The venue is a delightful timber framed historic building, staff are very polite. However, we booked what was titled online as a 'Traditional' Afternoon Tea. We should, however, have read on: the only offering is a themed novelty American tea, to complement a new TV series on US fliers in WW2. A tradition is something done long ago, still done today. The tea on offer was offered from 1942 - 45 and not since, in my view for a reason. Some may find the sickly and over-sweet concoctions to their taste; I'm afraid we left to seek tea elsewhere.
Angela Bowes
Reading all the great reviews we were excited to eat at this restaurant. On arrival we were seated in a strange annex with tables very far apart, it was a odd set up. We waited 15 minutes for someone to take our drinks order. Then a further 40-50 minutes for our mains. Not once did the waiter come over and explain the delay or check on us. Food was OK but took too long. We were forced to leave without dessert as it would have taken too long. I complained to the manager/staff as we left and they looked at me as if I was silly making the excuse that they were very busy rather than apologizing. Some of the worst customer service I have seen here in the UK. I would not support such an establishment again.
royboyengland
what a lovely hotel to stay ,food really good ,lots of places to sit and have tea or a drink.Our bedroom lovely and warm beds very comfortable tea /coffee everything you would need and the staff very pleasant and helpful ,will most certainly stay again
Cymru63
Booked to stay at The Swan on their 'Dinner on Us' package. The dinner reservation was confirmed beforehand, and we had an excellent meal. We both had the Spiced Parsnip Soup, and then a vegetarian aubergine dish for her, and whole plaice for me - all served really hot, and really fresh, by our lovely server, Georgia. The dessert - a fig tart tatin with candied walnuts and blue cheese, was superb! A pianist in the Gallery tinkling away added greatly to the ambiance, with perfectly judged tunes for the clientele. It was a very enjoyable, and relaxing meal, and beautifully delivered.
Steve777777TA
We were really looking forward to this afternoon tea - we had had the same back in 2019 and that experience made us determined to return. Well - what a let down!. Venue is atmospheric and pleasant inside as always and well heated for winter....but after being seated the service to take the order was quite slow - not an issue I thought as the food would be worth the wait.. I chose the savory tea & my wife the sweet one - a reversal of our normal position but my wife wasn't keen on any of the savory choices. Teas were brought in reasonable time inc our coffee choice in cafetiere. Coffee was completely without taste - has been made with scalding water and tasted the same - disappointing as this is a basic error. However the main issue was the savory "Tea" dainty sandwiches, but average in look, looked hurriedly prepared (bread itself was fine) - but one was Spam - and another corned beef - really ??. for this price ?? Spam was just I remembered it as a child in my school in 1970s - salty, bright pink and putrid. Corned beef no better, there was a "Sausage" in salty batter, again school dinners quality. Cheese scone OK, but other scone had bits of salty ham and prune- weird texture - not nice. Used whipped butter as its a throw back to war theme - again just looks cheap. Macaroons for sweet were dainty but quite hard and overdone with Day-Glo colours al la kids party food. Jams offered were Wilkin - great but all the same strawberry variety. Young waitress who settled the bill was friendly and professional and seemed genuinely interested in our feedback which she requested - apparently this themed Tea is a new thing - don't bother - keep things simple and cut out the gimmicks! We will always pay a premium for premium well served and prepared food - sadly we wont be returning any time soon.
stephaniepower1
A good choice of food, generous portions served on hot plates (in so many places the plates are cold!), served by friendly staff.
P W
A big thank you to all the staff at the Swan for making afternoon tea with friends so special - from the lady who took our booking, to the chef who catered for special dietary requirements, to the lovely staff in the restaurant who cared for us to well, the team couldn't have been nicer. The food was delicious too!
Sarah B
We loved the food. Only disappointment was that the plaice - our first choice - was not on for some reason. However we loved the alternatives of Stone Bass (my husband) and Quail for me. Desserts were also excellent
Avawillson
Perhaps it is wise to book and eat earlier at this restaurant for a better experience. Our booking was not late, 7:45pm but our main course arrived nearer to 9pm and was part cold, part reheated and overdone. I believe the restaurant stops serving at 9pm and it rather felt as if we were forgotten as deserts were served, tables were being cleared and bills paid. As a special occasion during the Christmas period it was a bit flat.
Paul E
Food was good on the whole but the service was lack lustre. They did not do anything special for my wife's birthday even though I had alerted them to the fact at the time of booking. Atmosphere in the restaurant was flat - why open two restaurants next to each other and both not full? Altogether not the experience I was expecting from an establishment which is usually quite accomplished.
Loved visiting the Swan restaurant with friends, who drove all the way from London. We all had a great time, food was great, and Mark, our server, was brilliant. Thank you!
mrchris25
We have both stayed at and dined here and had intended to do so again today but on entering were confronted by piped music, Slade singing "Here it is Merry Christmas". What an awful, cheap shattering of what used to a delightful, cosy old world ambience, whuch used to be especially appreciated on a winter's day with the log fire burning; it wasn't like this when we last stayed here and we were astonished at how completely the present management could possibly think that piped music is just what is needed in this unique location. So, no more visits for us, either to stay or to dine.
Michael Trayhurn
If you want to pay £45 for a meal that is barely worth £20 then I cannot reccomend the gallery enough. Having to chose your food before hand and it all clearly being prepared before hand. Dry meat. Burnt sausages. Forgotten items. Average food at best. The building is pretty nice though.
J8093FTpamela
A delightful place to have lunch or afternoon tea. The staff were very attentive and polite. I have been many times before and would recommend this venue.
shazzareviews
Whilst the restaurant setting and staff were amazing, the gluten free afternoon tea was disappointing. The bread fell apart on eating and 2 of the cakes were inedible. The scones however, were lovely. The normal afternoon teas were apparently very good and the pianist was brilliant.
The venue is a delightful timber framed historic building, staff are very polite. However, we booked what was titled online as a 'Traditional' Afternoon Tea. We should, however, have read on: the only offering is a themed novelty American tea, to complement a new TV series on US fliers in WW2. A tradition is something done long ago, still done today. The tea on offer was offered from 1942 - 45 and not since, in my view for a reason. Some may find the sickly and over-sweet concoctions to their taste; I'm afraid we left to seek tea elsewhere.
Reading all the great reviews we were excited to eat at this restaurant. On arrival we were seated in a strange annex with tables very far apart, it was a odd set up. We waited 15 minutes for someone to take our drinks order. Then a further 40-50 minutes for our mains. Not once did the waiter come over and explain the delay or check on us. Food was OK but took too long. We were forced to leave without dessert as it would have taken too long. I complained to the manager/staff as we left and they looked at me as if I was silly making the excuse that they were very busy rather than apologizing. Some of the worst customer service I have seen here in the UK. I would not support such an establishment again.
what a lovely hotel to stay ,food really good ,lots of places to sit and have tea or a drink.Our bedroom lovely and warm beds very comfortable tea /coffee everything you would need and the staff very pleasant and helpful ,will most certainly stay again
Booked to stay at The Swan on their 'Dinner on Us' package. The dinner reservation was confirmed beforehand, and we had an excellent meal. We both had the Spiced Parsnip Soup, and then a vegetarian aubergine dish for her, and whole plaice for me - all served really hot, and really fresh, by our lovely server, Georgia. The dessert - a fig tart tatin with candied walnuts and blue cheese, was superb! A pianist in the Gallery tinkling away added greatly to the ambiance, with perfectly judged tunes for the clientele. It was a very enjoyable, and relaxing meal, and beautifully delivered.
We were really looking forward to this afternoon tea - we had had the same back in 2019 and that experience made us determined to return. Well - what a let down!. Venue is atmospheric and pleasant inside as always and well heated for winter....but after being seated the service to take the order was quite slow - not an issue I thought as the food would be worth the wait.. I chose the savory tea & my wife the sweet one - a reversal of our normal position but my wife wasn't keen on any of the savory choices. Teas were brought in reasonable time inc our coffee choice in cafetiere. Coffee was completely without taste - has been made with scalding water and tasted the same - disappointing as this is a basic error. However the main issue was the savory "Tea" dainty sandwiches, but average in look, looked hurriedly prepared (bread itself was fine) - but one was Spam - and another corned beef - really ??. for this price ?? Spam was just I remembered it as a child in my school in 1970s - salty, bright pink and putrid. Corned beef no better, there was a "Sausage" in salty batter, again school dinners quality. Cheese scone OK, but other scone had bits of salty ham and prune- weird texture - not nice. Used whipped butter as its a throw back to war theme - again just looks cheap. Macaroons for sweet were dainty but quite hard and overdone with Day-Glo colours al la kids party food. Jams offered were Wilkin - great but all the same strawberry variety. Young waitress who settled the bill was friendly and professional and seemed genuinely interested in our feedback which she requested - apparently this themed Tea is a new thing - don't bother - keep things simple and cut out the gimmicks! We will always pay a premium for premium well served and prepared food - sadly we wont be returning any time soon.
A good choice of food, generous portions served on hot plates (in so many places the plates are cold!), served by friendly staff.
A big thank you to all the staff at the Swan for making afternoon tea with friends so special - from the lady who took our booking, to the chef who catered for special dietary requirements, to the lovely staff in the restaurant who cared for us to well, the team couldn't have been nicer. The food was delicious too!
We loved the food. Only disappointment was that the plaice - our first choice - was not on for some reason. However we loved the alternatives of Stone Bass (my husband) and Quail for me. Desserts were also excellent
Perhaps it is wise to book and eat earlier at this restaurant for a better experience. Our booking was not late, 7:45pm but our main course arrived nearer to 9pm and was part cold, part reheated and overdone. I believe the restaurant stops serving at 9pm and it rather felt as if we were forgotten as deserts were served, tables were being cleared and bills paid. As a special occasion during the Christmas period it was a bit flat.
Food was good on the whole but the service was lack lustre. They did not do anything special for my wife's birthday even though I had alerted them to the fact at the time of booking. Atmosphere in the restaurant was flat - why open two restaurants next to each other and both not full? Altogether not the experience I was expecting from an establishment which is usually quite accomplished.
Restaurantji Recommends
Loved visiting the Swan restaurant with friends, who drove all the way from London. We all had a great time, food was great, and Mark, our server, was brilliant. Thank you!
We have both stayed at and dined here and had intended to do so again today but on entering were confronted by piped music, Slade singing "Here it is Merry Christmas". What an awful, cheap shattering of what used to a delightful, cosy old world ambience, whuch used to be especially appreciated on a winter's day with the log fire burning; it wasn't like this when we last stayed here and we were astonished at how completely the present management could possibly think that piped music is just what is needed in this unique location. So, no more visits for us, either to stay or to dine.
If you want to pay £45 for a meal that is barely worth £20 then I cannot reccomend the gallery enough. Having to chose your food before hand and it all clearly being prepared before hand. Dry meat. Burnt sausages. Forgotten items. Average food at best. The building is pretty nice though.
A delightful place to have lunch or afternoon tea. The staff were very attentive and polite. I have been many times before and would recommend this venue.
Whilst the restaurant setting and staff were amazing, the gluten free afternoon tea was disappointing. The bread fell apart on eating and 2 of the cakes were inedible. The scones however, were lovely. The normal afternoon teas were apparently very good and the pianist was brilliant.