A Sleepover At THE PIG-at Combe

As with all THE PIG hotels, local ingredients are the beating heart of the dining experience. Chris Charles, Hotel Director at THE PIG-at Combe tells me “there’s a saying in Devon that ‘if you stick your finger in the ground, it will grow.’”

This is something you can see for yourself, thanks to the sprawling kitchen, infusion and herb gardens. These extensive patches are lovingly tended by the gardeners, so fresh produce can be served come dinner time. I marvelled at the gardens, which sprouted kale, chard, cavolo nero, swede, pak choi and turnips. The herb garden is laced with the mingling scents of sage, thyme, lemon verbena and rosemary. It’s a perfect, peaceful neighbour for the spa treatment rooms.The grounds house a smokehouse for curing meat and fish, part of THE PIG’s true farm-to-table experience.

“Anything that can’t be grown on site, is sourced within a 25-mile radius; we champion local suppliers and farmers and have long standing relationships that we love, and we can be sure what we are dishing up is the very best around,” Charles explains. “We’ve got an obsessive commitment to homegrown and local produce, and seasonal food done well. Our commitment to a 25-mile menu not only supports our local suppliers, but it means we can be 100% honest on the provenance of our ingredients.”

It’s hard not to stock up on the homemade cakes served in the afternoon in the drawing room.
A slice of homemade St Clements sponge with a generous slather of icing proved too hard to resist, but I tried to save my appetite for dinner. This is when the feast truly begins.

The restaurant is pared back, but beautiful, with walls lined with pickled produce and potted plants for an indoor-outdoor feel. It’s all subtly lit with oak leaf filigree chandeliers. This reflects the easy hospitality of the team. It never feels contrived or stuffy. Menus are hyper-seasonal, changing as often as twice daily, a true labour of love by the kitchen gardeners and chefs.

We started our meal with a selection of the appetisers, playfully called Piggy, Fishy and Garden
Bits. Crisp, aromatic spiced root vegetable fritters come layered on a curried sauce and ribbons of carrot. Juicy, tender barbecued pork ribs practically fall away from the bone, while small morsels of brown crab meat rarebit are rich and indulgent. Even the homemade sourdough is a delight, a simple dish made extraordinary when paired with herb- infused oil and smoked salt. Naturally, the herbs for the oil come straight from the garden.

Zingy shards of fresh rhubarb on a velvety whipped bed of ricotta were an unexpected hit of a starter. It was peppery and spiked with a generous glaze of local honey. Our other starter, lobster ravioli in a creamy shellfish sauce, was pleasantly moreish.

Slow-cooked venison shoulder marinated in red wine was delightfully unctuous. This was paired with tobacco onions, the restaurant’s deconstructed take on an onion bhaji and a true flavour bomb. The meat- free 0 Mile risotto used mushrooms grown and harvested from the hotel’s own mushroom house. It was a revelation, rich in texture, with crème fraîche adding a fresh lightness.

Despite our rapidly filling stomachs, dessert was a non- negotiable, so we opted for the featherlight set cream served with a shard of croissant crisp and ginger-steeped rhubarb. The wine list focuses on family producers, biodynamic methods and an extensive selection of English sparkling wines, ranging from Kent and Sussex to Devon.

Come breakfast, there are more local delights to set you up for the day. You can boil your own eggs from the hotel’s chickens and enjoy fresh-pressed beetroot and apple juices. The thyme-poached apricots are served with a generous drizzle of THE PIG’s own honey, or you can go for a hearty full English. Suffice to say, you’ll leave with your heart and stomach full, plotting your return.

thepighotel.com/at-combe