THE PIG restaurant and hotel in the South Downs
A review of our first ‘PIG’ experience in this beautiful English country hotel in the heart of the Sussex South Downs
THE PIG - in the South Downs, Sussex - Source: Winekeller
We were recently fortunate enough to enjoy a fabulous overnight stay and wine tasting at ‘THE PIG - in the South Downs’ - one of eight PIG hotels and restaurants in stunning rural locations in the south of England. We had always wanted to experience THE PIG legendary hospitality, including a food and wine experience very much centred around locally sourced, sustainable produce, so we were very excited to finally have the opportunity.
Continue to see how we got on and what we experienced!
An introduction to ‘THE PIG’
THE PIG’s founder, Robin Hutson opened the inaugural PIG in 2011, in Brockenhurst in Hampshire’s beautiful New Forest. Since then, a further seven PIGS have opened their doors and two more are in the planning.
The PIG concept is essentially a restaurant with rooms, with a ‘kitchen garden’ at the heart of each property and a focus on seasonal, ‘farm/plot to plate’ food, which is either sourced onsite or locally within a 25 mile radius.
‘Sustainability’ is a core theme of THE PIG concept, not just focused on the sourcing of food produce, but running through the entire operation and it is also, significantly, a key value of each member of staff. The emphasis is on understated, ‘lived-in’ luxury, warm and friendly hospitality and stunning settings in some of the most beautiful parts of the country. Each property is unique, but the strong PIG concept runs through each one.
Perhaps you can understand why we wanted to experience some PIG hospitality!
THE PIG in the South Downs
THE PIG in the South Downs was the eighth PIG of the litter! - and a PIG first, it has its own vineyard, with 4000 vines of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Pinot Meunier! (see later).
High up in the Sussex South Downs some 60 miles from London, in the small village of Madehurst, just 4 miles from the historic market town, Arundel and close to Brighton on the beautiful English south coast, this latest PIG has an almost unbeatable location, with lots to do and see on the doorstep.
The main hotel building is a lovely, elegant manor house and this is complemented by converted brick, flint and timber-clad barns and stable buildings which house additional rooms. There is a beautiful greenhouse restaurant and a large and impressive walled ‘kitchen garden’, with two Victorian glasshouses. Off the kitchen garden, are the ‘Potting Shed’ treatment rooms.
As with all of THE PIGs, each room in THE PIG in the South Downs is unique, but sumptuously furnished and well-stocked with everything you could wish for. Just a short stroll from the main house and in the walled kitchen garden, you can also experience a very romantic stay in a Field wagon or a Garden wagon!
THE PIG wines
THE PIG prides itself on its drink menus and wines are very much at the heart of THE PIG experience. In keeping with the ‘locally sourced’ theme and in addition to an excellent international wine list, there is a huge and superb selection of (over 50) English wines from some of the best vineyards in the UK. THE PIG really does champion English wine and especially English sparkling wines, many of which we have covered in our English winery articles.
We were really impressed with the wine list at THE PIG and the focus on wine and food matching. Each PIG hotel and restaurant offers an excellent wine experience, with expert sommeliers and 3 Heads of Wine across the group, ensuring optimum food and wine pairing for guests.
Championing - and producing - English wines
We mentioned earlier that THE PiG - in the South Downs is the first PIG hotel to have its own vineyard - but it’s not going to be the first and only! In fact the team is already working hard on a vineyard at THE PIG-at Groombridge Place, a new hotel project, scheduled for opening in 2024.
The English wine focus doesn’t stop there though! The PIG has recently announced a collaboration with Sugrue South Downs, the Sussex-based winery founded by award-winning winemaker Dermot Sugrue and run together with his wife, fellow winemaker Ana Dogic. This collaboration involves THE PIG founder Robin Hutson being an investor/director in Sugrue South Downs but will also lead to THE PIG selling and producing its own English wines.
The ‘Alpaca Block’ vineyard at THE PIG-in the South Downs was planted in May 2020 (named after the Alpacas which used to graze on the land) and the very first harvest was completed this Autumn, October 2023. The first vintage will be called ‘Alpaca Block Field Blend’ - how exciting!
Our stay at THE PIG - in the South Downs
Driving through the impressive hotel entrance, we were struck immediately by the beautiful and relaxed setting - and we relaxed further when we were greeted by the incredibly welcoming and friendly staff who offered to park the car for us!
Our first activity was lunch! After settling at our table in the lovely, airy greenhouse restaurant, we were greeted by the Head of Wine, Luke Harbor who offered us a glass of excellent English sparkling wine and then proceeded to recommend an equally excellent French Chardonnay to pair with our chosen lunch dishes!
The 25 mile menu changes regularly and is based on seasonal produce - with everything being sourced from the kitchen garden or from carefully selected producers within a 25 mile radius of the hotel. Each dish was excellent, beautifully created, prepared and presented. Our only concern was working up an appetite to eat again at dinner later!
Our tour of the vineyard with Luke Harbor, Head of Wines
We were incredibly privileged to have a tour round the Alpaca Block vineyard with Luke Harbor, Head of Wine, just days before the harvest, so the grapes were beautifully ripe. It was very special to hear all about the plans and ambitions for PIG wines and Luke’s excitement and passion for his work was incredibly infectious!
Our English wine tasting
Luke then took us to a wonderful wine tasting room in the hotel grounds, built around an original well. Here sommelier Eve took us through a fabulous English wine tasting involving eight different English wines, including sparkling, white and red. We especially loved the Ashling Park 2014 Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine (Ashling Park Estate is located in nearby Chichester), a Pinot noir from Bee Tree Vineyard, and a super Chardonnay from Danbury Ridge Winery in Essex. This gave us a unique opportunity to sample a cross-section of English wines, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Private wine tastings can be arranged directly with the hotel.
We can really recommend a wine tasting at THE PIG - in the South Downs - for the wines, the location and the expert sommelier guidance!
Our room
We had a lovely large room in the Courtyard (room 6) off the main building, stylishly decorated with lots of original features, a study area, a bathroom with a freestanding bath and walk-in monsoon shower and a huge walk-in wardrobe. What impressed us most was how easy it was to feel comfortable and at home, something the team probably works hard to achieve, but they make it seem very natural. This doesn’t feel like being in a hotel at all, it really does feel like home!
Dining at THE PIG
We enjoyed a wonderful evening, starting with some sparkling wine in the bar and finishing with a drink - in the bar! We had a fabulous dinner, with each course matched with some delectable wines. Again, faultless food, wines, service and ambience - a wonderful evening.
Breakfast, the next morning, was no different!
The staff were so friendly and welcoming and encouraged us to spend time trying the lovely cold spread including cereals, fresh and preserved fruits, breads, pastries and honey. We then just had to follow this with a hot breakfast, which of course included a fabulous ‘full English’!
Our tour of the Kitchen Garden
After breakfast we were met by head gardener Ollie, who spent the next 90 minutes showing us around the amazing Kitchen Garden! We walked through the rows of different crops, the apple trees, the kiwis, the fig trees, the polytunnels, the strawberry beds, the mushroom house, the smoke house and the greenhouse - amazed at the volume and variety of produce and the way the chefs in the kitchen work hand in hand with the kitchen garden team, planning the delicious, seasonal menus.
Ollie was no different to every member of staff we chatted with - knowledgeable, passionate and proud to be part of the PIG team. As a hotel guest, you can wander round and explore the Kitchen Garden, but staff are always available to give you a guided tour and answer questions!
What do do in the area
There are lots of recommendations about what to do in the local area, on THE PIG - in the South Downs website, from local wine tasting, to walking the South Downs Way, to visiting and dining out in the local villages, to spending time on the nearby coast.
Visiting Arundel:
We enjoyed visiting beautiful, historic Arundel - a popular market town, with its medieval castle. We spent time wandering the high street, enjoying coffee in one of the many independent cafés and browsing in the vintage shops.
Digby Fine English wines in Arundel:
We also enjoyed visiting Digby Fine English Wines on the High Street - a wonderfully ‘English’ wine producer with excellent tasting rooms in the heart of Arundel, where you can taste and purchase some excellent English wines.
Wiston Estate, one of our favourite English wineries, producing top Sussex wines, is just 12 miles down the road, great for a wine tasting or a fabulous meal at their ‘Chalk Restaurant’.
Visiting Petworth:
We also spent some time in lovely Petworth - another market town about 10 miles away from the hotel - lovely to browse around, to enjoy a coffee, browse the lovely shops and galleries and also to visit 17th century Petworth House and Park.
Conclusion and personal highlights
Our visit to THE PIG in the South Downs was a very memorable and enjoyable experience and if you get the opportunity to visit, either for a meal or also an overnight stay, we can highly recommend!
We would recommend for the location, the food, the wine, the understated luxury and comfort, absolutely, but what left a real, lasting impression with us, was the staff and the service. All of the staff were super friendly, welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable, but also so passionate about THE PIG, about sustainability, about nature and about good, honest, local produce. The service isn’t ‘stuffy’, it’s relaxed and informal and for us, it’s just superb home-from-home hospitality!
‘THE PIG’ is a top English country hotel and restaurant chain - and we can see why it is so highly regarded - if you want a real food, wine and hospitality treat, then look no further!
