The country files I nt er ior de sig ner a nd hot el ier Judy Hut s on on her Winchester stomping g rounds and summer staycat ions JUDY Hutson is credited with changing the face of
relaxed sharing style of entertaining that we enjoy;
British country house hotels with her iconic, eclectic and rustic interiors at the litter of Pig hotels dotted around the south and southwest of the country. When she and hotelier husband Robin opened their first Pig hotel in Brockenhurst in 2011, they put individual room design and kitchen-garden food at the centre of their business, calling the concept ‘restaurants with
her latest book, Simply, has become much thumbed.
rooms’. There are now seven Pig hotels, with another on the way in the South Downs this summer, as well as a book, The Pig: Tales and Recipes from the Kitchen
I tend to live in jeans or leggings with a shirt and Superga trainers, of which I have countless colours. One of my favourite clothing brands is Ganni, which
Garden and Beyond, filled with recipes, kitchen garden tips and interior inspiration for Pig fans.
is stocked at The Hambledon in the Cathedral Square, where I have shopped for the last 20 years.
I was born in southwest Wolverhampton. When I was 14, my family moved to Bridge, a village just outside Canterbury, which is close to my heart (and where we have a Pig hotel). Apart from a few years
When I have the opportunity to go for a coffee in town, I love to sit in the Hoxton Bakehouse and have their delicious caffee latte. It’s great for people watching and their cinnamon bun is to die for. ■
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The secret to The Pig ‘look’ is including older pieces in a room; it helps give it an evolved look and is so intrinsic to our ethos. We buy our antiques and vintage pieces from lots of sources in the UK and abroad but
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working in Bermuda in the early 1980s, Robin and I have lived in Hampshire: first in the Lymington area and, since 1994, in the heart of Winchester.
locally Mayfly Vintage is a good source for lighting and other curios. James, the owner, has a good eye. The last things I bought for my house were a Le Creuset wok, which is a really practical piece of kit; a pair of unusual anatomy engravings dated around 1880 bought from the Michael Lewis Gallery in Bruton for about £60 each and a rustic pottery bowl that cost about £20 from a local potter in Kas, Turkey. It has a real handmade feel with good colour and tactile shape.
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I enjoy the fact that I live in the centre of a historic city but within five minutes I can walk from our house and be in the countryside, across the Water Meadows and up and down nearby hills. It is wonderful seeing weekly changes in nature; I can see why John Keats eulogised the Water Meadows in To Autumn. ■
When we eat out, we enjoy strolling through the cathedral grounds and city centre to our friend David Nicholson’s restaurant The Black Rat. We have a number of creative friends who we love to meet up with for dinner or drinks, including fashion designer
We have a lovely garden room at home, where I can look out with a cup of tea. Our son Ollie is the family gardener and for general gardening needs, Hillier Garden Centre in Winchester does a really good job.
Pearl Lowe, the talented wildlife carver Stephen Henderson and the jeweller Tom McEwan.
The demand for staycations in the UK was high last year, and we hope it will continue in 2021. We of course travel around The Pigs, but our go-to relaxed holiday is Hotel Villa Mahal in Kalkan, Turkey, where we have been going for some 20-plus years. I don’t think we have seen a cloud in the sky there in all that time. &
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We love cooking at home – we are big foodies and love entertaining when we can. I have used Sabrina Ghayour’s books a lot, which are perfect for the ■
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