Essex Days Out

As we were heading over to visit the Forgotten Gardens of Easton Lodge, we decided to pop in to The Swan at Great Easton for Sunday lunch, and loved the pub and loved the grub.

The pub is an old one, with a public bar on one side of the front entrance, and a traditional low-ceilinged lounge on the other side, which leads through to the dining area. It’s not the biggest of pubs, and booking in advance is advised.

The pub has Adnams bitter as their main beer, with a regularly changing real ale from a range of other breweries, today’s being from a small brewery in Nottingham – First Gold from the Magpie Brewery.

The dining room out the back was comfortable and well-decorated, with a couple of large family groups already in situ. The Sunday lunch menu had five starters (grilled goats’ cheese, bacon and stilton salad, soup, garlic mushrooms, and salmon) had five mains (goats’ cheese veggie option, roasted topside of beef, roasted leg of lamb, roasted loin of pork, and herb roasted chicken).

There were two specials – confit lamb and leek parcel wrapped in savoy cabbage with port and redcurrant sauce, and poached cod with parsley sauce.

With an afternoon’s walking ahead of us, we skipped starters, and for mains had the herb roasted chicken, and the confit lamb and leek parcel.

Both were excellent. I had the confit lamb which was almost too attractive to eat :

When peeled back, the savoy cabbage revealed some very tender lamb :

Side veggies includes savoy cabbage, red cabbage and swede – three of my favourites. And the tried and trusted standbys of cauli, carrot and new potatoes were cooked just right. And the gravy!! The pile of mash had looked quite large, but was just right to soak up the port and redcurrant sauce.

I was advised that the chicken and roast potates were equally impressive – they certainly disappeared sharpish!

The chicken from the main menu was under a tenner, and the confit of lamb off the specials menu fractionally over a tenner, with the pair coming in at less than £20, which is excellent for such quality food served quickly and politely, and in such lovely surroundings. We’ll be back again! More information about the pub, which also does accommodation at their website.

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