The Pig in the South Downs

We drove up the winding lane to the Pig in the South Downs in the late afternoon, just hitting golden hour with incredible timing. The setting of this boutique stay – one in a litter of Pigs – is so lovely, with a beautiful view across rolling fields and dense woodland. Large wooden lounge chairs face the afternoon sun, and there’s a gentle, restful feel to proceedings from the get-go. The main picturesque stone manor house is accompanied by rooms in various converted farm buildings (a coop, apple store, stables, the odd rustic wagon) dotted around the grounds. I was dying to sit out and gaze lovingly at it all while nursing a hot drink; but we arrived in February, and to do so with our squirming one-year-old on my lap would clearly have been terrible parenting. 

The caveat was, you see, that we had to bring our little Smithlet with us, and thus we expected there would probably be less stylish lounging around and more managing of small hands dropping crumbs and quelling loud burbling noises. I was quite nervous of inflicting our over-zealous little one on other guests and prepared to be apologetic or to hide out in our room as needed; but all my new parenting worries were immediately soothed by the wonderful staff, who were so utterly accommodating and friendly.

We chose to stay in the Chicken Shack, a lovely long wood-panelled space set away from the main house, divided up by old wooden beams. It was all so delightfully rustic and oh-so charming, with a separate sitting room, enormous super-king-size to snooze in and – oh, dream of dreams – a rolltop bath tub in the bedroom (my absolute favourite thing that had me immediately plotting to sneak in a quiet soak). We instantly felt right at home. 

We decided, after scattering baby toys everywhere and letting our wee Smithlet press all the light switches repeatedly on and off (sorry if we made you think it was a distress signal, neighbours), that we needed a stiff shrink, so we ventured out to the bar. Set in the main house, it’s a welcoming, well-dressed space with warm red wallpaper, roaring fires, big snuggly old sofas, and cosy corners. I instantly fell in love with the large glazed cabinet behind the bar, which was filled with various antique glasses – a design idea I plan to copy back home. We indulged in a couple of Old Fashioneds and let Smithlet nibble on some olives – she’s incredibly well behaved, so we had another round before heading to the restaurant for our early dinner feeling slightly squiffy. Again the staff were so delightful with our little one – I worried about her making lots of noise and mess, but thankfully a high-chair had been discreetly set up in a quieter corner for us. 

The Pig’s farm-to-table food (all sourced within 25 miles, if not in the grounds) was heavenly, as was the red wine; and after a splendid pork loin, cod and chips, and a jam roly-poly we were all three very happily full and headed back to the Chicken Shack for baby bedtime. The staff had put out a comfy cot with her own soft blanket and child-friendly bubble bath – top treatment all round. After lights out, Mr Smith and I retreated to the sitting area in our bedroom to watch a film and polish off the wine. The beds were the most comfortable I’ve ever experienced, which made it all the harder to be repeatedly woken up by a very small person – suffice to say, I’ll be coming back without her some day to sleep for 12 hours straight, thank you very much. 

Now, I’m a huge hotel breakfast fan, and boy did the Pig not disappoint. They have a grazing table, homemade smoothies, freshly squeezed juices, house granola, and delectable hot dishes from the à la carte, all made using hyper-local ingredients of the highest quality. It was breakfast heaven here, and I was a little annoyed that I couldn't stay there all day; but we had booked ourselves in for hot-stone massages (one at a time so we could take it in turns to walk Smithlet round the kitchen gardens and give her a chance to talk to the resident chickens). After we were each pummelled into a blissful state in the amazing greenhouse-set treatment rooms, we rolled blinking back out into the winter sunshine and ended up napping happily alongside our Smithlet back in the Chicken Shack. 

We also spent some time exploring Arundel and the nearby countryside before returning to the bar for some moreish Hambleton English sparkling wine, charcuterie and some even more moreish little potatoes to snack on. We nearly ruined our dinner, but being the seasoned pros that we are, we managed to fit in a splendid shepherd's pie each as well. An excellent way to end the day.

We really didn’t want to leave this idyll – the Pig in the South Downs has a divine setting and it’s such a relaxed and beautifully conceived hotel. Even better, they were so caring towards our little one too – although, as appreciated as that was, when we do return, we’ll be leaving her behind and upgrading our stay with a few lie-ins.