The lowdown:
The owners of Lime Wood have created something even more special at The Pig, their latest venture in the New Forest. This 'restaurant with rooms' redefines the country-house hotel with its quirky simplicity, emphasis on homeliness and simple but imaginative food. A sweeping drive leads to a classic country house but once inside the interiors are witty and welcoming.
Choose from a sitting room with squashy sofas and crackling log fires, a peaceful library with books you would genuinely like to read or the cosy bar recalling its history as a hunting lodge with its taxidermy. In summer, the courtyard's open fire invites long nights of star-gazing across the deep silent forest.
Food is served in a pretty scent-filled conservatory overlooking the garden swing for two. Chef James Golding (ex-Babington) is passionate about his low-mile menu and works alongside local forager Gary Eveleigh, who likes nothing more than to gather up willing guests and his trusty dogs to scour the forest for supper, especially around mushroom season. Piggy bits of saddleback scratchings and tasty cured collar of pork and chipolatas compete with Solent bream and scallops from Lyme bay and fresh veg from the garden.
Twenty six bedrooms, just the right side of quirky, are filed under Snug, Comfy or Spacious and divided between the main house and the stable block, but with the same effortless good taste throughout.
The good:
The 'kick your shoes off' vibe.
The potential for a 'low-impact weekend'. With Brockenhurst railway station only 10-minutes away who needs a car? Bikes can be hired.
The 'Literally Picked this Morning' menu. Expect delicious vegetable cooked to perfection and flowers entwined with your leaves, courtesy of the walled garden.
The non-stratospheric prices. Let's hope for a litter of Pigs throughout the UK as soon as possible.
The not so good:
The minimum two-night stay rule at weekends is a bit of a bind.
The verdict:
A true labour of love from a team of people who really know their stuff.
Book it:
Doubles from £125; dinner from £35.
The Pig, Beaulieu Road, Brockenhurst, Hampshire SO42 7QL (+44 (0)1590 622354; thepighotel.co.uk)
