Swan Inn, Nantwich

The Swan is a Robinson's pub in a village just south of Crewe. I had quite low expectations arriving here, but these were exceeded. This is an olde world pub with plenty of nooks and crannies. Locals drink in the bar to the front right. There are 3 sections to the pub in all, with another room off to the right. There are beamed ceilings with brick walls and the occasional patch of wallpaper. A couple of large cartwheels could be seen on the ceiling where I chose to sit. There were also a few model ships in glass cabinets. The bar had some old barometers behind it along with some not quite so old CAMRA award certificates (2016 and 2021). A shelf above the bar housed an old Guinness dispenser, books and a model of the Mallard steam engine amongst other items. On the bar itself were a couple of Robinson's beers. Unicorn is the regular beer, but they also had Citra. 2 other handpulls were dispensing Weston's ciders - Rosie's Pig With Rhubarb & Medium Dry British Vintage. After much deliberation, I chose the Rosie's Pig as the weaker of the two, but soon regretted my decision as the Vintage is seldom seen. Whilst there were a handful of drinkers, most tables were made out for food. Sunday lunches were being served with a choice of chicken or beef. At the rear is an outdoor and undercover bar with 5 handpulls. Just Unicorn was clipped. Although there didn't look to be anybody serving. There is also a pleasant garden area to the right-hand side of the pub, which sits adjacent to the old village church tower. One final drinking option was a solitary table to the front of the pub. Accommodation is available in units to the rear, with parking alongside. I thought this was a really nice and cosy traditional village local pub and the presence of a couple of ciders certainly helped me to appreciate this one a little more. Best pub of the day I visited in Cheshire.

Official site of Swan Inn - www.robinsonsbrewery.com

The Swan has that nice village pub look from the outside and that feeling continues inside. Low ceilings, dark wood beams and various knick-knacks dotted around the pub. Real ale is available, with five hand pulls at the island bar, offering Robinsons Unicorn, Dizzy Blonde and the house ale Leaning Tower. The Leaning Tower is badged as a 4.8% Golden Ale, but to me looks and tastes like any other Robinsons bitter. Also available on cask was Titanic Icerberg and Rosie's Pig Rhubarb Cider. They also had three craft keg taps on, the choice being Hopnik Citra IPA, Magic Rock Saucery and Kona Big Wave. The Hopnik beer went off mid pour so I didn't get to sample that but the other two were pretty good and definitely preferable to the Robinsons beers on cask. We were attending a christening and the back half of the pub had been reserved for the party though we arrived a little late and struggled to get a table. One young member of staff was particularly helpful as most of the other tables were reserved for diners, and she managed to find a table that wasn't required until later in the afternoon so allowed us enough time to sit down and eat before mingling afterwards. It's a fairly high end pub, not the cheapest, but it's very nice and seems to be very popular. A shame it is a Robinsons pub but the non-Robinsons ales saved the day for me, so no complaints. I later found out that the Hopnik Citra IPA is actually a Robinsons beer too, so perhaps I had a lucky escape when that went off. It wasn't labelled on the tap as being a Robinsons beer, which I think is a bit naughty (but not the pub's fault). The toilets are worth a mention as they are very nice. I always think you can tell how much effort has gone into a pub refurb by the state of the toilets, as these are often neglected or get the bare minimum of attention. Not the case here. The pub has a car park, covered outdoor smoking area to the rear, then a larger beer garden to the side which is a lovely sun trap when the weather permits. Wi-Fi is available (sign-in required) and a number of rooms for overnight accommodation.

Official site of Swan Inn - www.robinsonsbrewery.com

Saturday evening in April 2015. Party of 11. This is a very pretty and traditional styled public house with a lot of real ales on offer and a very friendly and efficient staff. There are many cubby holes and parts to the pub all served by a central bar with kitchens off towards the back. We were there early evening and had pre-ordered food from the rather unusual menu. Yes there are some pub grub favourites but most of the dishes have had the chef's own personality daubed all over them. We found the meals to be cooked very well and they were served nice and hot but the size of portion really did depend on what you had ordered. The lasagne, fish and chips and gammon steak were all very tasty and well endowed on the plate but by contrast the burgers, salmon and my cheese & onion pie looked forlorn. The deserts also leave a lot to be desired and the consensus of opinion was that they were over priced for what they were. It had all started so well with the greeting and the landlord happily giving some members of our party a little taster of the ales on offer to ensure they made a informed decision. So for me a lovely place to have a drink and while away some time but their menu was not exactly to my palate.