The Black Swan at Oldstead — Restaurant in Great Britain

An absolutely fantastic experience enhanced by the charming and beautiful countryside that The Black Swan at Oldstead is nestled within - an area that I wouldn't have visited otherwise but am grateful for having done so. Make sure to make a small detour to Kilburn to see The Kilburn White Horse which stands firmly in the hillside. The Black Swan is a beautiful picturesque old pub full of warmth and charm. Upon arrival you are welcomed into the bar area for aperitifs where a log fire crackles and glows. Make sure to notice the Robert Thompson mouse carved into the bar. Great selection of small batch gins - I enjoyed a glass of Sir Robin of Locksley from Sheffield with tonic. Amuse bouche are served here before moving upstairs to the restaurant. The Smoked Eel and Apple Tartlets were light and well balanced in their flavours whilst the Chicken Dumpling was rich, satisfying and would sit well on the finest of dim sum plates in Hong Kong. The restaurant is more modern in decoration with an "open kitchen" where some of the dishes are prepared with a clear artistic love and attention to detail. Service is friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being intrusive. Good selection of wines for most palates and wallets. I had the 10 course tasting menu which, at £85, felt like a bargain compared to the price of Michelin starred food in major cities. To start, a Mussel with Oyster Leaf canapé - so perfectly decorated that it felt wrong to eat it, but so tasty. Next up Langoustine with Caramelised Whey, served like a lollipop with a twig to hold it with - lovely textures and cooked to perfection. Venison Tartare followed - a small dish but rich in flavour and beautifully prepared and decorated. Sour Bread and Sour Butter was distinctive and a good filler in preparation for the main courses. The Monkfish with Asparagus and Onion, although delicious, was probably the weakest dish. The sauce tasted like heavy sweet soy sauce and was a bit overpowering in its saltiness for the delicate flavour of the fish. Still very enjoyable though. The Slowly Cooked Crapaudine Beetroot was the star of the menu. Cooked in beef fat (I believe), the beetroot takes on a heavier composition and is chewy and almost glutinous with all of the accompanying decorations providing broad and bold flavours. Absolutely fantastic! Scallop Cured with Rhubarb was another standout with the smoothness of the slightly charred scallops countering the tartness of the rhubarb, all tied together with a rich and balanced sauce. Herb-Fed Chicken with Wild Garlic from this Year and Last was another amazing creation with a blanket over the chicken in the form of a garlic leaf. The chicken was more warm than hot but extremely tasty. The first dessert was ice cream (or iced yoghurt?) Lollipops which were wonderfully innovative with their unique flavours. The Sheep's Milk with Douglas Fir Oil was also an memorable dessert with natural tastes of the season. The final dessert, served with coffee was Cake made from Artichoke, Chicory Root and Thyme. The combination worked well although the chicory root (?) was slightly bitter. A great end to a fantastic meal and experience. For most who visit The Black Swan at Oldstead, a significant journey will be involved but don't let that put you off...It's well worth the effort and will be one of those great food...

The Black Swan is sometimes referred to as the 'best restaurant in the UK', which is a tad misleading. The restaurant was, in 2017, declared at no.1 by Trip Advisor as their 'best fine dining restaurant' apparently by an algorithm of reviews v clients visits? In any event 'best' is subjective and never more so when debating dining. There is no doubt that Tommy Banks and his team have developed a range of interesting dishes, primarily sourced from local seasonal ingredients and they are delightfully presented. With their Trip Advisor merit and a Michelin star the food is pretty much on the money, but does it excite or amaze?

The short answer is not really, that said this is a serious eating place with a set formula for arrival time and serves to a schedule, all diners are required to comply and the choice is a set tasting menu (either with or without meat) delivered over three & a half hours. The dishes are a series of nicely arranged small intense flavours often using humble vegetables such as a single potato or compressed beetroot although prepared with various twists, as you might expect. The big disappointment is the eclectic wine list, which is largely made up from less known world wines and is offered as a set package to accompany the courses.

What the food doesn’t do is surprise, as the Fat Duck often does, it doesn’t do drama or theatre as Hakkasan might and it doesn’t have the sheer polish of say, Restaurant Gordon Ramsey. Here the dining rooms are small and echoey, no flowers / candles on the table, harsh lighting and after three hours the chairs feel decidedly uncomfortable. Mr Banks wasn’t present in the kitchen on our evening and the chefs didn't come out to meet with diners which is a shame as I like the interaction and try to pick up the odd tip.

The Black Swan is in a very old former pub with low ceilings and creaky woodwork in the middle of the countryside, it has a log fire, but no view to speak of, the bedrooms are pleasant with underfloor heating, nice toiletries and fresh milk in the fridge. The bed in our room was a small double which led to uncomfortable night, although the English breakfast was very good.

Our mid week meal and stay for two exceeded £650 which included a G & T before the meal and a small (100ml) glass of wine after, and although we enjoyed the experience overall at that sort of money a revisit for us...

We visited the Black Swan (BS) before they achieved their Michelin status and had a wonderful experience with amazing food and service. We booked for a second visit along with friends and were really looking forward to it. We had happily paid in full at the time of booking some 6 months before. Sadly one of the group tested positive for Covid 19 two days before we were due to attend so we did the right thing and contacted the restaurant who restated their 14 day cancellation clause (you lose everything). After some discussion, by email, they reluctantly advised they would allow us to rebook within a 6-month timeframe but that the price had increased and they wanted an additional £25 per head. OK, but there was no availability for 3-months and very limited availability up to the deadline. Not great, as we and our friends live 250 plus miles away, whilst this is not the restaurant's issue some flexibility would have been appreciated.

It was clear the BS did not care if we were able to rebook, or not. We appreciate the restaurant has been impacted by Covid but found the attitude and arrogance demonstrated disdain and an uncaring attitude towards returning customers.

We were about to write off the £500 when we learned that Covid legislation provided a way forward. The covid positive test meant our contract had been ‘frustrated’, (i.e. neither party were at fault but the contract could not be completed) meaning that BS should have offered us a full refund.

We emailed a formal letter to Tommy Banks and the reservation team (hard copy posted to Tommy Banks) requesting some flexibility whilst introducing the frustrated contract information and we were finally offered a refund, less an admin fee. Sadly, we received no response from Tommy or his management team. A shame, as we were hoping management would step in to resolve the situation, restoring our initial opinion after our first visit.

Ultimately, the BS doesn't have to care about its customers as they are fully booked for months ahead. It’s sad that when something goes wrong the...