Pannage Pork Feast at THE PIG in the New Forest
THE PIG | Thursday 19 November 2026The season comes but once a year! The window for pannage pork is short, and it doesn’t stay on our menus for long. So, this November, we’re making the most of these tasty forest treasures with a one-off PIG feast celebrating all things pannage pork. Pull up a seat, tuck in and join us for a proper New Forest feast, with plenty of pork, generous pours and good old-fashioned PIG hospitality.
Overnight stay package available
Book NowThey're not wild, and they're not ours.
Here's something most visitors to the forest never realise: the pigs you'll spot snuffling beneath the oaks each autumn aren't wild at all. Every one of them belongs to a commoner, one of the New Forest locals whose homes come with ancient rights dating back to 1079, when William the Conqueror founded the forest.
Among those rights is pannage, or "common of mast" to give it its proper old name, which lets commoners turn their pigs out each autumn to feast on fallen acorns, beech mast and chestnuts.
There's a rather clever reason it has lasted nearly a thousand years. Acorns are poisonous to the ponies and cattle who roam the forest all year, but pigs can gobble them up happily, so for a few weeks each autumn they become the forest's clean-up crew.
Back in the 1800s there were thousands of them out there. Today there are a few hundred British Lops, Tamworths, Gloucestershire Old Spots and Saddlebacks, each one checked and marked before it's allowed out, with the Verderers and Forestry England deciding each year when the season starts and when the pigs come home.
So what's all the fuss about?
All those weeks of acorns and open forest make for pork with a deeper, nuttier flavour, and there's only ever a little of it to go round. Just a few hundred pigs go out across the whole forest each autumn, how many depends on how generous the oaks have been that year, and the season lasts around 60 days, so pannage pork rarely travels further than a handful of local farm shops and, for a few short weeks, our menu.
Our Pigs come from Wendy Maughan, one of the commoners who keeps the tradition going, and this is the one night of the year we're giving it the full feast treatment, with Wendy joining us to tell the story herself.
Please note this event has now sold out for just our dining option - we have a handful of room packages left!
Fizz, crackling and a proper feast
First, the fizz (and the Crackling)
We’ll welcome you into our house with a perfectly chilled glass of Trouble With Dreams English fizz, before tucking into a mouthwatering selection of Piggy Bits, we would of course have to be serving our classic Crackling!
Then it’s time for a three-course feast celebrating the very best of New Forest pannage pork, with generous pours of carefully chosen wines along the way.
The wine will be flowing, so why not make a night of it?
Three courses of pannage pork
Think Bacon Jam on Toast, Ham Hock & Cider Broth, followed by Roast Loin and Slow Roast Shoulder of Pannage Pork with Crab Apple Mash, Buttered Garden Greens and Thyme Roast Squash.
To finish, there’s a Blackberry Blancmange with Macerated Blackberries and Shortbread Biscuit.
A proper New Forest feast, from forest to plate.
Tales from a New Forest commoner
During this special evening, you’ll hear from our pannage pork expert and New Forest commoner, Wendy Maughan, who has over 12 years’ experience rearing pannage pigs. Wendy releases her pedigree British Lops onto the New Forest during the pannage season, where they spend their days rooting around beneath the oak trees, tucking into fallen acorns and foraging from the forest floor.
Wendy will be sharing the story behind this centuries-old New Forest tradition, from rearing and caring for her pigs to the important role pannage plays in helping protect the Forest’s unique ecosystem. Expect plenty of stories, a few piggy facts and a closer look at how this special local tradition makes its way from forest to plate.
Meet your host
Wendy, the commoner behind the pork.
New Forest Marque member Wendy Maughan, has over 12 years of experience rearing pannage pigs. Wendy grew up on the Isle of Wight but has been living in the forest for over 30 years. Each year, she releases her pedigree British Lops, first onto local commons, then into the Forest when the season officially begins. She monitors their health closely, regularly weighing them to ensure they’re thriving.
“The motivation comes from being able to produce quality meat for the community that has come from the forest landscape,” she says. “You can trace the origins from the land, to farm, to butcher, to plate and that’s what matters. It’s local, sustainable and you know the animals have been well cared for.”
All the details you need to know
When & Where?
Thursday 19 November 2026, at THE PIG in the New Forest, Brockenhurst
What time?
We’ll pop the first bottles of English fizz at 6.30pm to enjoy with an insightful and light-hearted talk from Wendy. Hearty platters of moreish Piggy Bits will be served to graze on at 6.45pm, and then a Pannage Pork three-course feast to follow.
This evening is a relaxed, sociable supper with sharing tables – if you’ve booked with friends, just give us a shout so we can make sure you’re all sat together.
How much?
Please note that the 'just dinning' ticket option (of £95 per person) has sold out, but we still have a handful of room nights with the dinner incldued!
Overnight stay options includes your room, a three-course pannage pork supper, plus Piggy Bits to start and perfectly paired wines, and breakfast the next morning!
Kindly note...
This event features sociable shared tables, creating a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. If you've booked with friends, please let us know in advance so we can make sure you're seated together. We'll have everything prepared before you arrive, right down to personalised place settings at each table.
This event is for over 18's only
If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know ahead of time so we can ensure everyone is well catered for.
While we love your four-legged friends, we’re unable to welcome dogs inside the hotel, with the exception of guide dogs, who are always warmly welcomed. We’re very happy for your dogs to join you in our grounds and outside terraces, although we kindly ask that they stay away from our kitchen gardens.
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/
Why not make a night of it?
Book an overnight stay on Thursday 19th Novemeber, and get the three-course pannage feast with generous pours of carefully chosen wines, and breakfast the next morning all wrapped up in the price!
THE PIG
Book your pannage pork sleepoverNovember 2026
