#OutAndAbout around the Peterborough area.
Sometimes it’s all about trying new places and there really is an abundance of choice when it comes to food in and around the Peterborough and surrounding area. We drove out to the west of Peterborough to a quaint small village called Woodnewton which I’d never heard of, let alone been to, and at the heart of it is a lovely restaurant called The White Swan.
Originally built as an Inn in 1790 the White Swan has been a pub in the village over these many years, and is now owned and run by Jason at the front of house (making a good gin cocktail I might add) & Will hiding way in the kitchen making some delicious offerings with his team. They took the place over around 7 years ago and have made a great place to enjoy great food in a warm atmosphere with a cosy, contemporary feel to the place and decor. (must be the Farrow & Ball paint on the walls 😊 {that one’s for you Will})
Sitting around 50 people, it’s a small restaurant made larger over the years by making all the rooms into one long area. Their staff are young and knowledgeable, nothing’s too much of a problem and they work with a smile, which makes a change when you can see someone is enjoying their job. Also noted was that nothing was a fluster, it all ran smoothly even though every table was full.
Grace saw us to our table and left us to mull over the drinks menu, I opted for a ‘Pink Lemonade Gin’ which Hayden brought over – definitely up my street when mixed with lemonade making it a refreshingly sweet sip. Distilled with whole fresh lemons & lemon peel, fresh raspberries mmm.
So onto the food… Stacy took our order and answered any questions about chilli and how hot things were – just because we can’t stand the heat! LOL. A sample of the sauce was given to us to try! Thank you – great idea. (no point having a dish in front of you that you can’t eat)
We opted for a starter of ‘Hunters Pigs in Blankets’ – juicy sausages topped with a lovely sweet bbq sauce and topped with melted cheese. Very nice to whet your appetite and ‘Crispy Mozzarella Sticks’ – nice and crispy with a cold tomato salsa dip – but way too many (you could definitely share this portion).
Our mains were both from their Swanny Sizzlers range… ‘Crispy Chilli Sizzler Chickcn’ which came out on a hot plate accompanied by a bowl of rice and a bowl of handmade prawn crackers (loved these) it’s one of their most popular dishes and we could understand why – a good amount of chicken encased in a sweet sticky chilli soy sauce – a bit jolly on the tongue after eating it, but a delicious taste which included cashew nuts which weren’t sparse. Our second dish was my favorite ‘White Swan Fajitas – Chicken’ again, plenty of food. My dish was full of strips of fajita spiced chicken, strips of peppers, onions and accompanied by some hand made soft tortillas, and a large side bowl of sour cream, tomato salsa and guacamole. To be fair the portion sizes are large and we couldn’t finish both our meals to a clean plate. Enjoyable food? Very much!
In fact, just to warn you, it was hard to choose as the menu is huge. Also as you’re deciding; meals come out you want to eat those as they look so appealing…. Jason & Will’s travels are obviously shown in their love for Asian inspired dishes but they also include some traditional dishes like sausages and mash, some great burgers or, another of their top sellers, pizza cones! It all looks gorgeous and no plate goes unemptied. The quality of the food is high and you can see that in the fact that every table is full too! They get booked up very quickly.
We went outside to finish our evening for an espresso and dessert in their garden area. We can’t wait to come back on an afternoon or evening in the summer to try some more of their dishes, as there is plenty of room for everyone in their two garden areas.
I opted for their own inhouse made cheesecake and went for the ‘After Dinner Mint’ one. Oh Gosh – heaven on a plate… lovely thick cheesecake topped with a chocolate sauce, crushed After Eight mints and mint Aero balls and an After Eight on the top, with squirty cream on the side.
P.S. I had already spotted their sharing dessert with a couple nearby, who politely let me take a photo…. I couldn’t order it as I was so full already! It was ‘The Fairground Cart’ – you need an empty stomach for this…. the ultimate dessert with a cone of vanilla & chocolate ice cream with a 99 flake, a stick of candy floss, a mini tower of doughnuts with chocolate dipping sauce, a frozen monkey tail (chocolate dipped banana) toffee popcorn and pick’n’mix sweets _OMG it did really look something though – maybe next time! ☺️
I’m glad they invited us to eat with them as it was an experience I’m glad we’ve had – we will definitely be coming back again with friends. It’s all about the quality of the food and the love of what you do. A nice weekend treat.
You’ll find Woodnewton just 20 minutes away passing through Wansford & Nassington.
#welovepeterborough #peterborough #peterboroughfood #woodnewton #countrysidepubs #countrysiderestaurants #qualityfood #gourmetfood #whiteswanwoodnewton
White Swan Woodnewton 🥰
