Even by Richmond standards, the White Swan is a cut above the rest.

The Venue
The White Swan is picture-perfect. From the beautiful white and blue exterior with its simple swan logo through to the charming, effortless interior, it impresses. Inside, the wooden beams of the ceiling are beautiful, and the cream walls avoid being dull and painfully neutral thanks to the rich woods of the bar, floors and furniture. Ornate mirrors hang proudly on the walls and open fireplaces provide plenty of heat in the winter months. There’s even a pretty beer garden out the back. Although this pub is more gastro in its appeal, there isn’t a snooty divide of diners and drinkers, instead there’s an inclusiveness to the layout of the pub that’s very welcoming.

The Atmosphere
The welcome here is genuinely warm and friendly and the service is exceptional given it’s ‘just’ a pub. This is a place where in the know Richmond locals flock to and dare not tell anyone about in case it becomes deluged by tourists.

The Food
The food at the White Swan is beyond your usual pub grub without being pretentiously ‘gastro’. The weekly-changing menu focuses on the classics while giving them an upmarket twist. For example, sausage and mash becomes venison and thyme sausages with mash and onion gravy (£10.95). And it is delicious and very well portioned. The sausages are delicately sweet with a pleasant meatiness that lacks any gristly texture and the mashed potato is smooth and rich but doesn’t make the dish too sickly. The homemade gravy brings it all together nicely with a pleasant tanginess. Alternatively, the menu include things like roasted butternut squash, sea bass, pork belly and steak – hearty British grub.

The Drink
If anything, the beer selection at the White Swan is even more impressive than their food, and it’s easy to see why this is also a drinkers’ pub of choice. On draught, the real ale selection includes London Pride, St Austell Tribute and Timothy Taylor Landlord, and this is bolstered by a couple of decent lagers like San Miguel and Becks Vier. The wine menu is succinct but includes some highlights like a chablis for under 20 quid. A bargain indeed.

The Last Word
The White Swan is a great all-rounder that makes the long Richmond trek worth it for those Londoners that aren’t lucky enough to live nearby.

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