The Pig’s home-grown food and drink, which elevated a great visit to a wonderful experience and, in truth, a long lasting memory. Every element of the Pig menu is sourced within a 25-mile radius. This includes garlic from a farm 24.5 miles away to cheese from Loose Hanger 15.5 miles. It was exciting to see such a firm stance of the menu’s providence and to see such detail in each element of the menu. If you are a foodie, it is a really humbling experience to take a look at this menu and realise that everything is a stones throw away.

Our meal begun in front of a roaring fire, cocktail in hand and within The Pig’s bar. In the bar we sampled some fantastic taster dishes to get our appetite going. These “piggy bits” were a great introduction to the menu and included bite size crispy pork belly, with honey and smoked chilli. The pork was perfectly cooked and married well with the sweetness. Also, the quail scotch eggs were delightful and it was lovely to know the eggs had come from The Pig’s own quails that very day.

It was sitting there that something struck me – The Pig is pretty unique.

For example, if I told you that all the cocktail glasses came in different colours and sizes and that the cutlery also didn’t match throughout, you may be a little perturbed. But at The Pig this mismatching detail just worked. It reflected for me the way the entire hotel aims to mimic the variety of nature itself. It was strange, even jarring at first, but it worked. The entire experience was speckled with details like this and it made for an interesting and ever changing experience. We have visited “trendy” Shoreditch bars in the past, which aspire this kind of detail and fail miserably, but it was a treat to see it working here.

To dine we made our way into the conservatory where warm rumblings of chatter rang through the fully booked restaurant. Highlights of the starters included potted Chalk Stream Trout & Crab and grilled Brixham mackerel, with slow cooked beetroot and crab apples. Both dishes offered fresh flavours and a delicate touch on the plate, a perfect start.

Once we arrived at the main courses, we were well and truly indulging ourselves. Steering away from the fish at this course, we aimed for the selection of meat dishes offered. Not for the feint hearted, we sampled Ockley Farm Beef Brisket with a celeriac slaw. The beef simply fell apart and was packed full of hearty, rustic flavour. Wonderful on a cold night! We also sampled the Fir Tree Farm lamb neck fillet and this offered a little more finesse, but still bundles of taste. Perfectly offset by charred garden onions and a Dorset olive sauce, the dish had great balance. I could rant and rave about the food here but I think you get the picture – every dish was a hit.

At The Pig, Brockenhurst you can really revel in all of the most important things in life – exquisite food, fabulous drinks and a feeling of absolute comfort.The Pig is also placed an idyllic picnic or for long meandering walks through the forest. What more could you need? The Pig was a delight from start to finish and we cannot wait to return. Make your booking today to avoid disappointment. Click here.