First Cup | Part 2: THE PIG

he day begins at first light on the grounds of THE PIG-at Combe. Against the backdrop of sunrise, only the soft call of birdsong breaks the silence before the quiet arrival of the first crew along the long, pebbled driveway. While guests rest inside the 350-year-old house nestled in Devon’s Otter Valley, the grounds and garden teams start their shifts.

Tucked away in the rolling countryside, The PIG-at Combe is part of a collection of boutique hotels renowned for their laid-back luxury, deep connection to the land, and genuine hospitality. Each PIG is rooted in its landscape, with a Kitchen Garden at its heart and a commitment to homegrown and local produce. The ethos is simple: what can’t be grown in the garden is sourced within a 25-mile radius, supporting local farmers, growers, and makers. This “plot to plate” philosophy shapes every dish, every detail, and every guest experience, celebrating the seasons, the soil, and the people who nurture both.

At THE PIG, the day begins with the quiet, purposeful work of the grounds and gardening teams. Their mornings follow a steady rhythm of tending, harvesting, and caring for the land and animals, forming the foundation for everything that happens across the site. Our film follows Nathan, Sophie, and Mark as they move through these early rituals: letting the chickens out and greeting their distinct personalities, feeding the pigs and sheep, collecting the harvest list curated by the chefs to reflect what is in season and at its best, gathering the day’s produce, and nurturing the plants at the heart of the kitchen garden. These moments, shaped by the landscape and the seasons, illustrate how deeply the team’s work is connected to the food that later appears on guests’ plates.

As the morning unfolds, the teams gather in the Folly for their first coffee of the day. It is one of the few moments when everyone pauses together, sharing observations from the grounds, stories about the animals, and reflections on how the previous night’s weather has influenced the day ahead. Steam from the espresso machine clouds the tall glass windows as hardworking hands take a brief pause before returning to their tasks. By this time, guests are beginning to wake and connect with the team, learning more about the produce grown just outside and experiencing the restorative calm of this place in nature. For the grounds and gardening teams, that first cup becomes a quiet anchor, an unspoken moment of grounding before the day opens up around them.