Food - The Swan

When I walk into the Swan to try out its wintertime menu, I ask the lady behind the bar if it is still run by John, known throughout town as ‘John the Swan’. She says it is. Later on she asks me if I was one of the ones who used to underage drink in there. I’m 42 now, so that’s going back quite a way. I was. It was the first pub I used to frequent, aged 16-17, with my mates. We had a right laugh, and every time I go back there I get a good feeling.

We get there five minutes before the 1.50 kitchen closure. Call it anachronistic, but the Swan still closes after lunchtime, at three. As it is, there’s only one other customer, a chatty bloke, sitting in the public bar, reading the racing form. Another anachronism: the pub still has a ‘public bar’ and a ‘lounge’, just like all pre-war pubs used to. I get a pint of Harvey’s - the place is owned by the brewery - and a steak and ale pie, incorporating the local beer in its recipe. When it comes, I can’t believe the size of my portion - there’s a plentiful salad around the pie, and a bowl of chips, too. Enough to feed an average-sized nuclear family. The crust is delicious, not too soft, not too crumbly, and the meat is tasty. Strangely there’s cheese in there, too. Afterwards I’m in danger of falling asleep, I’m so sated. Closing time and a bracing walk up Rotten Row save my afternoon. AL