Purbeck is Famous Five country. Their creator Enid Blyton often stayed in Studland, and this beautiful area retains the bucolic charm that Blyton saw when Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog set off on their first adventure in Five on Treasure Island in 1942. If the grown-up Famous Five were to reunite (sorry Timmy, no dogs allowed), The Pig on the Beach would remind them of those golden days while adding lashings of modern style. It’s a fabulous place for a celebration: sensational seaside location, heaps of locally sourced food, a ‘home grown’ cocktail menu replacing the ginger beer and a vibe so relaxed that we felt entirely comfortable sitting in the bar in changing robes after a sea swim drinking scrummy soup.

This mellow yellow building sits like a slightly Gothic sandcastle above the shoreline, overlooking the sparkling waters of Studland Bay. Once the holiday home of the Bankes family, who owned Corfe Castle and Kingston Lacy, it joined the litter of Robin Hutson’s Pig Group in June 2014 after an extensive ‘piggy’ refurb. Just as manners maketh the man, so friendly and knowledgeable staff maketh a great hotel. The staff were very attentive, and remembered that my partner Stu is vegan, so dining was an utter delight from breakfast through to supper.

The culinary magic for which Pig hotels are renowned comes, at Pig on the Beach, from an epicurean trinity of hyper-local sourcing: from their productive walled kitchen garden, greenhouse and polytunnels; from locally foraged; and from suppliers within a 25-miles radius. All this provenance is shared on their menus.

The walled garden at The Pig on the Beach in late September The walled garden at The Pig on the Beach in late September (Image: Helen Stiles) ‘The first port of call is our garden,’ says head chef James Shadbolt, who has been here from Day One. ‘Every week the head kitchen gardener Louise Scholl and I walk the gardens, greenhouse and polytunnels to see what’s ready now and what will be in a few weeks, so we can plan our menus.’

James also catches up with their forager Giuseppe. ‘At the moment he’s bringing us blackberries and mushrooms, but in Spring we have coastal stuff like marsh and rock samphire.’ Local suppliers complete the menu with fish, game and meat. ‘In summer over 95% of the menu comes from within 25 miles, and quite a lot is grown right here,’ James adds.

Some of the harvested squashes from the garden. Some of the harvested squashes from the garden. (Image: Helen Stiles) I could see this when I went for a wander around the kitchen garden with Louise Scholl. I was wowed by what they can grow in this mild microclimate: Chilean guava with its apple, strawberry and passion fruit flavoured berries; Szechuan peppertrees full of peppercorns; cucumber vines heavy with fruit, 14 varieties of tomato,13 varieties of mint, including Jessica’s Sweet Pear Mint (little chalked signs give details). Many of these herbal and botanical elements end up in their Home Grown Cocktail menu – such as the Gardener’s G & T with garden herb-infused gin, rhubarb, ginger and tonic. The windowsills in the restaurant are filled with terracotta pots of fragrant herbs to fondle. Produce that is not used fresh is pickled, dried, smoked or frozen to be used in the winter months.

The menus here are mightily impressive, sometimes changing twice a day depending on what’s come into the kitchen. Most of the meat is from Cedar Organics near Corfe Castle, James likes to buy a whole carcass for nose to tail eating. Locally landed fish from Poole and Weymouth day boats is usually served on the bone, like the brill with pickled chard which I enjoyed on our first night. Also worthy of mention in dispatches was a cracking Portland crab salad.

Stu's garden beetroot starter with yellow and red beets. Stu's garden beetroot starter with yellow and red beets. (Image: Helen Stiles) Stu enjoyed some stunning vegan dishes showcasing their homegrown veg including marinated garden beetroot salad, and a roasted onion squash dish. They grow 12 varieties of squash and pumpkin including one called Zombie! And their Victoria plum trifle would have had the Famous Five swooning.

Studland Beach is a mere five-minute stroll, which makes this Pig a great location for us dedicated sea swimmers. Under the waters of this sheltered shallow bay are meadows of seagrasses, home to spiny seahorses. The hotel is proud to support the work of the Studland Bay Marine Partnership to protect this rare habitat.

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We didn’t spot seahorses, but were consoled by a memorable meal after one lunchtime swim: steaming bowls of truffled celeriac soup, made with celeriac I saw growing in the garden the previous day, blended with local truffles from Sasha Dorey (The Truffle Huntress) and her Lagotto Romagnolo truffle hunting dogs. Utter heaven.

Room 16, which was our roost during our stay, was infused with all the usual PIG DNA – Bakelite switches, sumptuous fabrics in rich colours, soft lighting, ridiculously comfy bed, interesting artwork – Regency ladies enjoying a windy walk on the beach. ‘Judy Huston, Robin’s wife, oversees all our decor,’ explains the hotel director, Tara Crabb, ‘from colour palette and soft furnishing right down to finishing touches such as a lampshade or glass. The buildings are always quirky historic ones, which lends itself to her eclectic style.’ Each Pig reflects its unique location, so there is a sea theme at this hotel. A coat of arms above on the stairway - reputedly a prop from the film Pirates of the Caribbean.

The wood-fired oven in the grounds with views to Old Harry RocksThe wood-fired oven in the grounds with views to Old Harry Rocks (Image: Jake Eastman) There are 28 rooms of various shapes and sizes. For an extra special stay there are two former dovecotes in the garden. The Look Out (which has its own beach hut) and The Bothy, and shepherd’s huts - Harry’s Hut and The Pig Hut. The hotel’s two spa treatment rooms are also in luxurious shepherd’s huts.

The Pig on the Beach really jumps in high summer. The outdoor wood-fired oven serves hundreds of fresh pizzas for walk-in customers and guests. But visit after this, as we did at the end of September, and the sea is still warm, the beach is quiet, days are mellow, and the kitchen garden is bursting with produce. The Famous Five would adore this place, as do I. ENDS

thepighotel.com/on-the-beach