Pig on the Beach

Brilliant local food all sourced within 25 miles of the Pig, Thomas & George in the bar and a very comfy bed.
So I am an expat now living and running and award winning small inn located in Woodstock Vermont so my standards and expectations are high, and this place delivered. So why not a 5 star… carry on reading.
I had been notified by some UK clients of my inn that the Pig chain was a happening place, so on my UK November road trip I spent a night here and had lunch and dinner. The staff are all youthful, perhaps the UK ones are a little ‘too home counties’ but they all seem to know their jobs and carry out their daily tasks with efficiency. Many of the staff are the real deal from France, and great they were too.
My room was comfy luxe, small but very comfortable with a good bathroom and deep bath. It was clean, fresh and the mini bar/​tv etc all did the job. An old Roberts radio, now kitted out for digital was a nice touch. I overlooked the gardens and Studland Bay. However for 189 quid I did find the ADDITIONAL requested 15 quid for a full English or 10 quid for a continental breakfast a little picky, thus I ate none. It seemed to me to be exceptionally tight fisted… hence my 4 star rating.
The lunch was to quote Michael Winner… HISTORIC! I dined on crispy veal tail, deviled sprats, south coast hake with chorizo, a bottle of South African wine all served by a attractive and delightful young french waitress, and whilst I don’t wish to appear sexist… I was in serious lust! However the condition was purely in my mind as I’m a middle aged fart who keeps these things to himself! A classic lunch of good ingredients prepared and cooked by a well organised kitchen… HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
So for dinner I spent the evening in the bar people watching… Thomas and George were a fine example of good bar staff, chatty in a cheeky sort of way and happy to serve. I was in luck it turned out, as usually they don’t have any real ales on tap, but left over from a weekend shindig was a small barrel of excellent local bitter… I managed to make a 4 pint indent into it! I also ate a few bar snacks, saddleback crackling (3 portions it was that good!) Hock eggs (delicious version of a scotch egg) potted trout and crispy cuttlefish… again all ¹⁰⁄₁₀.
George told me he was off to Courchevel 1650in 2 weeks to do the winter as head barman in their hotel in the village, having worked over there last winter, and Thomas I hope has been promoted and filled his shoes in Studland as head bar person… he was more than capable.
So all in all the place deserves its growing reputation and seemed to be totally full on a November wednesday evening, the restaurant was packed for lunch and dinner, SO DO PRE-​BOOK. This fact was made all the more surprising as the Studland ferry was not operating as it was out of service for maintenance for 6 weeks… so folks from Poole/​Bournemouth had to make an additional 20 mile round trip.