15 Years of THE PIG: Stories from the Kitchen Garden
THE PIG | Sunday 4 October 2026For one very special afternoon, we’re taking over the restaurant for a long, celebratory lunch and conversation with five of the original gang who opened our very first PIG in 2011 – and have shaped the way we grow, source and cook ever since. Join us to hear old friends swapping stories about the big ideas, the hands-on graft… and a few PIG tales that haven’t been told before.
£120 per person includes lunch, drinks & more
Book NowFifteen years ago, we opened the doors to the very first PIG in the New Forest with a simple idea: put homegrown food at the heart of everything, strip away the fuss and create the sort of place we genuinely want to spend time in ourselves.
Nine hotels later (plus a pub!), and swatches upon swatches of fabric, countless mismatched plates, a decade of festivals and somewhere in the region of 10 million seedlings… here we are.
A lot of stories have been gathered over 15 years. So, where better to share them than in the place where it all began, with you, our loyal PIG fans, and the people who helped bring it all to life?
Andy, Lex, Kamil, Ollie and Jo were all part of the original team who opened THE PIG in 2011 – and from the veg beds to our beehives, they’ve help shaped every step of the journey since.
Join us in our original walled garden at THE PIG in the New Forest for a Kitchen Garden Tour, a hearty, autumnal three-course lunch, and a cosy conversation with five of our longest-serving, most passionate PIG People.
Come hungry and get ready to raise a glass or two – there’s a lot to celebrate.
How your long afternoon will unfold...
We’ll start where it all began… in the Kitchen Garden
Join us to start our big birthday gathering with a freshly muddled, non-alcoholic tipple inspired by the Kitchen Garden (or an all-important morning tea or coffee) behind the garden gate of our very first PIG.
Hosted by our Group Head Kitchen Gardener, Ollie Hutson, and his team of longest-serving PIG gardeners, enjoy a tour of the plot where THE PIG all began. Ollie has planned, planted and helped progress every veg bed, polytunnel, and greenhouse goodie for past 15 years, so you can expect the real insider story of how our Kitchen Garden came to be - and what still makes it so special today.
A lively conversation with old friends
We’ll then head inside to our glass restaurant for a good glass of fizz and some seriously moreish, classic Piggy Bits while you settle into your seat around the table and listen in to the chat hosted by good friend of THE PIG, and esteemed hotel writer, Fiona Duncan.
Fiona will be joined by five of the original PIG gang: Andy, Lex, Kamil, Ollie and Jo, who opened our doors back in 2011. Together, they will share behind the scenes stories that only they know, their favourite memories and meaningful milestones from the kitchen, the garden and our growing litter, over the past 15 years and counting.
And then we eat
The very best chats are always followed with a good lunch (and very good wine). After hearing from the very people who created our plot-to-plate philosophy for our 25 mile menus, you’ll enjoy a three-course, homegrown and locally sourced seasonal lunch made up of proper classic PIG dishes.
Think Fennel Roast Rack of Hampshire Pork with Crab Apple Mash, and Plum & Almond Trifle with Bird’s Custard – all served with perfectly paired English wines from our long-standing, local wine making rockstar friends who we’ve had on our PIG bar lists since day one.
View the menu
All the extra details...
When & where?
Sunday 4th October 2026 at THE PIG in the New Forest, Brockenhurst
What time?
Join us for a Kitchen Garden inspired tipple and a private Kitchen Garden tour at 11am to kick-start our 15-year celebrations.
We’ll head inside at 12pm for fizz, sharing platters of Piggy Bits, a cracking conversation with our PIG People, and a three-course homecooked lunch.
The long lunch will draw to a close around 4pm. Not quite ready to leave? Pop into the Green Room, where we'll have a little PIG pop-up shop with lots of goodies ready for a browse before you head home.
Psst… we’ll have a special PIG goodie bag of treats for you to take home, too!
How much & what's included?
£120 per person, which includes:
a free-spirited kitchen garden tipple on arrival (or freshly brewed tea or coffee) when you arrive
a Kitchen Garden Tour with our team of PIG gardeners
a good glass of fizz and some utterly moreish Piggy Bits to graze on before listening in to hear from our PIG People
a three-course lunch brimming with classic PIG plates, with generous pours of specially chosen wine with each dish
a goodie bag to take home, filled with treats that PIG fans will seriously love!
Handy things to note
We'll be seating guests at our sociable sharing tables, so it's a lovely chance to meet fellow PIG guests over lunch.
If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know ahead of your visit so our kitchen team can look after you.
As much as we love your four-legged friends, we kindly ask that they stay at home for this event.
Photography and video recording may take place at this event for promotional purposes by THE PIG. If you prefer not to appear in photos or video, please let us know in advance or speak to a staff member on the day. Full privacy details are available here: https://www.thepighotel.com/privacy-policy/
Meet the team
group head chef
Andy Wright
Having started in the kitchen at THE PIG in the New Forest, Andy worked his way up the ranks, opening THE PIG-on the beach as Head Chef in 2014, and later stepping up to Regional Head Chef for THE PIG, THE PIG-on the beach and THE PIG-in the wall. He is now the Head Chef across all nine PIG hotels (plus our pub!)
group apprentice manager & kitchen co-ordinator
Lex Bartlett-Woodnutt
After working alongside our founder, Robin, at Hotel Du Vin, Lex knew she wanted to be a part of THE PIG. From joining as Head Pastry Chef, to developing our dishes and supporting the next generation of kitchen apprentices, she has worked hand-in-hand with Andy and Kamil for 15 years through every PIG opening, two books and everything in between.
group head kitchen garden guru
Ollie Hutson
Self-confessed veg nerd Ollie fell in love with producing fruit and veg from growing up helping his grandad on his allotment. When his parents opened THE PIG in 2011, Ollie began working as a Kitchen Gardener, progressing to head up the veg beds here, before opening THE PIG-near Bath in 2013. Ollie is now Group Head Kitchen Gardener across all nine PIGs, where he and his team produce upwards of 50 tonnes of produce annually to serve in THE PIG’s restaurants.
‘mr pickle’
Kamil Oseka
Our longest serving chef, and our very own ‘Mr Pickle’! Pickling produce was part of Kamil’s culture in Poland to preserve summer foraged fare through -20°C winters – and is the reason our homegrown pickled jars are now a much-loved part of the furniture (and the kitchen) across THE PIGs! After joining in 2011, Kamil has risen through the ranks to become our Group Training & Development Chef across our patches.
Your host…
Long-time PIG friend and one of the UK's most respected hotel writers
Fiona Duncan
Fiona began her career at Nova magazine before spending 3 years in the Caribbean as a cook on charter sailing yachts. On her return, she wrote a book, Cooking Afloat, published by Macmillan, and joined Mitchell Beazley publishers where she edited cookery and travel titles for 10 years.
In 1988, she began writing the Charming Small Hotel Guides with her husband, which has taken her all over Europe searching for suitable hotels. She later launched thehotelguru.com and contributing travel articles to The Telegraph. In 2006, she began her hotel column, which continues to this day in the Saturday Telegraph and online.
Fiona lives in the New Forest, just a couple of miles from THE PIG. She watched its transformation and has witnessed the opening of every PIG since, always with admiration and affection – she believes their advent was, and continues to be, a landmark in the story of British hospitality
Why not make a night of it?
The wine will be generously poured, so we suggest you order a taxi… or better still, book a room – so you can truly make the most of the lunch and switch-off in the heart of the New Forest after the event!
THE PIG
Book a stay to really celebrate with us!October 2026
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