Cotswold pub, The Swan at Southrop, has a brand-new look having reopened after a significant refurbishment.
Charlie and Milly Hibbert, the brother and sister team behind sister venue Thyme, have given the popular Cotswold pub a new lease of life, with a glamorous interior and a new menu.
With a variety of drinking and dining spaces – including a snug for intimate private dining and a walled garden with pop-up bar for alfresco feasts, when the weather gets warmer – visitors can enjoy bar nibbles, an à la carte lunch and dinner menu, as well as classic Sunday roasts. With local brands including DEYA beer featuring on the drinks menu, too!
Describing its food offering as 'land-to-mouth cuisine' which runs 'in tandem with the seasons', the kitchen uses seasonal produce from Thyme’s farm, vegetable gardens and orchards. Sustainability is high on the agenda, too, with its team working towards becoming a 'no-waste kitchen'.
Dishes on the opening menu include Welsh rarebit; pumpkin soup; roast sirloin, horseradish and pickled walnut sandwich; twice-baked cheese soufflé; meaty and vegan burgers; beer battered cod and chips; Jerusalem artichoke risotto; pork belly with smoked mash, cabbage, chestnut and mustard; and according to chef director Charlie Hibbert 'always a pie'.
Desserts include classics like sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream, apple crumble and custard, as well as chocolate fondant with praline ice cream.
Sunday roasts are comprised of a rib of beef, pork loin or veggie option, with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables, greens and gravy. The menu also features a special section for homemade bread, as a tribute to The Swan's roots as a bakehouse back in 1606.
The interior design features colourful botanical prints hand-drawn by the Hibbert's mum and Thyme creative director, Caryn; mix and match chairs and tables; combined with the pub's beautiful traditional beamed ceilings and roaring log fires. The walls are adorned with specially curated artworks, while the ceramics, including plates, jugs, tankards and mugs, have been commissioned especially for The Swan.
General manager, Milly Hibbert, said: 'Charlie and I are thrilled to be bringing The Swan back. It’s been a long time coming after what has been a rollercoaster time for our industry. The pub has been at the heart of Thyme’s evolution since we bought it – first as our only place to dine when we opened the cookery school, and now as a stable mate to our Ox Barn restaurant.
'Charlie’s menu is simple and seasonal, celebrating pub classics that create a homely, hearty menu. The look and feel are inspired by traditional country pubs, with a touch of English eccentricity – a neutral canvas of white walls and wooden furniture, peppered with pops of colour, floral fabrics and fun art. I hope people feel like they've walked into a friend's cosy living room.'
The Swan at Southrop is open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday and dinner from Wednesday to Saturday - and it's dog-friendly, too.
