White Swan, Littleoverback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Remember this pub in the 1970s/80s as being rather basic, if genuinely old. It has certainly moved up market a bit now, whilst retaining its local identity. This may partly be explained by being on a quiet street (though it is a bus route) away from the village centre.
As I said this used to be a spit and sawdust place, and you can still see the dark wooden panelling round the lower half of the walls. The upper half is pretty much covered in old local photographs (a common feature in Derby pubs). Some of these I’d seen before, but most were new to me.
There are two rooms, the front one of which is set up to cater for drinkers, and the rear one for diners. You can however, eat in the drinking area – as I did. The bar is directly behind the front door - though you have to make 2 sharp 90° turns to actually get there !
There were 6 beers on handpump. I was going to go for a beer from the local Littleover brewery, but then I noticed that next to it was the legendary Heritage brewery Offilers Best so I had to try that. [ Offilers was a large Derby brewery that closed in 1966 ] Unfortunately, it wasn’t particularly nice, but I suspect that was more to do with the nature of the beer itself, rather than anything the pub had control over. The other cask ales available were three from Greene King, and one from Blue Monkey. There was also the usual range of keg fonts on the bar – and I noticed they had their own White Swan Pilsner.
Foodwise, there was an extensive range of dishes on the menu, though some did seem a bit expensive. [ Starters from £3.25, jacket potatoes from £4.45, pub classics from £7.25, grills from £7.95, fish dishes from £7.95, salads from £7.45, burgers from 37.25, lite bites from £5.25, wraps / ciabattas, baguettes from £4.60 ] Since I was only moderately hungry, I went for one of the “lite bite” items – gammon and chips. When it arrived the portions turned out to be enormous ! It was all very nice as well, except there were some rather strange mushrooms. I will certainly eat here again.
One slight down point is that the front room contains two enormous big screen TVs, which were showing football. It would however, be possibleto avoid them – certainly by sitting in the dining area.
7/10 – a very welcoming local, I may revise the score upwards in future !
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Visited here yesterday lunchtime. Tucked down a narrow street, you could easily go down the main road without realising this pub was here. This is a pub that looks well looked after. There are two rooms, a small one at the front of the pub and a further, presumably larger room to the rear, both served by a central bar but only a doorway between the two, so can make it a bit difficult to see through and get noticed. There was only one member of staff serving so there was a short wait as she was serving on the other side. I went for a pint of Cherry Brook (Nutbrook Brewery) at 3.8% and I was ordering an older gent next to me at the bar said he could recommend that particular beer, which I thought to be encouraging (ignoring the fact he had just ordered a half of Pedigree).
After pouring my pint the lady serving then asked if I had any ID. Being 34 and married with kids, I didn't have anything on me except the credit cards in my wallet, she then started to go on that I didn't look old enough to be married with kids and that she thought I looked under 25. I accept I may look young for my age but not 10 years younger, so perhaps a trip to Specsavers is in order. Despite the lack of ID she handed over the pint anyway and proceeded to talk about me to a guy propping up the bar, which I thought was a little rude.
The pint itself was OK, though not remarkable, it was a strange red/orange colour, almost luminous, and a little bland with an occasional vinegary taste. I like to sample a local ale when I can, but would seem I may have made a poor choice on this occasion.
There was a list of ales on a chalk board behind the bar, which is always a nice touch as when a pub gets busy you can't always see all the pumps at the bar in order to make a selection.
Pub interior was nice, 7 tables in different styles in the front bar. Did not investigate the other room but I imagined that to be more of a dining area though I could be mistaken. A table near me ordered food and it looked and smelled pleasant.
I probably won't be rushing to call in again if I am in the area, due to the pint I had not tasting that great, and the barmaid being less than pleasant. A shame, as this pub had the potential to be a nice little hidden gem.
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I was not at all impressed when I last visited the White Swan just over six months ago. From memory the beer was just about OK, but not outstanding, and there was an alarming lack of other customers.
But the Swan seems to have since undergone a radical transformation. It has been mentioned in the Derby CAMRA news sheets and seeing the number of cars in the car park when I passed yesterday, I decided to try it again.
There was a beer festival taking place with 12 real ales available on handpump. I opted for the Joules Pale Ale which was superb, but more encouragingly, the pub was full of punters eating and drinking. Whoever is in I/C seems now seems to have a winning formula.
The slight downside was the lack of staff � OK, it may have been a temporary glitch, but there seemed to be only one lady serving beer and being the waitress. collecting glasses etc., etc,
The bottom line is that whoever is now running the White Swan is doing a very good job and deserves to be supported �
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Further to Swanie07's comments, Management has now changed, under lease to a previous Licensee - custom is picking up, food has also improved. Long live the Swan, and a big welcome back to BD!
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I started working in the swan about 4months ago now, unfortunatly since ive been there ive had 3 different managers so far. Its cahnged emmencley in the last 4 months. The decor has picked up but sadley the custom has gone down and id just like to say give it chance and if you have'nt been in there before give it a go. As they say things can only get better!
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Friendly local pub. Pub grub type menu, all meals under �5 but great quality, particularly the steaks. Very good quality real ales - always at least 5 on. Great landlord. Derby in Bloom winner on several occasions.
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Went to this pub last night for the first time even though I've been living nearby for ages. It was really pleasant. I had some of the nicest, cheapest and most generously proportioned pub food I've had in a long time with quick and friendly service. There was a warm atmosphere and although there was a football match on TV, it wasn't obtrusive in the back bar. Highly recommended.
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