The Pig in the Forest

Pigs have foraged in the New Forest since the Norman Conquest, but a different breed arrived in 2011, when Robin Hutson took on a Georgian hunting lodge and reinvented the English country house hotel. The ethos at all the Pigs (see index) is hip but not hooray. Judy Hutson set the shabby-chic style, mixing old and new, rich fabrics and boot-sale finds. Even snug rooms come with designer wallpaper, a large monsoon shower, while comfy-luxe rooms have a shower and freestanding bath. There are hideaway suites in the stable yard, lodges, a forest hut clad in reclaimed timber at the bottom of the garden. Readers tried a wide range of dishes from the seasonal menus, with produce from the kitchen garden or grown and reared close to home, and proclaimed them all ‘absolutely delicious’. The menu might include wild garlic tagliatelle, goat’s cheese and walnuts, or venison loin with artichokes and smoked yogurt. ‘There’s so much about the place that we absolutely love,’ said our reviewers. ‘Every person we dealt with was exceptionally friendly and professional.’ There is one rub: the Pigs aren’t for pups, who will have to stay at home. (Anna Brewer)