country pub with rooms in the Cotswolds THE COUNTRY FILES Interior designer and hotelier Judy Hutson on her favourite Winchester spots

The country files

Interior designer and hotelier Judy Hutson on her Winchester stomping grounds and summer staycations

JUDY Hutson is credited with changing the face of 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 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 Garden and Beyond, filled with recipes, kitchen garden tips and interior inspiration for Pig fans.

■ 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 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.

■ 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 Pearl Lowe, the talented wildlife carver Stephen Henderson and the jeweller Tom McEwan.

■ 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 relaxed sharing style of entertaining that we enjoy; her latest book, Simply, has become much thumbed.

■ 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.

■ 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 is stocked at The Hambledon in the Cathedral Square, where I have shopped for the last 20 years.

■ 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 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.

■ 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.

■ 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. &

S (JUDY HUTSON) EMLI BENDIXEN;

PHOTOGRAPH

FEATURE JESSICA SALTER (WINCHESTER WATER MEADOWS) BRITPIX/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO

Winchester Water Meadows Judy at The Pig at Combe

Bird sculpture by Stephen Henderson

Mayfly Vintage

Bedroom at The Pig Harlyn Bay

The Bulldog Barns

FRESH & FRAGRANT

HERBS BRING COOKING TO LIFE THROUGH THEIR FLAVOUR, AROMA AND VERSATILITY – MARK DIACONO’S NEW BOOK EXPLORES ALL THEY HAVE TO OFFER

COOK’S NOTE Za’atar is a remarkable coming together of earthy/resinous cumin and oregano, with the sour brightness of sumac, salt and sesame seeds APPLE, QUARTERED CHARRED LITTLE GEMS, PANCETTA, SHISO ‘ZA’ATAR’

SERVES 4

2 little gem lettuces, quartered 4 tbsp olive oil 100g lardons or pancetta 2 tart apples 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 1 tbsp Dijon mustard (optional) 10 leaves shiso, thinly sliced if large 3 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted in a dry pan 2 tsp sumac Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

■ Heat a dry frying pan over a high heat and sear the two cut sides of the little gem quarters: you’re looking for quick charring while retaining crunch. ■ Remove from the frying pan and arrange on a platter. Add the oil to the pan and cook the lardons for about 5 minutes until golden and they have released their fat. ■ Meanwhile, thinly slice the apples (equatorially rather than polar), remove the seeds and scatter the slices over the lettuce. Take the pan off the heat and use a slotted spoon to lift the lardons on to the gems, keeping the oil in the pan. Stir the vinegar and mustard into the oil in the pan and drizzle over the salad. ■ Sprinkle the shiso, sesame seeds and sumac over the salad, and season generously with salt and pepper. →

FENNEL GRILLED RED MULLET WITH TOMATO AND FENNEL SALAD

SERVES 4

12 cherry tomatoes, halved 2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced 1 large shallot, thinly sliced 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked Juice of 1 lemon 4 red mullet, slashed a couple of times on each side 12 x 20cm (8in) stalks of fennel, with flowers if it’s summer Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

■ Preheat the oven to 190C/gas 5. Toss the tomatoes, sliced fennel and shallot in a roasting tin with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes until soft, then stir through the parsley and half the lemon juice. ■ Use a fish cage if barbecuing, or a tin to grill in the oven. Preheat the grill to medium/high if using. Rub a little olive oil into and over each fish and season with salt and pepper. ■ Lay the fennel stalks on either side of the fish, pushing a few inside. Grill or barbecue for 4-6 minutes on each side, turning once or twice until the fish is just cooked through. ■ Serve the fish with the salad, and the driest, coldest white wine or a proper cider. You could make this with sea bass, sardines or mackerel if you prefer.

COOK’S NOTE When it comes to steak: salt and pepper it before cooking; resting is beyond essential; and how you like it (rather than how someone says it should be done) is best STEAK AND CHIMICHURRI

SERVES 4

2 steaks, about 3-4cm thick Coarse salt and ground black pepper One batch of chimichurri (recipe below) Handful of chive flowers

■ Take the steaks out of the fridge about 2 hours before cooking to come up to room temperature. Pat dry. ■ Heat a frying pan over a medium-high heat until very, very hot. Season the steaks generously with salt and pepper and start cooking by pressing the fat edge on to the pan until browned. ■ Turn the steaks on to their side to sear, pressing down gently and turning every minute or so until both sides are deeply browned and they are done to your liking. Allow the steaks to rest somewhere warm for 10 minutes before slicing to serve. Dash with chimichurri, serve extra in a pot, and shower with chive flowers.

CHIMICHURRI

MAKES A MEDIUM JARFUL

4 tbsp red wine vinegar ½ tsp salt 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 small shallot, finely chopped ½ tsp chilli flakes, or more to taste 1 tsp good-quality dried oregano Small bunch of parsley, finely chopped 2 tbsp fresh oregano 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

■ Mix together the vinegar, salt, garlic and shallot and put to one side for 10 minutes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and allow the flavours to infuse for an hour before serving. →

COOK’S NOTE This is so very simple, yet full of flavours rubbing up against each other. It has a fair bit of South East Asia about it and I like it quite fierce on the chilli SPICY HERB AND NOODLE SALAD

SERVES 4

2 large garlic cloves, very finely chopped 1-3 Thai bird’s eye chillies, thinly sliced 1 large shallot, very thinly sliced 1 tbsp palm sugar (or use soft light brown sugar) 2 ripe tomatoes, seeds squeezed out and juice sieved out and reserved, flesh thinly sliced 1 tbsp fish sauce Juice of 1 large lime 2 tart apples, like Granny Smith Handful of cold/barely warm cooked rice noodles 1 little gem or soft round lettuce, washed and shredded Small bunch of basil (green, purple or Thai), leaves picked Small bunch of mint, leaves picked Small bunch of coriander, leaves picked 4 tbsp roasted cashews or peanuts, crushed to a powder

■ Mix together the garlic, chillies, shallot and sugar, then stir in the tomato water, fish sauce and lime juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings as you like and put to one side to infuse. ■ Slice or shred the apples with a peeler or cut them into matchsticks by hand, putting them straight into salted water. Drain the apple and put into a large bowl with the dressing, noodles, lettuce, sliced tomato and all the herbs. Top with the nut powder and serve immediately.

Extracted from HERB by Mark Diacono (£26, Quadrille).

SCALLOPS IN A SEA OF HERBS

SERVES 4

2 tbsp sunflower oil 12 scallops 200g mangetout 4 spring onions, sliced on the angle 8 radishes, sliced 2 lemons, 1 juiced, 1 quartered Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper A good half-handful each of: Green fennel leaves Coriander micros, or a few finely chopped coriander leaves Chive flowers, broken into florets Korean mint leaves, finely chopped, plus a few flowers

■ Place a frying pan over a high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Season the scallops on one side. Once the pan is hot, place the scallops in the pan seasoned side down, following the numbers on a clock face, starting at 1 o’clock. Season the side facing upwards. Sear the scallops until caramelized, about 2-3 minutes. Use a spoon to turn them over in the order they were placed in the pan. Cook for a further 1-2 minutes, taking care not to overcook them. Do this in batches if you have a small pan. Remove the scallops to a plate and wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper. ■ Add the rest of the oil to the pan and, once hot, stir-fry the mangetout, spring onions and the radishes for about a minute. Stir through the lemon juice and the herbs and return the scallops to the pan to regain a little heat. Season with salt and pepper and serve with lemon quarters. &