As we prepare to open our doors to the latest PIG in the litter, Will Parkes gives us a flavour of the delicious produce on our doorstep at THE PIG-in the Cotswolds, by sharing what’s on the menu at our first PIG pub across the road…
Since the Iron Age, the 110-mile Welsh Way has been used to connect south Wales and Oxford. By the 14th century, having been improved and extended by the Romans, it was mainly used by shepherds: the English recognised Welsh lamb as producing the tastiest shanks and the softest fleeces. But, in those days, it was approximately a week’s schlep, and so a number of watering holes began to emerge along the way – and among them was the sleepy village of Barnsley in the Cotswolds.
As the centuries went by, quaint as it was (and still is), Barnsley became renowned for its hospitality. By the 18th century, the village had a public house – The Greyhound Inn – famed for its good food and even better ales. That pub remains to this day as quintessentially English as a steaming plate of shepherd’s pie.
It had been on our founder, Robin’s, radar for years, and in summer 2024 it became THE PIG’s first pub. Heading up the kitchen here is Will Parkes, a Head Chef who is no stranger to THE PIG family.
Will joined THE PIG in the New Forest in 2017, spending two years there as a chef de partie, before heading off for a season making “Italian-influenced mountain food” at the legendary Portetta, in Courchevel. He came back to THE PIG with a cheffing role at THE PIG-at Bridge Place, and now he’s joined us for a new chapter in the Cotswolds, as Head Chef at both The Village Pub and THE PIG-in the Cotswolds.
As The Village Pub was the first to open its doors - what can we expect from the menu? “Traditional English, hearty pub food,” says Will from a kitchen he can now call his own. “It’s simple food, done well. I like to let the food do the talking.”
The menu is largely pub classics: bangers and mash, smoked gammon and pork scratchings, dishes that, according to Will, “can come across as simple, but behind the scenes a tremendous amount of work goes into them. It’s all in the execution.”
Take the fishcake, for example. Whereas most are 50% fish, bulked up with potato, Will’s are 95% fish. “People expect it to be really potatoey, but actually when you cut into it, it’s just big chunks of fish and loads of lemon, herbs and seasoning,” he says. “And where you’d usually have tartar sauce, we’re serving it with a classic butter sauce and some spinach – very traditional.”
Likewise, he’s cut no corners with the jugged beef. This carefully seasoned dish takes 24 hours to create, with a centuries-old English spice mix that uses juniper, black pepper and bay leaves. “A lot of time and effort goes into making that braising steak so tender,” says the chef, “but it’s definitely worth it.”
With the cheeseboard, Will has opted to keep things simple, showcasing both a single and double Gloucester. But he has introduced a curveball by adding Eccles cakes: “Bakery on the Water, which is nearby in Bourton-on-the-Water, is renowned for its Eccles cakes,” says Will. “I brought some samples in for our founder Robin Hutson recently and he absolutely loved them, so we just had to find a way to serve them. They go down a storm, and for us, it’s a nice, natural way to integrate into the local foodie community.”
In many ways, the menu is inspired by the pub itself, “very relaxed, very wholesome, very hearty”, as Will puts it. It is important to him that the food appeals to local regulars as much as to PIG guests.
And surely everyone is partial to a ploughman’s, especially one that features a whopping chunk of double Gloucester? “We serve it with loads of bread, homemade pickled onions and homemade piccalilli. No fuss, but very tasty.” That’s what the best pub food is like, after all.
Book your table at The Village Pub (or simply drop in for a pint!) and visit its big sister, THE PIG-in the Cotswolds, from Sunday 8th September 2024 to discover the delicious dishes on our newest 25 mile menu.
