The Swan, Bedford

Busy village pub that has an emphasis on dining, but caters for the village's drinkers too. It's a Greene King pub with their IPA on as a permanent fixture. Their Abbot Reserve & St Austell Tribute were also on. A few families were in for food, whilst there were some elderly drinkers in the corner we sat in. The pub is in effect a single open-plan area, with a few different sections around the central bar. Surprised to see it in the 2023 Good Beer Guide.

The Swan page on the Old English Inns website - www.oldenglishinns.co.uk

The Swan page on the Old English Inns website - www.oldenglishinns.co.uk

An attractive looking stone-built pub with a good sized beer garden and patio area, the car park was full to capacity on a recent Monday evening visit, and I feared something of a destination gastro-pub, especially since I spied a Mercedes S-Class, Porsche 911 and a Range Rover among the vehicles. As it happens my fears were unjustified, and although there is a strong dining operation here, the food offered is more from the “pub grub” end of the scale. Perhaps it’s just a wealthy area. The pub is essentially divided in to two with a dining area at the rear and a drinking area at the front, although this can also be used for eating, you just have to order at the bar. The restaurant area looks quite attractive with a slate tiled floor and a very large, brick fire-place with a wood burning stove. The bar area at the front is divided in to two with the larger part having a sanded wood floor, plenty of wood beams on the ceiling, pale green paintwork and a fire-place with a large, and modern looking, tiled chimney hood. A number of fruit machines were opposite the bar. The smaller room to the left was carpeted and there was some colourful artwork on the walls as well as a small stone fire-place. The walls had all been painted over which is a shame as they had timber detailing on them and I imagine they were a more traditional black and white at one time. The barman seemed friendly enough, although the service was a bit hit and miss since the one guy spent a lot of his time dealing with drinks orders from the restaurant. The menu was mostly of the pub grub genre as mentioned previously, and offered an extensive selection including options such as Fish & Chips, Bangers & Mash, Lasagne, Beef & Ale Pie, etc., as well as a number of burgers and salads. These were mostly priced in the £8 - £10 range. My Hickory & Maple Smoked Salmon Fillet was a tasty enough dish and came with a good selection of side salad including edamame beans, although it was slightly overcooked and a rather small portion size for £11.99. Beers on tap were Castle Rock Harvest Pale, Abbott Ale and Greene King IPA. The solitary cider was Aspall’s Suffolk.