Travel: The Pig on the Beach, Dorset

For the bank holiday weekend I escaped the hustle and bustle of London to The Pig on the Beach in sunny Dorset. The Pig on the Beach is the latest ‘pig’ in a line-up of hotels (they already have The Pig in Brockenhurst, The Pig in the Wall in Southampton and The Pig near Bath) perfectly located just minutes away from the beaches of Studland Bay. We spent one lovely night in this get-away location, enjoying the sea views, crisp bed linen and homely breakfast.

The hotel features around 20 bedrooms as well as a couple of outdoor huts for those who prefer a more rustic lifestyle (they have a separate dunny or loo). Our bedroom (we weren’t quite brave enough for the huts) was cosy, with a de rigueur Nespresso machine and Roberts radio. The bed was super comfy and I had one of the best night’s sleep in its white sheets. In the morning there was the usual option of croissants or full english, but also more healthy choices such as delicious courgette muffins and homemade granola bars. I opted for eggs and soldiers, courtesy of the Dorset Hens at the bottom of the garden.

The Pig on the Beach prides itself on its kitchen garden, which supplies simple British produce for the greenhouse restaurant. There were rows and rows of ripening tomatoes, curly kale, kohlrabi, courgettes and lettuces, all lovingly looked after by two gardeners. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with mismatched furniture, pots of herbs and bone handled china. I would love to have said we had a delicious meal but unfortunately we didn’t. Maybe it was because it was bank holiday and it was busy (the restaurant is open to non-residents), maybe it was because we ate later than we would have liked because it was fully booked (the atmosphere felt more like a London restaurant than a country get-away), or maybe we made the wrong choice in dishes. I was promised a loin of pork with courgettes and a garlic sauce, but for a restaurant with such an abundant kitchen garden, there simply weren’t many vegetables on the plate. It just didn’t quite hit the mark. But, I’m willing to give it the benefit of the doubt and look forward to visiting again, the breakfast and bedroom more than made up for it, as I think the images show below.

                 
Images my own