The Swan at Walton — Restaurant in South Derbyshire

My partner and I enjoyed our time here last week so much that we went back there less than five days later. The service was excellent, and the waiting staff were very good natured and friendly, not to mention accommodating with all the variations we wanted to make to our choices on the menu.

Last week, we each ate mini Yakitori sticks (see attached photo, which is missing one that I had already eaten) for our starters, which come in 7 or 8 flavours, ranging from grilled halloumi to king prawn to hoisin duck. I was expecting each one to be tiny, so I almost regretted having ordered six! They were incredible, and I couldn't decide which I enjoyed the most.

The main I opted for was the very tasty chicken, bacon, and brie burger, which was again much larger than I had anticipated, to the point where I deliberately left the final few mouthfuls because I wanted to fit in a dessert.

Speaking of which, as is often the case after eating a large starter and main, I chose the ice cream as I didn't want to have anything richer and risk throwing my delicious dinner back up. My eyes were clearly bigger than my belly, though, as I only managed half of it, beautiful though it was. If memory serves, my girlfriend had a pavlova, which she said was excellent.

The meal wasn't cheap, but certainly worth every penny. No doubt we shall be returning to the restaurant for a third time, as soon as my waistline has recovered!

Additional: I have returned numerous times since I posted the above review, and it remains an outstanding eatery. It was my first choice place to eat out on my birthday in January, and the eight of us in our group who were there all thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The photos of the tasty cappuccino ice cream sandwich and the frankly delicious Espresso Martini were taken on...

We visited The Swan at Walton on 12/04/25 for a birthday meal—our first time trying a Chilled Pubs venue since moving to the area. Unfortunately, the experience didn’t quite meet our expectations.

It may have just been an off night, but the quality of the food left a lot to be desired. The front-of-house team and servers seemed overwhelmed with too many tables, which led to several issues: starters were missing from our order and were instead delivered to the wrong table, and dishes arrived incomplete (such as edamame beans without the advertised chilli sauce).

The most disappointing dish was the hanging steak skewer, which was incredibly tough—more like chewing rubber bullets than steak. Multiple tables were sending food back to the kitchen. Ranging from burgers to pizzas. Based on this level of food, i’m unsure if the Swan is a glorified cocktail bar as the cocktails was one positive from our visit.

After the visit, I received a follow-up from what seemed to be an automated feedback system, asking if I raised my concerns during the meal. I responded honestly, noting that the staff were actually the most positive part of the experience—they remained friendly and professional despite the clear pressure they were under.

I also provided my phone number, hoping to speak with someone directly about our experience, but was told there was no contact number for the restaurant. I was promised a £30 credit to my account, which I’ve yet to receive.

We’re booked to visit The Three Tuns in a few weeks, but this experience has left us uncertain about whether to go ahead or cancel. Hoping for a better second impression if we do give Chilled Pubs...

Visited on a Thursday in November, around 2pm. Weather was wet and rainy, and the steps down from the car park had leaves on them, so I made use of the handrails on the side of the stairs to make sure I didnt slip over (poor footwear choice!) Booked a table in advance but there plenty of tables available for walk ins. Staff were friendly and attentive, and they checked twice if we had any allergies to anything. Drinks orders were taken first - I had a Cheeky Tiki cocktail and my partner had a beer. After these were brought out we had a chance to look at the menu and decide what we wanted to eat. Didn't bother with starters as the portion sizes are very generous (and that's from someone with a healthy appetite!). I ordered the smokey barbecue chicken skewer, which comes with 2 sides of my choosing (had the chunky chips and the salad), and my partner had the club sandwich (after seeing it come out to someone else). We did leave some of what we had ordered, and there was an option to take the leftovers home. We were asked if we wanted a dessert, and I ordered a cookie dough yakatori skewer - three cookie dough balls, smothered in chocolate on a wooden skewer. As the table had been booked for a birthday celebration, they also brought out a scoop of ice cream on a waffle wafer, on a slate with Happy Birthday written in strawberry sauce. This would have been the perfect dessert given that I was full from the main - the cookie dough skewer was great, but a lot richer than I was expecting! Would happily visit again, just need to remember to say yes to taking the leftovers home, and leaving a bit room...