The Pig

We had the most wonderful two night stay here for our mini-​moon straight after our wedding. We stayed in the Gardeners Shed, one of three comfy luxe rooms in the hotels garden. The room was beautiful with a large bathroom with roll top bath and monsoon shower, a four poster bed in the bedroom and a sitting room with a DVD player and log burning stove.
It was the most perfect relaxing experience to recover from the excitement and stresses of planning a wedding. We were also treated to a complimentary English sparkling wine in our room congratulating us on our wedding.
The pig grows and sources all of its food within a 25 mile radius and we could explore the beautiful gardens where all of the fruits, vegetables and herbs grow right outside our front door. If you wander a little further you can also visit the pigs, chickens, deer and more.
The service is second to none, we rented DVDs from reception which come with complimentary popcorn, wandered around the grounds in complimentary wellies, played board games in the library and received the most luxurious massages in the potting shed treatment rooms in the gardens. We also had a gorgeous breakfast delivered to our room both mornings on a tray so big two people carried it to us.
I have a dairy allergy and constantly find it difficult requesting or mentioning that I need dairy free items on menus but the Pig were brilliant, we had told them in advance and they had soya milk in the room for me and both nights at dinner mentioned that they were aware and could help me with anything on the menu before I even had to mention it. It’s such a little detail but it makes all the difference to not have to feel anxious or inconvenient when eating out and I have to commend them for this brilliant service.
The only fault was the wifi and Internet was pretty non existent. This was perfect for us and encouraged us even more to just switch off, relax and enjoy our time together but I can see how this could be a problem for some.
I also 100% recommend trying their non alcoholic cocktails, they are so good you don’t miss the alcohol at all, try the red bush!

The Pig (nr Bath) is one of four hotels in this group. There is also The Pig (The New Forest), The Pig on the beach (Dorset) and The Pig in the wall (Southampton).
If you’re looking for somewhere special to stay & eat for a birthday, anniversary or just because it’s Tuesday, this hotel & restaurant will not disappoint. The Pig is the nicest hotel experience I have ever had.
There are 29 rooms. Of these 29, there are two rooms in the gardens which are more like little two-​floor cottages with chairs on a little veranda outside, overlooking the gardens & the Mendip Hills. The prices for these were not on the website when I looked.
Our room was about £220 & worth every penny. On arrival we were briefly shown around the hotel — there are so many rooms to explore & the staff are happy for you to do so. Our room was beautiful; there was light streaming in through the windows & a waft of jazz was coming from the digital radio in the room.
They have ‘larders’ containing sparkling drinks, wine, beer, sweets (the fun old school kind — sherbet wands, flying saucers, etc), posh biscuits, chocolates & more. This all came with a detailed price list which made it all very easy. There was also a kettle, teabags, sugar, a Nespresso machine & three types of Nespresso pod (Lungo, decaf, & espresso — Arpeggio if we are being specific!). The tea & coffee was free of charge.
The monsoon shower is worth the special mention that they have on their website — if I wasn’t worried about my water usage I could have spent an hour in there.
All the little details in our room & around the hotel were perfect. Vintage knickknacks here and there that were beautifully clean & so well placed.
One thing that would make the room even more perfect would be some fresh flowers or even a potted herb (in keeping with the theme of the hotel). There was nothing ‘alive’ in our room and fresh flowers or something in a pot would make the room beyond perfect.
The bed was huge & very comfy. There was a stack of National Trust books to read — bee keeping, hen keeping, pig keeping, etc.
This location is as much a restaurant as a hotel — people travel from far & wide to eat here. I read somewhere that they consider themselves a restaurant with rooms, rather than a hotel, and this is perfectly fitting. So let’s move on to the food…
The menu is sourced from within 25 miles of the hotel/​restaurant — this is their 25 mile menu. When we arrived we sat in the garden (our table in the restaurant wasn’t until late evening & we had decided to stay in the garden rather than go shopping, which had been the plan) we tried the pork crackling with apple sauce, a pork pie, some salami & olives, & a chorizo flatbread from their flatbread wood burning oven, which had just opened for the summer. The pork crackling & apple sauce was delightful; we could hear people crunching all around the garden patio & I’m sure they would have heard us too! The pork pie was a risk because I don’t usually like them, but it had perfect pastry & the pork was delicious. It was served with some pickled carrots & other veg, which was just right. The salami & olives were also delicious. I found the flatbread to be quite bland — but the chorizo on top was one of the nicest things I have ever eaten. I was hoping to see it again on the evening menu (It didn’t feature). I think it had a lot of fennel in it, maybe, but whatever it was it was magical.
We also had some tea & later relaxed in the wonderful bar with some cocktails. The staff were chatty, friendly, helpful, & just all round nice. The staff all seemed relaxed, but alert (always knowing if you need something). They seemed like they were at home, which was lovely.
The cocktails were great — we had one with earl grey in it, one with bacon infused rum, and others. If you like infused gins and vodkas, this is the place for you — they infuse their own and do a lovely job of it.
We went back to our room for a nap, which didn’t happen because sadly we could hear the restaurant music from our room, & it battled against the classical music that we tried to drown it out with, but our stay was so lovely that this is just a minor thing.
Dinner was next & it was great. We had the smoked sausage & apple mash & the venison & pork belly faggot with colcannon. The colcannon, again, was one of the nicest things, if not the nicest thing, I’ve ever eaten. It was creamy, cabbagy & beautiful.
Puddings — chocolate & caramel mouse with little coffee biscuits & a Bramley apple pie with thyme ice cream. Both were delicious.
The restaurant itself is cosy & welcoming — in a conservatory, the chairs are surrounded by pot plants & herbs. The cutlery is mismatched, as are the chairs — one of my favourite bits. We then had whiskies in the library until gone midnight, which was lovely.
Breakfast is something to rave about — the table is quite something & the full English is tasty (£15pp).
The grounds are spectacular & I can’t wait to return.