food time - the pig at bridge place breakfast ♥

For today’s blog post I have decided to split my visit to The Pig at the Bridge Place in three separate posts. One post will focus on my experience staying at the hotel, the second post will be about the restaurant and today’s post is purely focusing on the breakfast menu. For my birthday surprise a few weeks ago, Ollie whisked us away to a hotel near Canterbury and after we returned, I had filmed and taken so many photos that it makes perfect sense to split them up so I can talk about my experience in more detail. So grab your nachos and iced tea because this will be a very chatty review.

We all know eating food is one of my favourite hobbies. I created the Food Time series on Fairytale Kiss so I could share my favourite restaurants and I adore taking food photos. It is a very serious addiction. Now before we dive into the breakfast menu at The Pig at Bridge Place, I always think it is important to get a back story so you can understand the overall vibe and what to expect from the menu. Ollie booked The Pig at Bridge Place for the Thursday and Friday for my birthday on May 24th, I only wanted to find out the day we were leaving because I love surprises. 

Well boy was I in for a big surprise. The first Pig hotel was opened in 2011 and there are now six different venues around the UK, including Canterbury, New Forest, Southampton, Somerset, Dorset, and Devon. The Pig at Bridge Place was actually opened a month ago so it is very new to The Pig family. A few of Ollie's work friends had visited one of the hotels and they had nothing but rave reviews about their stay. So why do The Pig hotels have such praise? The menu is actually very unique, every single item on the menu is sourced from their own kitchen garden or within a 25-mile radius.

Specialising in simplistic, British garden food, the menu is tailored for the seasons and what is actually available from their own garden area. When Ollie and I arrived at The Pig at Bridge Place, we actually explored the hotel land and the gardens were just incredible. From carrots to radishes, all of the fresh vegetables were growing in the back yard. Personally, it was an eye opening experience to see natural food grown and produced in the same location. It gives the menu a fresh and authentic vibe and you can really appreciate the care and thought behind each dish.

Now the breakfast menu can vary - you can either help yourself to a continental breakfast buffet for £12.00 or you can choose a particular breakfast dish for £16.00 as well. Of course I decided to pick the breakfast dish and buffet option - it would have been a crime to not try both options and when I made my way to the buffet section I could see why. I have had my fair share of breakfast buffet experiences but none have ever been this detailed or carefully planned out. Even The Ritz breakfast feels slightly half cooked compared to the impressive show and dance that The Pig breakfast served us as we arrived in the morning. From homemade gluten free banana bread to hard boiled eggs from their own chickens, the food was displayed perfectly and you were spoilt for choice.

I decided to order the Avocado on Folkestone Sourdough with crushed lemon and chilli, topped with a poached egg. This order seemed slightly too healthy for me so I asked the waitress whether I could order a side of hollandaise sauce. We all know that hollandaise sauce is my absolute favourite and I would quite happily spread this on everything - pizza, toast, cheese sticks...you name it. I’ve tried packet versions and I’ve even tried making my own but I can never recreate hollandaise sauce. When the tray arrived, I think Ollie saw hearts in my eyes.

The formula was thick and creamy and I couldn’t wait to cover my plate with it. I did my typical Instagram boomerang of cutting my poached egg open followed by Ollie’s typical comment of “no one wants to see a boomerang of your poached egg.” Well I certainly disagree, this food porn was too perfect not to document. I had a bowl of homemade banana bread to start and I devoured the poached eggs on toast. I can only describe my breakfast experience as fresh and bursting with flavour. It is completely different to eat somewhere that sources its own food and you can really taste the difference.

The atmosphere was very relaxed and friendly and the staff were incredibly helpful and attentive. At the time, the hotel had been open for just three weeks but you could easily see that the staff were incredibly happy to be there and to explain the unique ingredients and menu options. It certainly made a big difference to our stay at the hotel and breakfast was just the cherry on the cake. This is certainly one of the best breakfast experiences I have had, the menu is just out of this world and I am still dreaming of the perfectly whipped hollandaise sauce. I definitely recommend the breakfast menu and it is certainly a refreshing change to step out of your comfort zone when it comes to food. You can see the different hotel venues here ♥