The Crown

If you’re looking for an old-fashioned country pub with free-house beer, outdoor summer seating and open fires in the winter, The Crown at Swallowfield is certain to delight. Owners Wayne and Dawn took over the establishment a year ago, bringing with them extensive hospitality experience. In their first year of tenancy, they’ve created a menu of well-conceived, traditional pub fare that’s

exceedingly pocket friendly.

We opted for leek and potato soup, and mushrooms in a sumptuous cream sauce. For our main course, we tucked into steak and ale pie with mashed potatoes, garden peas and red wine sauce, and baked sea bass in white wine and dill sauce accompanied by Parmesan crushed potatoes and spring greens. Owing to plentiful portions, we resolved to share a slice of caramelised orange cheesecake with a delicious cinnamon biscuit base.