A foodie's guide to Autumn in the New Forest
Autumn’s gift for many comes in the form of deliciously rich and warming flavours; the season of harvest, it signifies a time of gratitude, nourishment and renewal. Many will sit down to feasts with the family and experience new and wonderful dishes thanks to nature’s seasonal offerings.
The New Forest is an abundant larder bursting with earthy mushrooms, rich game, chestnuts, pumpkins and squashes, so for foodies planning a break at our Hampshire hotel this autumn, here’s your guide to making the most from your time in our beautiful National Park.
Make it a dining break
First thing’s first, if you didn’t already know, our New Forest hotel has a wonderful dining break, inviting foodies to enjoy a feast for the senses and dining at our hotel restaurants. During your dining break you have the choice between The Terrace Restaurant, our elegant wood-panelled dining room, or Monty’s Inn, our relaxed country pub that warmly welcomes families and pets.
Our chefs ensure that every dish is a celebration of fresh produce and seasonality, taking greatest inspiration from the bounty of our Hampshire location, creating unforgettable flavours that honour the season and showcase the very best of our New Forest larder.
This autumn experience gin-cured Chalkstream trout with fennel, cucumber and a garden herb salad with ingredients hand-picked from our very own kitchen garden, or the comforting autumnal flavours of butternut squash ravioli paired with a cep mushroom cream sauce.
A dining break means you have the choice, of room for your stay, how you do breakfast – continental or hot, and where you’d like to dine for dinner, and in between, well… It’s time to explore!
Local produce and markets
Look out for and support New Forest Marque Producers – you’ll notice the blue and green New Forest Marque label, which guarantees local provenance.
At local markets you’ll recognise products, produce and fine ingredients from local towns and villages, from New Forest Cider based in Burley and Setley Ridge Vineyard near Brockenhurst, to mouth-watering delights from the Beaulieu Chocolate Studio based in our very own village to the delicious produce of the New Forest Smokery & Trout Farm.
Venison from New Forest estates and farms as well as wild game meats also become a highlight on menus across the National Park as we step into the autumn season, including venison, rabbit, duck and pheasant, all of which can be found in and around the New Forest.
New Forest Marque Autumn Market
‘Around 20 minutes from our Beaulieu hotel, come and meet a host of New Forest Marque members at our autumn market at Everton Nurseries on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th October, 10am – 4pm.’
The Winchester Farmers’ Market
A 40-minute drive will get you to the heart of the beautiful Cathedral city of Winchester, ‘with its many shops, museums and attractions, is one of the largest and liveliest in the country. Held on the second and last Sunday of each month, the Winchester Farmers’ Market features over 80 local producers selling top quality local products.’
Lymington Market
Just 15 minutes from our hotel, this lively market takes place every Saturday on Lymington High Street, its myriad stalls selling plants, food produce, craft items and more.
Foraging
Autumn is peak season for New Forest fungi; from the bright red fly agaric to the shaggy inkcaps, the New Forest’s woodlands are rich with fungi but we ask that you admire it but not pick, as many species are protected as one of the most important sites for fungi in Britain with over 2,700 different species calling the New Forest home.
The Forestry Commission have given companies such as Wild Food UK special permission to lead educational events, during which, the groups never pick in abundance but sparingly for identification purposes and for the meal at the end only.
Look out for their courses specialising in foraging and plant identification here
The Pannage
Autumn is the time of the Pannage, where pigs of the forest are released onto the land to eat the acorns, beechmasts, chestnuts and other nuts that are poisonous to the ponies.
The annual pannage tradition dates back to the time of William the Conqueror's, when it was proclaimed that the New Forest was a Royal Forest and so ‘the tradition began as the legal right granted to the commoners - one of six such ancient rights - to pasture swine in woodland.’ Although some don’t, traditionally the Pannage is the time to fatten the pigs, ready to eat during the winter. ‘You can buy pannage pork at some farm shops and butchers across the New Forest, including Hockey’s Farm Shop in Gorley, around 42-minutes from our hotel.’
Stay in and experience more
As the evenings draw in, guests enjoy sitting in our cosy lounge in front of the fire, sipping drinks that capture the essence of autumn, local ciders from pressed from New Forest apples or New Forest mead and craft ales – perfect for fireside catch ups at Monty’s Inn.
When you’re not planning where to sit down to lunch or exploring the miles of forest trails helping you to work up an appetite for the next dining experience, treat yourself to another wonderful hotel indulgence and tradition, the Afternoon Tea.
Bursting with sweet, comforting flavours, the scones are fresh from the oven and the finger sandwiches provide that savoury bite that pairs perfectly. A foodie favourite, the towering afternoon tea is one of those memory making experiences that ought to be shared, whether it’s a special occasion or simply a break away treat.
Whatever takes your fancy, foodies will love an autumnal couples break or family weekend in the New Forest; inviting you not just to sample some of the most wonderful local flavours but to learn about the ingredients, see it in our kitchen garden, visit the villages they’re grown in and become a part of the story.