Frost outside, fire alight inside

Winter in the Mendips

THE PIG-near Bath

Somerset in winter turns a certain kind of countryside quiet in a way it simply doesn't manage the rest of the year. The lanes empty out, the Mendips sit under mist most mornings and the fallow deer carry on grazing the fields outside as though the weather were somebody else's problem. Bath is 20 minutes down the road and at its most beautiful in December - all honey-coloured stone, chalets and cold noses.

Then you come back up the drive to our little corner of it, where the fires are already going and there's a free-standing bath with your name on it waiting upstairs.

Four good reasons to come in the cold months

Forget traffic jams and packed restaurants. In winter, Somerset returns to its peaceful roots - perfect for spontaneous adventures.

Chew Valley Lake is 20 minutes away and full of overwintering birds, Cheddar Gorge is properly spectacular without a coach in sight and there are footpaths straight off our doorstep that go for miles through mist and mud and not much else.

Our free Kitchen Garden tours run at 11am, every day, all year round. In winter, you'll see plenty of hardy root veg being harvested, shoots bursting through the beds to fill the ‘hungry gap’ at the start of the new year - and you’ll get a good idea of why our dishes taste exactly like where they’re from.

A roll-top bath after a cold walk is one of life's better arguments and our Potting Shed treatment rooms are quietly tucked beside the Kitchen Garden for when the day calls for something a little more. After that, it's the fire, a glass of something good and a supper that lingers all evening.

From 26th November to 13th December, over 200 chalets wind through the Georgian streets around the Abbey, and about 80% of the stallholders are from the South West. Go midweek in the morning if you'd like to move around - and Bath on Ice runs at Royal Victoria Park from 14th November right through to 4th January if you fancy making a fool of yourself.

Back indoors

The good thing about a house in the middle of nowhere in winter, is that there's no particular reason to leave it. A cocktail at four with the fire going, cards on the table, and the quiet conundrum of whether you can be bothered to change for dinner. You can't, but nobody minds.

Winter on the plate

Our flavours are at their most wholesome and hearty at this time of year - think locally sourced (we’re talking 30 minutes away) best-in-season wild game, like Braised Hunstrete Vension Shoulder sourced from our day one supplier, Matt Roberts at Grove Game, served with creamy polenta and pickled fennel from the Kitchen Garden.

Take a peek at the menu