Welcome to Origin Barbecue on Sir George Meyrick's Hinton Admiral Estate, in the New Forest.
Founded by Chris Rowland aka @bignosebbq in 2024, our team combine more than 20 years' expertise in fire cooking, entertainment and hospitality.
Chris’s passion for cooking combines the vibrant flavours of his mother's homeland Lebanon, with immersive foodie trips to Texas, South America, Turkey, Scandinavia and Europe.
Our Origin fire chefs work with local farmers and suppliers to fuse the rich agricultural heritage of the New Forest with bold international flavours.
Chris Rowland aka @bignosebbq and a sirloin of organic steer, supplied by Crow Farm Shop
10 things to know about Origin Barbecue, to manage expectations and help you plan your visit...
1. LOCATION AND HOURS: We are at East Close Farm on the A35 next to The Retreat Hotel. There are two entrance gates, our customer entrance is the one closest to the Retreat (the first gate if travelling down the A35 from Southampton; the second gate if travelling up the A35 from Bournemouth.
As a small, seasonal business our opening hours vary. Each week we update our website footer and Google business profile with our hours. Some weekends we have to close due to other commitments. You're welcome to call, text or WhatsApp us to check we are open, on 07936420090.
2. COOKING METHODS: We cook on serious barbecues using real flame and smoke, over wood and charcoal; which takes careful management to ensure consistent cooking temperatures. Proper barbecue including low 'n' slow smoking is a craft, therefore takes time. This is not fast-food. We prepare your food fresh to order, we do not batch cook and hold. As such there are variable wait times due to our live fire cooking methods.
3. SERVICE STYLE: Our business model is informal eating, order at counter, collect food at counter. We serve barbecue street food in recyclable packaging or on trays, with wooden cutlery. If you wish to bring your own cutlery, please do.
4. DRINKS: We share the yard space with Drop The Anchor Brewery, who have a tap house featuring their award-winning craft ales. You can grab beer, wines and soft drinks on arrival from our friends there.
5. SEATING AND ENVIRONMENT: The yard is rustic, in an old farm, with wildlife including nesting birds. We are out in the open air and you'll be sitting on informal pub benches. Some are newer and some are older and rickety. There is a snug with limited indoor seating, and a barn with further benches and shade.
6. NO RESERVATIONS: We have no booking system due to our setup and shared space with another business. It is difficult to reserve benches, especially on peak days during summer holidays. Please rock up and find a spot. If you would like to join us for a special occasion, coming as a group of 10+, have special requirements or would like to check how busy we are, please call or text us on 07936420090 so we can do our utmost to help with seating.
7. BUSY DAYS: Some weekends, Drop The Anchor Brewery and Backroom Productions host events and private parties in the barn. On these days, there is amplified music, a lot of drinkers and as such, the yard can get very noisy. We are usually catering the food for such events so our fire cooks are very busy and under pressure. Wait times on such days can therefore be 60 minutes or more. We also sell out early if there's high demand. Please check our events page and social media for info on when such days are running. Consider visiting us on another day if you prefer a quieter experience.
8. QUIETER VISITS: On days where we do not have promoted events, these tend to be quieter days with shorter wait times. We have background music playing, just right for chill and chat over barbecue. Feel free to drop us a message or call if you're planning a visit. We will be happy to advise when it would be best to pop down, depending on the type of experience you're looking for.
9. KIDS & DOGS: We are a family business, as are the brewery! Our yard is kiddie friendly and good dogs are welcome! Please make sure dogs are sitting and not wandering around the yard or trying to enter our outdoor kitchen.
10. ACCESSIBILITY AND FACILITIES: The yard is wheelchair, bicycle and motorcycle accessible and we have free parking. There is a gravel carpark on entry into East Close Farm, with hardstanding around the back which is where to park motorcycles. There are two gender neutral toilets which are shared with and managed by the brewery. One is disabled-friendly. No baby change unit.
Chris with Jamie and Jo from Backroom Productions, fire chefs and artists.
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