The Pig on the Beach

There is a fairy-tale aspect with more than a hint of Hogwarts to this 1820s marine villa with a sandy beach at the bottom of the garden in a village that inspired Noddy's Toy Town. Hospitality wizard Robin Hutson had long coveted the property, with its jumble of towers and gables, which joined his Pig collection (see index) in 2014. Interiors were created by Judy Hutson for an imaginary great-aunt, an eccentric artist. Bedrooms, with a breezy marine palette, range from snug, with a countryside view, to spacious, with a sea view, super-king bed, monsoon shower and freestanding bath. A thatched ‘dovecote’ in the kitchen garden has a four-poster and (coo!) its own beach hut. ‘My first pig!’ writes a reader, who liked ‘such pleasing touches as a powerful shower and milk in a fridge’. Produce from the prolific kitchen garden appears in dishes such as rolled porchetta, garden greens and pickled rhubarb or Poole Bay ray wing with caper and parsley brown butter. On the terrace, sourdough pizza comes hot from a wood-fired oven. ‘I was blessed with brilliant weather and made full use of the chairs on the lawn and the beach.’ (David Sefton)