The Swan Inn
Tucked beside the River Windrush at Swinbrook, The Swan is one of those places you'll plan a whole afternoon around. The wisteria on the front wall is almost absurdly pretty, and the food more than lives up to the setting.
Tucked beside the River Windrush at Swinbrook, The Swan is one of those places you'll plan a whole afternoon around. The wisteria on the front wall is almost absurdly pretty, and the food more than lives up to the setting.
The Swan sits in the tiny hamlet of Swinbrook, a couple of miles outside Burford on a quiet lane that dead-ends at the church. It's a 16th-century inn, all honey stone and low beams, with the Windrush running just behind the garden. The Duchess of Devonshire (the youngest Mitford sister, Deborah) owned the place for years, and the dining rooms are filled with family photographs, letters and memorabilia. There's nothing showy about it; the history sits comfortably alongside good local ales and a menu that changes with the seasons.
The cooking is genuinely excellent. Expect well-sourced meat, fish that arrives fresh, and puddings that reward saving room. On a warm day, the garden tables overlooking the river are hard to beat. On a cold one, the fire inside and a glass of something red will do just as well. It's about twenty minutes from Well Cottage, and worth every one of them. Book ahead for weekend lunches; the word is well and truly out.
“If you only eat out once during your stay, make it The Swan. Sit in the garden if you can, order slowly, and let the afternoon take care of itself.”
All of this on the doorstep, and your own thatched cottage to come home to. Sleeps seven, less than a mile from Soho Farmhouse.