The Swan Inn

The roast was one of the best I’ve had in ages. The meat was cooked just right, with crispy potatoes and plenty of lovely vegetables. Dessert was delicious too, and £20 for the roast and pudding felt like great value. Friendly staff and gorgeous Christmas decorations made it a lovely Sunday afternoon.

We stopped mid-afternoon while travelling through the area, and the food was much better than we expected. The barman greeted us and brought a menu, even though the large place was fairly quiet and we weren’t sure the kitchen was open. We ordered fish and chips and a beef burger with chips, then relaxed in the leather armchairs while it was prepared. Both meals looked great and tasted even better, and the price was good too. It’s a lovely period hotel in a handy spot just off the main route. I’ve saved it as a favourite and would gladly stop again for a meal. Thoroughly recommend it.

We travelled over 100 miles for the guest musicians on 27.04.24, and the music was the highlight of the evening. We were pleased at first to be seated near the band, but the concert was badly affected by people at both neighbouring tables. One table meant for three or four eventually had eight people talking loudly throughout the performance. One seemed to know the band and the others were clearly locals. The locals on the other side shouted to each other most of the time, apparently with no interest in the event, and left before the music finished. Normally I would have said something, but I held back because one of the group seemed connected to the band. The food was mediocre at best. My daughter’s lamb rump came with tasteless ratatouille and floury new potatoes with no flavour or seasoning. My mixed grill was seriously overcooked: I had specifically asked for rare steak, but it was medium at best, and the lamb was overcooked too. The gammon was a thick slab. The mushrooms were over-seasoned, while the tiny tomatoes added little. The chips and onion rings were a pleasant surprise. Dessert came about 70 minutes after the mains. The cheese plate was quite generous; the berry Eton mess was formulaic and okay, but unexciting. Service was slow and seemed understaffed, with one experienced waitress and barmaid and another member of staff who appeared very inexperienced. After a long wait to be shown to our table, I had to go to the bar for menus. Staff had to come back to confirm both our main and dessert orders. Clearing the table after the main took an hour, and although we asked for menus, we eventually had to go back to the bar for one. The venue needed at least one more staff member to run the event and serve food like this. The band was great, but rude locals and poor food let the evening down. The toilets were cleanish, though dated.

I stayed for three nights on a business trip, and the large car park was useful. The food was brilliant, and all the staff were fantastic, always willing to sort things out. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a stopover.