Review: The Pig in the Wall
Until very recently if you were staying in Southampton on your way to the New Forest or the Isle of Wight, it usually meant an uncomfortable night in a Premier Inn on one of the town’s many roundabouts. Now thanks to The Pig in the Wall you can have a decent gin and tonic in front of a proper fire and still be a five-minute walk from the ferry.
Whatever charm Southampton the town lacks, the hotel more than makes up for. The twelve rooms are set in a Georgian townhouse built right into the city walls, giving it troughfuls of charm and character and making the shopping centres and traffic down the road feel thankfully far away. All of the rooms are individually decorated but you can expect period touches such as exposed beams and big fireplaces. The minibar is a whole delight of its own with its thoughtful treats – from a Nespresso machine for making proper coffee with fresh milk, to the local salami and the (fairly) healthy organic snacks. The rooms as well as the reception area are full of eye-catching furniture that you wish you could take home. From the bedroom I had, which was the size of most London flats, I could look smugly across at the glow of the Holiday Inn in the distance from the comfort of the huge roll-top bath.
With beds this comfortable and sheets this soft, getting out of bed in the morning is a challenge. However, the aroma of the generous breakfast may coax you downstairs with its spread of homemade granola, and delicious bread, jams, compotes and pastries. The all-day deli also offers moreish snacks and indulgences such as the hot chocolate laced with Grand Marnier, cured meat from Hampshire, pea, fennel and mint soup with Dorset Sourdough, and their ‘piggy bits’ - black pudding balls with piccalilli, crackling with apple sauce, and honey mustard chipolatas.
Other than its extremely convenient location, its other trump card is the free shuttle it offers to The Pig, its sister hotel 15 minutes away in the calm of the New Forest. This foodie mecca boasts a menu that is 80 per cent made from ingredients foraged in the kitchen garden or from within 25 miles. They even have a full-time forager committed to the task, and there is a whole section on the menu called ‘Literally picked this morning’. In a state of rustic rapture, you can enjoy nosing around the grounds to see their smoke house, outdoor pizza oven and herb patches, and meet the pigs and chickens.
Dinner at The Pig begins well. As soon as you arrive Duncan, the chipper bar manager, gives totally non-patronising pre-prandial advice on wine and cocktails. It would be worth a trip here for the drinks in the library alone. His memorable cocktail recommendations include the Forager’s Rag, using Chase Sloe Gin, apricot brandy and a wash of absinthe, and the hot and spicy Bloody Mary with horseradish vodka, or the Rhubarb Bellini - if those drinks don’t warm the cockles then nothing will.
The dining room is a stately Victorian greenhouse, which provides a perfect setting for enjoying the fruits of the garden beyond. The cooking is simply British food done well, belied by very serious attention to detail. Everything from the home-infused olive oil to their own smoked salmon and smoked salt has been thought of. The courses are unpretentious but memorable – from the starter pulled pork croquettes and homemade pate to the chunky main courses of pork belly, and the wood pigeon with sloe sauce. Puddings to save room for include local cider jelly, Earl Grey-scented torte, lemon basil posset, and the homemade ice cream. All of this marvellous food has deservedly made The Pig one of the most successful new hotel openings of the past ten years.
For extra pampering over at The Pig, you can also book into The Potting Shed – a diminutive garden shed turned into a shabby chic treatment room. They offer a small but well-executed menu of reflexology, Indian head massage and facials using Bamford products.
Between both of these delightful porcine hotels, a stay in Southampton should fill visitors with a sense of keen anticipation from now on. Provincial towns have long been crying out for cosy, tasteful, and reasonably priced like The Pig in the Wall as alternatives to the big chains. Basingstoke, Milton Keynes, Basildon – take note.
The Pig in the Wall, 8 Western Esplanade, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 2AZ Rooms from mid-week start at £125 and include a free shuttle to sister hotel The Pig in the evenings. www.thepighotel.com
Whatever charm Southampton the town lacks, the hotel more than makes up for. The twelve rooms are set in a Georgian townhouse built right into the city walls, giving it troughfuls of charm and character and making the shopping centres and traffic down the road feel thankfully far away. All of the rooms are individually decorated but you can expect period touches such as exposed beams and big fireplaces. The minibar is a whole delight of its own with its thoughtful treats – from a Nespresso machine for making proper coffee with fresh milk, to the local salami and the (fairly) healthy organic snacks. The rooms as well as the reception area are full of eye-catching furniture that you wish you could take home. From the bedroom I had, which was the size of most London flats, I could look smugly across at the glow of the Holiday Inn in the distance from the comfort of the huge roll-top bath.
With beds this comfortable and sheets this soft, getting out of bed in the morning is a challenge. However, the aroma of the generous breakfast may coax you downstairs with its spread of homemade granola, and delicious bread, jams, compotes and pastries. The all-day deli also offers moreish snacks and indulgences such as the hot chocolate laced with Grand Marnier, cured meat from Hampshire, pea, fennel and mint soup with Dorset Sourdough, and their ‘piggy bits’ - black pudding balls with piccalilli, crackling with apple sauce, and honey mustard chipolatas.
Other than its extremely convenient location, its other trump card is the free shuttle it offers to The Pig, its sister hotel 15 minutes away in the calm of the New Forest. This foodie mecca boasts a menu that is 80 per cent made from ingredients foraged in the kitchen garden or from within 25 miles. They even have a full-time forager committed to the task, and there is a whole section on the menu called ‘Literally picked this morning’. In a state of rustic rapture, you can enjoy nosing around the grounds to see their smoke house, outdoor pizza oven and herb patches, and meet the pigs and chickens.
Dinner at The Pig begins well. As soon as you arrive Duncan, the chipper bar manager, gives totally non-patronising pre-prandial advice on wine and cocktails. It would be worth a trip here for the drinks in the library alone. His memorable cocktail recommendations include the Forager’s Rag, using Chase Sloe Gin, apricot brandy and a wash of absinthe, and the hot and spicy Bloody Mary with horseradish vodka, or the Rhubarb Bellini - if those drinks don’t warm the cockles then nothing will.
The dining room is a stately Victorian greenhouse, which provides a perfect setting for enjoying the fruits of the garden beyond. The cooking is simply British food done well, belied by very serious attention to detail. Everything from the home-infused olive oil to their own smoked salmon and smoked salt has been thought of. The courses are unpretentious but memorable – from the starter pulled pork croquettes and homemade pate to the chunky main courses of pork belly, and the wood pigeon with sloe sauce. Puddings to save room for include local cider jelly, Earl Grey-scented torte, lemon basil posset, and the homemade ice cream. All of this marvellous food has deservedly made The Pig one of the most successful new hotel openings of the past ten years.
For extra pampering over at The Pig, you can also book into The Potting Shed – a diminutive garden shed turned into a shabby chic treatment room. They offer a small but well-executed menu of reflexology, Indian head massage and facials using Bamford products.
Between both of these delightful porcine hotels, a stay in Southampton should fill visitors with a sense of keen anticipation from now on. Provincial towns have long been crying out for cosy, tasteful, and reasonably priced like The Pig in the Wall as alternatives to the big chains. Basingstoke, Milton Keynes, Basildon – take note.
The Pig in the Wall, 8 Western Esplanade, Southampton, Hampshire, SO14 2AZ Rooms from mid-week start at £125 and include a free shuttle to sister hotel The Pig in the evenings. www.thepighotel.com