Swan Inn Amersham — Restaurant in England

The Swan has long been a regular haunt for us. However, this visit left us doubting when we would come back. We reserved a table. When we turned up we were shown to a table tucked well away under the stairs with insufficient head clearance, so that my husband would have almost certainly bumped his head whenever rising from the seat. We were then offered another table.... this was absolutely tiny ... a tiny round table (about 60 cm dia) barely suitable as a bar table and certainly not suitable for use as a restaurant table. At that point I tried to see whether it might be possible to relocate the table originally offered into the alcove just behind it, where there would have been sufficient head room. However, at this point I discovered that the bottom supports from one of the legs had detached so that the table was entirely unstable and incapable of use!!!!! I actually took a photograph because one of the legs was at least 3" clear of the floor with no support ..... so not possible just to put something underneath one leg to stabilise it. At that point we decided to give up and just stick with and try to manage on the tiny bar table. However, shortly after this another couple came in, apparently without a booking and they were offered the unstable and unusable table. When they pointed out the problem to the waiting staff, they were then offered a 4 seat table, whilst we were left trying to manage on the tiny bar table. There were at this point actually 2 other 4 seater tables set and available in the restaurant, which we somewhat naively assumed must have been booked .... so we tried not to make a fuss and stick with what we were given. Needless to say, as time progressed and we realised the two 4 seater tables had not in fact been booked and remained vacant all evening, we were less than impressed with the unacceptably tiny table we had been left struggling with. THEN, as if that were not enough, when my husband a vegetarian, ordered the Plant Burger and chips, the waitress pointed out that the chips would be fried in the same oil as chips had been previously fried in. Apparently, the kitchen in the Amersham Swan only has one fryer. Chips fried in the same fryer cannot fairly be described as "vegetarian". My husband passed on the chips but was very disturbed to have only been told about the fryer situation on this visit, yet there has apparently only ever been the one fryer in the Swan kitchen! He was horrified to learn that he had for some years been consuming chips fried in oil previously used to fry fish. Needless to say, he is very unhappy with the situation and will be very reluctant to come to the Swan again. So all in all, what should have been a nice night out, turned into something of a very uncomfortable and...

I recently held a 25th birthday gathering for my partner at The Swan and, while the day itself was lovely and the food we did receive was good, the overall experience left me very disappointed. I had been corresponding with the venue for two months beforehand, choosing from their buffet menu.

Four days before the event, I received a phone call informing me that my original order was incorrect and needed to be redone. Over the phone, I was told how to order from the buffet menu correctly, and I ended up selecting the silver buffet option for the minimum of 10 people. I sent the revised order the next day. After hearing nothing for two days, I followed up a day before the event to confirm they had received it, and they confirmed that they had.

On the day, everything seemed to be going smoothly, but I noticed that not all of the food I had selected was brought out. When I received the bill, I was charged for 15 people instead of the 10 I had booked — which was thankfully corrected when I raised it.

However, I then learned that they had used my original buffet selection (the one they themselves said was incorrect) rather than the updated version I had submitted and confirmed. They explained that the person I had been in contact with had gone away and someone else had taken over. They admitted that not all the food had been served and apologised, but refused to deduct anything from the bill — despite the fact that we did not receive everything we paid for.

Apologies are appreciated, but they don’t replace poor communication, ignored confirmations, and missing food. It’s not acceptable to charge full price for a partial service, and I expected better from a venue that hosts events. Sadly, I won’t be returning or recommending The Swan for...

Disappointing visit. Reluctantly complained about my old fashioned as it just tasted like bourbon, when asked why I didn't like it I said it was missing enough sugar and bitters, orange peel is also expected, but its just a pub so I didn't want to push my luck. The waiter returned with a shot of sugar syrup and a spoon............... If they wanted me to fix it myself I'd rather they would have just let me make it myself, its arguably the the most basic/simple cocktail in the world, hence why its one of the first ever documented cocktail in history. Was never asked if I wanted to return it so I politely said I would keep it (even though I ordered a new drink ASAP). My kofta starter lacked seasoning and the salad was overpowering with excess onion. I had the duck pizza for main was nice, duck was lovely and crispy but the base of the pizza seemed oversized. My partner ordered the fillet steak which was delicious. Our side of veg was overcooked and verging on soggy.

I hate to complain when eating out but I forced myself to as the drink was literally the worst old fashioned I've ever had. I'm disappointed the staff thought a solution to this uncomfortable situation for me was to to fix it myself with a shot of sugar syrup?!?! (why on earth would you not use sugar? It's beyond me) If you would like me to pop round and demonstrate how to make an old fashioned, I'd be very happy to lend my time. Unfortunately, as much as I love to support local business that would be the only reason I would return to The Swan.

Excellent response from the...