Review of The Swan Inn, South Wootton: Decent value for enjoyable food, friendly and pleasant staff and a warm and cosy setting
If everything had worked out how I’d hoped it would last year, The Swan Inn on South Wooton’s Nursery Lane would now be my local.
My wife and I had an offer accepted on a lovely house in the village and were excited to be moving home - before complications arose and the sale fell through.
And although I’m still sticking pins into effigies of our ‘buyers’, there’s no need to take it out on this fine country pub and a visit was long overdue.
I used to visit quite regularly in the late 1980s as a greyhound track clerk for local bookmaker Alan Hayward. We would often visit ‘The Mucky Duck’ for last orders after an evening at Swaffham or Bury St Edmunds dog tracks.
My mum Jenny and her partner Keith also live just down the road in Gaywood so it was an ideal opportunity to meet up while I was off work for a few days.
My first impressions of the two bar areas were that The Swan hasn’t changed much over the years, still maintaining a proper pub feel while also being warm and welcoming, and the two serving staff were polite and attentive from the start.
But when we were shown into the dining area, I was pleasantly taken by surprise. I’m sure the lovely, spacious glass-walled restaurant hadn’t been there back in my youth… although perhaps I was more interested in lager than food in those days.
We decided to go straight for main courses and hopefully leave room for dessert, although for starters we would have had the choice of soup, whitebait, fritters, duck spring rolls or cheese and chilli bites, all priced at £6.95. They also serve sandwiches, wraps, light bites, burgers and children’s meals as well as Sunday lunches for £15.95 (kids £8.95).
For his main Keith chose the local pork Cumberland sausage ring, served over mashed potato, broccoli and onion gravy (£15.95), with a vegetarian sausage option also available. Mum plumped for Whitby scampi served with hand-cut chips, garden peas and tartare sauce (£13.95), while I went for vegan lasagne which was served with a salad garnish (£14.95).
To wash it down, Keith and I both enjoyed two pints of Cruzcampo lager (£5.95 each) and mum had a half pint of Carling (£2.60) followed by tap water.
Roast pork, cod or sea bass, steak, chilli (both beef and vegetable), chicken, pasta and salad dishes were also available from the regular menu as well as four specials on the blackboard, with mains ranging in price from £13.95 to £21.95 for the sirloin steak.
Both mum and Keith found their main courses filling, Keith saying the Cumberland sausage was particularly tasty and mum even giving me several of her chips.
My vegan lasagne dish was rich and tasty too, with a well-dressed fresh salad. My only slight gripe would be that there was no alternative such as chips or more salad offered in the absence of the (non-vegan) garlic bread even though the beef, vegetable and vegan dishes were all priced the same.
We decided we did have room for desserts and these were advertised on the blackboard, with mum picking blackberry and apple crumble with custard and Keith having the trio of cheese, biscuits and apple cider chutney - although he went for just cheddar. I had the house sorbet served with seasonal fruit, with all dishes priced at £5.95.
My fruit and sorbet was light and refreshing, and Keith was pleased that there were plenty of biscuits to match the generous cheese portions and a plentiful pot of very tasty fruity pickle. Mum said the crumble was lovely and, again, a sizeable portion. Also on the dessert menu was a chocolate brownie, honeycomb sundae and cheesecake, all £5.95.
All-in-all, the food came to £62.70 and the drinks £26.40 so £89.10 in total. We thought that was decent value for enjoyable food, friendly and pleasant staff and a warm and cosy setting.
Ratings out of five:
Food: We were all impressed with the taste and presentation of our meals. ****
Drink: It was lager and water for us but there was a decent range on offer at the bar. ***
Decor: The mix of the traditional country pub in the bars and the modern and airy restaurant contrasted well. ****
Staff: Very polite, friendly and helpful throughout. ****
Price: Nowhere is cheap these days and for the fresh food, lovely surroundings and great staff, we thought the total bill was reasonable. ***