We firmly believe that the very best way to enjoy an exceptional bottle of the good stuff is with the simplest and humblest of foods – the kind of no-nonsense, guilty pleasures you reach for when you’re at home at the weekend with your feet up in front of the TV.
You don’t have to think about the food too much and you can concentrate (and fully appreciate) what’s in your glass, without the flavours from the food battling against it. So, here’s our very own PIG approved ‘simple food/amazing drinks’ combos…
Bollinger with… pork crackling
The humble, classic British bar snack goes hand in hand with this elegant, complex champagne. Both are firm favourites on our menus for good reason.
Bollinger has always been a staple across THE PIGs – a fellow B Corp with champagne that’s deeply aromatic with ripe fruits and biscuity toasted brioche (and that’s even before you taste it). Once you sip, you get flavours of poached pear and apple which makes it incredibly refreshing, and the perfect partner for our PIG pork crackling.
Crackling has some lovely smokiness to it which, although is very moreish, isn’t cancelled out by the acidity of the champagne. All the while, the acidity of the Bollinger cuts straight through the salty, fatty goodness of the crackling. It’s a marriage that’s made to last.
Shiraz with… cheese on toast
Everyone knows that a glass of something red goes nicely with cheese, so this suggestion isn’t exactly groundbreaking (mind you, there are plenty of white wines that deal with cheese equally well).
For this combo, however, it really has to be red. By the time you’ve grilled a flavoursome cheese like Lyburn’s Old Winchester and sloshed a load of Worcestershire sauce over it, you’re going to need something spicy and robust, so Shiraz is always going to be a perfect contender.
Manzanilla with… a bacon sandwich
Today’s bargain in the wine world, in our opinion, is sherry. While it might be a little out of fashion these days, apart from among ardent foodies, it’s a brilliant product created with much tradition and care.
Manzanilla is famous for its saltiness, apparently on account of it being produced and matured next to the sea in Sanlúcar de Barrameda near Jerez in southern Spain. It’s a far cry from the creamy sweet stuff favoured by grannies all over the world!
Pretty much all sherries are a complete bargain – but don’t do what grannies do and put it into a decanter at Christmas and leave it half-drunk until Easter. It goes off, just like wine.
Smoky bacon and ice-cold Manzanilla is a complete winner: a real ‘after-party’ bacon sandwich.
Whether you head to our place to graze on platters of hearty Piggy Bits, dive straight into dessert, or dine ‘feasting style’ with many mains on the go, our bar teams and Sommeliers are always on hand to recommend, surprise and delight with some old favourites and new friends to wash your favourites down with.
Book a table at your favourite PIG and discover a new imperfect pairing in a comfy armchair in front of the fire… where all the best things truly come together!
