The Swan, Abbots Langley

Official site of The Swan - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

Official site of The Swan - www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk

This is still a Green King pub and still more food focused them wet focused, but I wouldn’t describe it as being a Gastro pub, more one of Green Kings family orientated dining restaurants with the usual pub food classics and meal and drink deals on the laminated menu. Probably GK has refocused it due to its location close to the nearby Warner Brothers Studios and it’s Harry Potter experience. We actually used it for a spot of lunch because it’s also the closest pub to the excellent Leavesden Country Park. Internally one long opened out space with the first section to the left of the bar, that you enter into from the main entrance, being more saloon bar like,with a flatscreen telly and comfortable seating. Then the rest of the pub in front of the bar and to the right is set up for dining with assorted numbered tables. Pleasant enough decor that was probably modern at the time of the last review, but is certainly showing its age now. The bar does benefit from having a line of 8 real ale handpumps and alongside three Greene King brews, which included IPA and Abbott and then a seasonal, there was some decent guest beers in the shape of Timothy Taylors Landlord, Mad Squirrel Mr Squirrel Premier Bitter and 3 Brewer’s Golden English Ale, and then the last two pumps for ciders. I went for the Mad Squirrel brew first but this was as flat as a pancake and clearly end of barrel. This was exchanged without quibble for the 3 Brewers Golden Ale which was the opposite, far too lively and probably not allowed to condition long enough but perfectly drinkable once it had settled down.