Beyond the honey-hued stone walls of 18th-century Hunstrete House, tucked away in a 12-hectare deer park around two hours’ drive west of London, lies an arguably even more impressive garden. Belonging to The Pig Near Bath, one of a litter of boutique stays dotted throughout England’s rolling hills, the almost-one-hectare walled garden features a fruit orchard, greenhouses, raised beds and polytunnels that supply year-round produce to the onsite restaurant.
Completing the storybook scene, the dining area is housed inside a Victorian-style conservatory overlooking the grounds, which prove to be as productive as they are pretty. Whether it’s carrots for spiced carrot soup, garlic for the roasted garlic mayonnaise or marigold flowers to garnish their much-loved chocolate slice, the kitchen garden touches every one of the dishes served, says senior sous chef Manos Kakanas.
The greenhouses are used for planting experiments. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
“The philosophy behind the kitchen garden is to use our space to be as productive as possible, being sustainable and running our garden organically, while also including unusual crops that people may not have heard of,” says head kitchen gardener Zack Jones. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
The space offers a multisensory experience – paths and borders meander past tender asparagus and zingy, crimson rhubarb; the air carries a whiff of fragrant herbs and the buzz of pollinators – and requires four full-time kitchen gardeners to keep things humming along.
“We grow basil along with the tomatoes, and when the polytunnel is full of different varieties of ripe tomatoes and basil all ready to be harvested, it both looks and smells incredible,” says Zack. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
Carrots will soon star on the menu. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
Zack loves collecting the morning’s harvest. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
The Pig’s commitment to seasonal produce is evident in its comprehensive market garden – the most extensive of all the hotel group’s properties – and is further demonstrated in their signature ‘25-mile menu’: any ingredients that cannot be grown onsite are sourced within a 40-kilometre radius.
Visitors to The Pig Near Bath can take a garden tour before lunch. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
“We like to keep things as local and sustainable as possible, and have built relationships with local suppliers over the last decade,” says Manos, who has been at The Pig for three years. Working closely with the garden team, mornings start with a catch-up to discuss the produce available that day. “We have a briefing about the menu changes and how we can utilise our ingredients in the best possible way, always thinking of our ethos and B-Corp certification,” says Manos.
Verdant gardens surround the Georgian estate. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
Sip quality wine with tasty snacks. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
Lunch in the conservatory restaurant. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
Head kitchen gardener Zack Jones and his team will then begin harvesting crops for the kitchen before getting on with the planting, weeding, watering and other tasks to keep the garden tidy and productive.
Chickens and pigs wander the grounds, pecking and poking around in the sun as the team forages for supplies. “My favourite part of the day is the morning harvest,” says Zack. “I find it very rewarding to see the finished products that we’ve put a lot of work into growing make their way to the kitchen.”
While away the hours with tea, cake and a garden view. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
A tiny bird house for local species. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
The menu can change daily depending on what’s going on outside, which keeps things interesting for both the chefs and diners. There have been a few new additions since Zack came on board seven and a half years ago, including the mushroom house, as well as a lot of new beehives – of which there are now 18 in total. “Recently we’ve been doing a lot of work to encourage more wildlife on site,” explains Zack. “This has involved creating a wildflower meadow, building multiple bug houses and hotels, and installing bird and bat boxes around the gardens.”
Young fruit trees thrive in the greenhouse. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
The flourishing kitchen garden. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
Guests and visitors to The Pig Near Bath delight in the lush, picturesque grounds and bountiful gardens. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
A nut orchard, or nuttery, is another relatively new addition, where a mixture of trees including almond, walnut and sweet chestnut lend texture to the menu and flavour to the bar’s refreshing seasonal tipples.
For those who are curious about the provenance of their lunch – or their garden-to-glass daiquiri – and others simply looking to pick up some tips, garden tours are available year-round, kicking off daily at 11am. “They’re a great opportunity for keen gardeners to come and see how we do things and perhaps get some inspiration and ideas for their own gardens,” says Zack. “It’s also great for those who might be just visiting or eating with us to see where a lot of the produce has come from and how it all grows.”
Guests enjoy ‘garden to glass’ tipples on the bucolic grounds. (Photography: Abbie Mellé)
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Writer
Samantha van Egmond
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