Out & About June 2017

Brie and beetroot tart

Roast beef

Sticky toffee pudding

scoops £4.95. You can also get a tasting plate with three desserts for £8.25. The brulée was fantastic, the creamy filling and crunchy top ticking the brulée taste test. The sauce with the brownie was lip-smackingly good – it looked as though it was both milk and dark chocolate and it was so glossy you could almost see your greedy little face in it. The sticky toffee pudding was light and honeyed and superb. The lemon tart was as smooth as silk and the sorbets – mango and raspberry – gave us some welcome fruitiness to offset the richness of the rest. Like Edwardian ladies of days gone by, we thought: “A good constitutional round the garden will help,” as we groaned away from the table. The garden is another of The Swan Inn’s delights – festooned with fairy lights and with plenty of outdoor seating, this is a winner when the weather permits. The trickle of a stream running through it would be refreshing on a sultry day. We chatted to Mike and Karen in the cosy bar over coffee before we left and we looked at a lovely little thank you note sent from a young customer. It proved how well-loved The Swan Inn is – and how perfect for families. Karen explains that they are having fun coming up with the summer menus – Coronation chicken salad for example – and listening to what their customers want. There’s no doubt they are helping the Swan remember its heritage while crafting a new reputation. We will be back to keep following this exciting journey.

Crème brûlée

The Swan Inn, Newtown, Newbury RG20 9BH 01635 40313 www.swannewbury.co.uk

Pictures: Dijana Capan

Lemon tart

Sorbets

Brownie and chocolate sauce

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