This September selected PIG venues will be opening their garden gates for the National Garden Scheme, sharing how they work year-round to tend to and care for their working gardens and the seasonal changes that the gardens go through. You will explore their greenhouses and take a peek in their polytunnels and learn about the traditional practices that the Kitchen Gardeners and Chefs use to make the most out of their produce throughout the year.
Meander through the rolling Mendip Hills to THE PIG-near Bath for a day of digging deep into the veg beds in one of THE PIGs largest Kitchen Gardens and support the National Garden Scheme too.
As one of the earliest PIGs to open its doors in 2014, the widespan Kitchen Garden is home to its own buzzing beehives, some of THE PIGs largest fruit cages, a wildflower orchard, and a newly planted nuttery that will provide future ingredients for dishes on the 25-mile menu.
You’ll arrive to a warm PIG welcome with a hot drink before heading over to the walled Kitchen Garden, tucked away behind the Victorian greenhouse restaurant for your private tour with Head Kitchen Gardeners, Ollie Hutson and Zack Jones. You’ll get a thorough and detailed peek into the veg beds, explore what’s growing and ready to harvest, and get an insight into how the teams in the garden work hand-in-hand with the PIG chefs to create fresh, seasonal menus that can change up to twice daily. Ollie has been heading up THE PIG Kitchen Gardens since day one and will share insider stories of how the team came to plan the second ever Kitchen Garden here in the countryside and the native plants you’ll only be able to find in this patch in Somerset.
After a morning of exploring the garden, you’ll head to the outdoor Wood Oven restaurant overlooking the Deer Park for an Applemint non-alcoholic cocktail and lunch of wood oven-baked flatbreads, loaded with locally foraged toppings, and plentiful plates of fresh, hearty salads using homegrown goodies from the Kitchen Garden. While you tuck in, you’ll get to enjoy a light-hearted and engaging talk with Tom Radford – local wild food expert, forager and good friend of THE PIG. Tom will share insights into the local pickings available right on our doorstep here in the Mendip Hills.
This is a treat not to be missed!
These special events take place on Thursday 11 September and Friday 11 September – pre-booking is essential so don’t miss out.
For more info and to buy your tickets go to: findagarden.ngs.org.uk/garden/45507/the-pig-near-bath. For more information about The Pig near Bath, visit www.thepighotel.com/near-bath.
