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The Swan Inn, Great Horwood is a little hidden
treasure just 10 minutes from Central Milton Keynes. This
establishment is very much an old fashioned, traditional English
pub serving simple, yet tasty food which is locally sourced and
cooked to order.
Décor
On entering the pub, the first thing to catch
your eye is the inglenook fireplace with carriage lights either
side. With low lying ceilings, beams, a mixture of fisherman
chairs and church pew style booths; this is a charming and cosy
pub. The restaurant is dimly lit, but there was a warm glow from
the crackling fire that burned away as we took our seats
Food
A basket of warm, fresh French bread with butter
was brought to our table and this was much enjoyed whilst we
surveyed the choices of food available to us. The menu at the
Swan is very simply presented with no fanciful descriptions of
the food. The starters include Homemade Soup, Prawn Cocktail,
Avocado with Crab and Smoked Salmon amongst others.
 My
guest quickly chose the Field Mushrooms with Goats Cheese
(£4.50) and I opted for the Pate & Toast (£4). My guest was
surprised at the size of his dish when his starter arrived. Two
large mushrooms covered in tasty, melted Goats Cheese did of
course form the centrepiece of the dish, but they were presented
on very large bed of mixed salad. The mushrooms were piping hot,
juicy and fresh, and despite the plate being left completely
empty, my guest did comment that this was almost too much for a
starter. We soon realised that anyone visiting the Swan would
struggle to leave feeling hungry! My own choice of pate was
delightful. Again, the portion was generous. You receive plenty
of toast, a side of mixed salad and a chutney that left the
taste buds itching for more. The pate is homemade, tasty, soft
and moreish.
The main courses contain many of your traditional
favourites including Liver Bacon and Onion, Beef Fillet, Fish
Pie (topped with mash potato) and Steak and Chips. My guest’s
choice of the Mixed Grill (£12.50) should only be ordered by
those who are very hungry indeed! With a steak (ordered medium),
fried egg, pork chop, breast of chicken, mushrooms, peas,
tomatoes and chips I refused to believe my guest could finish
this meal. They even had the cheek to moan that the only thing
missing was a sausage. The steak melted in their mouth, and
although the ratio of chips to peas was slightly out (far too
many peas), my normally vocal guest said nothing and wiped the
plate clean. The fat chips were perfectly cooked; crunchy, not
oily, full of tasty potato and I can confidently say these are
some of the better homemade chips you will find.
 As
my guest was enjoying their Mixed Grill I dived into my choice
of Lemon Chicken, a curry with small, tender chicken served on a
bed of boiled, soft, almost fluffy rice. The curry was very
thick and creamy with a powerful taste of lemon. This was
another large dish, and I was unable to finish it. As well as
being full, this was probably also due to the fact that there
was one overriding flavour to the dish and for myself at least,
there was only so much lemon I could take.
Somehow, after a short pause, we found room for
dessert. I tasted one of the best banoffee pies I’ve had for a
very long time and if you have any kind of sweet tooth, you will
simply love it! A ramekin arrived with a generous helping of
cream placed on a bed of thick toffee. The rest of the ramekin
was stacked with bananas on top of a thick biscuit base.
Amazing.
Quite how my guest found the room for his Lemon
Cheesecake is beyond me, but this was a beautifully presented
dessert; a deep cheesecake which was colourful, creamy and
refreshing.
Service
We were served by both the manager Catherine and
her assistant Lucy. Everything was done with the minimum of fuss
and we felt looked after for the duration of our stay.
Atmosphere
The Swan was relatively quiet although the games
bar next door was extremely busy with many orders being placed
for snacks and smaller dishes. The atmosphere comes through the
décor, with the fireplace and beams creating a warm and cosy
ambience.
In summary, the Swan is definitely the place to
go to sample simple, yet tasty homemade cooking. All the produce
is locally sourced and the food incredibly fresh and well
presented. |
