The Swan at Southrop: this is as Cotswolds as it gets

The Swan has re-opened after a makeover, but has it kept its former charm? Suzannah Ramsdale heads to the village of Southrop to find out  
The Swan at Southrop

Remember those hazy, happy photos of Kate Moss and her showbiz pals posing, drinking and generally having a gay old time outside a pub ahead of her 2011 Cotswolds wedding? That pub was The Swan.

Sat in the heart of Southrop next to the village green is a 17th century stone building with wonky door frames and crawling with lush, green ivy vines. Usually surrounded by range rovers and vintage sports cars, this is where the good, great and gorgeous come to gossip over a glass of biodynamic wine.

Owned by Caryn and Jerry Hibbert, who also own the fabulous Thyme hotel across the road, The Swan is a family affair with son Charlie Hibbert taking the title of culinary director. Recently refurbished and re-opened (a project that was pulled off in just eight weeks), I was invited down to see what had changed...

Open log fires inside The Snug room

The setting

The Swan's location really is idyllic Cotswoldery at its very best. It's ridiculously pretty. During my visit, there were tables full of Americans and you can see why our chums from across the pond would enjoy this most English of country settings. Step inside and the pub is split into different sections: the Old Bar for drinks and snacks, The Snug for more intimate dining, and the lighter, airier Garden Room for casual good times.

Sticking to a mostly muted colour palette of grey and taupe, The Swan is all roaring open fire places, low wooden beams and sumptuous throws casually, but artfully, strewn across comfy sofas. On the evening I went for dinner, though, The Snug somehow seemed, well, not very snug. Lacking in cosy clutter; the large tables were naked, save for one tiny candle, there were no plants, or flowers; the walls, recently painted, felt bare; there were none of the trinkets or pleasing tat that one associates with old, country pubs. But, then again, this is a modern gastro pub for a modern crowd. I couldn't help but feel, though, that some of the pub's previous charm has been lost in the renovation. My last visit to The Swan was on a rainy April day in 2013 and I remember it being more rough around the edges but in an authentic local pub way.

(The Swan at Southrop)
The Swan at Southrop

The food

The goal in giving The Swan a makeover was to give it a more traditional village pub feel with a less formal style of cooking. The ever-changing, seasonal menu is a collaboration between culinary director Charlie and head chef Matt Wardman. With a heavy focus on locally sourced and homegrown produce (the nearby Thyme hotel has farmland and a year-round kitchen garden), the pair have created an interesting menu.

The meal started off strong with garden radishes, whipped ricotta, on soda bread drizzled with wild garlic dressing for me, and a fresh house smoked Bibury trout salad served with Jersey royals, dill and horseradish for my friend. Fresh and flavoursome.

For the the main course, we opted for pork loin (my pal) and lamb (me). The pork came with potato galette, spring greens, anchovies and rosemary and the rack of Southrop Manor lamb with spinach and braised beans. The dishes started off promisingly, but half way through the liberal use of salt left us both gasping for water.

It was all finished off with chocolate mousse and hazelnut biscuit for my plus one and meringue with rhubarb, lemon curd and ice cream for me. Good on paper, disappointing on the palette; neither of us finished our desserts.

Onto the booze. The Swan has an almost exclusively French wine list (a nod to Southrop's Norman heritage), about half of which are sustainable or biodynamic. We plumped for the Domaine Botheland, Brouilly from Beaujolais. At £55 for a bottle, it was the most expensive wine on the menu. A natural and very drinkable wine, which had us deliberating whether it was acceptable to order a second.

The beautiful 17th century building 
The Swan at Southrop

By day

For me, this is where The Swan really is worth the hype with its sun trap courtyard garden designed by Bunny Guinness. Duck egg blue tables and large white parasols sit in the centre of a leafage-lined stone wall, making for a peaceful place to while away the hours. There are also charming picnic benches on the village green for those who really want that quintessential Cotswold experience. A great spot for posh people-watching.

In the garden, there's a blackboard menu which serves more traditional pub grub. Think scotch eggs (£6.50), Welsh rarebit (£4) and burgers (£12.50).

The bar area
The Swan at Southrop

Verdict

The Swan's new look was unveiled at the end of April, 2018, so I'm putting the niggles I had about the place down to teething problems. The new interiors and new menu are both full of the best intentions - to create a local village pub serving local village ingredients - and the team behind The Swan really care; they're an active part of the local community and are passionate about what they do. The Swan will be great again. It's nearly there, it's so close; it just needs to be a bit more lived in.

Details

Starters are £6 - £9.50, mains from £14.50 to £21 and desserts range between £6 and £7. A meal for two, including a bottle of wine costs £100.

The Swan, Lechlade, Southrop, Gloucestershire GL7 3NU. Tel: 01367 850205. Visit thyme.co.uk/dining/the-swan-at-southrop.

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