The Swan is a real hidden gem, nestling as it does down a dead end road in the middle of nowhere. First opened as a pub in the sixteenth century, The Swan retains many of the traditional features that have been lost in so many other public houses. There is a roaring open fire, many unusual soft drinks including cloudy lemonade and ginger beer, and real ales brewed on the premises. In fact, there are no ales brewed anywhere other than the pubs own micro brewery! The ales mostly follow the Swan theme, there is Cygnet at 4.2%, Trumpeter Best at 4.0%, Fuggles Pale at 3.8% and a seasonal special, Christmas Ale at a head-swimming 8.4%! A couple of lagers, English ciders and Guinness are also available on draught and there is a fair wine list too.
We have eaten here a few times and generally find we need to book in advance, particularly at weekends and on bank holidays and today was no exception. We got the last table available and the place was already busy at quarter past twelve when we arrived. The menu is varied and interesting, with a fair amount of flair and seasonal flavours. There were half a dozen starters on offer, ranging from £6 to £8.50. It was a day for warming, hearty food so I started with bubble and squeak with wilted spinach and a poached egg (which was lovely, although the warm milk sauce was a little unnecessary).
A fairly short menu of main courses includes local pork, lamb, duck, brill, chicken and rib eye steak. Something for everyone (except vegetarians, apparently!). Dee chose a grilled double lamb chop in a mint jus, which came with rosemary carrots, red onions and mustard mashed potato. On paper, that's a great dish, but somehow it just failed to deliver. The mash was perfect, in my opinion at least, but the rest was lacking something. The carrots were just the raw side of al-denté, and the large chunks of red onion lacked finesse. Even the lamb was a little chewy and short of flavour.
My choice, however, showed what we already know the Swan is really capable of. I went for duck confit with rosemary roast potatoes, cabbage and pancetta in a port jus and it was fantastic. Just spot on. The meat fell from the bone, the potatoes were hot and tasty and the salty pancetta with the slight sweetness of the cabbage really worked well. A traditional dish cooked well and presented nicely, and at £13.50 for a pub lunch it wasn't cheap, but it was worth every penny.
There are half a dozen deserts available, grand marnier chocolate mousse and sticky toffee pudding to name but two, but we decided to head home to finish off the lemon torte in the fridge instead.
The pub looks out over West Peckham village green, from which there are several really nice country walks. On summer afternoons one can even sit outside the Swan with a pint and watch village cricket at its finest. Settle down with the mixed cheese ploughman's lunch and a pint of Cygnet and just unwind. Well worth taking the trouble to find, we won't be put off by one poor dish and will certainly be back.
"Vegetarian options" in pubs often seem to be a bit of an after-thought. Usually something dull like cheese and leek bake or tomato and cheese pasta. It's a shame because you can make some delicious vegetarian food, but a lot of pubs just seem to lack the imagination or the inclination to put in the effort.
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