The Pig and Apple
For months I nagged my Mother in Law to go to my favourite restaurant. She eventually did and loved it. In return, she has been persisting with the notion of me heading to The Pig and Apple - a place she regularly visits. It’s the least I could do considering the first time we met, I consumed a bottle of Buckfast at her house and a scene straight out of Eastenders unfolded in the kitchen.
Burger joints seem to be popping up anywhere and everywhere these days, but a farm owned by TV presenter Kate Humble on the outskirts of Monmouth isn’t a place I’d expect to find the latest big hitting restaurant in the burger scene.
The Pig and Apple have gathered a cult following since opening their doors at Upper Meend Farm, on the 16th of April 2019. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been recommended to visit here by folks in Abergavenny.
The restaurant is run by Jake and Jess, the couple who risked it all when they left their comfortable chefs jobs, deciding that they wanted to run their own place. The venture originally started as a cafe, with the addition of burger nights. Due to the pandemic, they changed ways of working and became an exclusive burger restaurant: “Probably the best thing we’ve ever done.”
It’s quite literally in the middle of nowhere. You pull into a gravel car park and walk along a winding path, past some horse stables, until you eventually stumble across the restaurant. I felt like I was trespassing.
Upon opening the restaurant doors you are catapulted from a dark and chilly Autumn evening, into a warm, welcoming, and bustling space.
A packed restaurant is usually a good sign, especially when said restaurant is in such an obscure location. Every seat and table in the 40 covers space was taken upon arrival at 19:45 (I took pics when everyone had cleared out later on).
This came as no surprise - I was fully aware that you have more chance of booking a table here several weeks in advance, than you are to locate a Horcrux.
They are capable of running 2 sittings a night, and also accommodate for 20 take aways. That’s 100 covers every evening.
The burgers on offer contain locally sourced ingredients, something that is important to Jake and Jess: meat from Neil Powell butchers, bread from Wigmores bakery, vegetables and cheese provided by Evans of Monmouth.
‘The Pig and Apple’ burger is a simple combination of a beef patty, wedged between a semi-brioche roll, cheese, bacon, and apple chutney. I prefer my burgers this way to the American style - if I were to venture to Hereford, I’d be heading to The Burger Shop before The Beefy Boys for that very reason.
It’s a good burger, but it’s a little too heavy on the apple chutney. Lathered on both the top and bottom of the toasted bun, the sweetness washed away the meat and the saltiness of the bacon.
Millie went for the ‘Baby Blue’: beef, blue cheese, bacon, blue cheese mayo, chilli jam, and gherkins. She had a whale of a time tucking into this, I had a bite and it was terrific - funky blue cheese, sweet and spicy chilli jam.
The hot honey buffalo bites were a work of art. Crisp buttermilk fried chicken tenders coated in a hot honey buffalo sauce, and a pot of blue cheese mayo to dunk them into.
A side of cheese and bacon fries contained a plentiful amount of cheese sauce and a generous sprinkle of bacon and chives.
I can see why this place has become so popular with the residents in Monmouthshire and surrounding areas, there is nothing else quite like it.
I recommend to all reading that you should give them a visit, but make sure you plan with plenty of notice!