Swan Inn, Birlingham

So we were going to be passing thru the area so I checked beerintheevening for rated pubs in the area and saw the Swan had a high score. We arrived about 1230 in early February (about 2 C outside) and were lucky enough to get a table for lunch. Most of the other tables were already occupied - a good sign.

The inside of the pub was warm and clean, with a modern feel in a lovely old thatch-roofed building. First choice was the drinks and there was a good selection available - I wnet with Mad Goose.

The staff were friendly and a good variety of food including a separate specials board with half-a-dozen or so fish dishes. It all looked tasty but we decided on bangers and mash, steak sandwich and chicken pate. The kids were also well catered with a selection of kids size options of your standard fare: burger or fish fingers or nuggets with chips and salad.

The food came quickly and was tasty and well presented. All in all we agreed the Swan Inn had been a good find and the ideal place for lunch on a cold winters day.

Plus as a rough guide I reckon you can judge a lot about a place by the cleanliness of the loos. The gents loos at the Swan were clean and tidy and relatively new so all good.

I got chatting to the publican who told me he had bought the pub about 6 months ago, made a few upgrades, and was now making a go of it. He certainly seems to be doing a much better job than a lot of other pubs we've been to over the years. I can't wait to find an excuse to get back down that way in summer so we can enjoy a drink in the beer garden out the back.

7 Feb 2015 23:10