Surrey

WHAT? WHERE?



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Spanish chef José Pizarro&#8217;s handsome Edwardian pub, The Swan Inn, is tucked away in a pretty corner of Surrey, overlooking a leafy green on the edge of Claygate village. It&#8217;s the celebrity chef&#8217;s only venture outside of London, the fourth restaurant in his collection, joining other restaurants are in Bermondsey, Broadgate Circle (near Liverpool Street) and at the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly. 



The Swan Inn serves up great food restaurant food, but the pub has held tight to its village pub vibe &#8211; so as well as a cracking Spanish tapas menu, there&#8217;s an extensive drinks list that includes beers, cider, wine, ale, sherries and cocktails. There are also six simple and stylish rooms for those might want to stay the night.



THE VIBE



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The Spanish are known for their hospitality, and that&#8217;s exactly what you&#8217;re getting here. José and his team offer a warm welcome to accompany the top tapas and drinks, which is no doubt why it has remained popular with both locals and those travelling from further afield.



The pub itself is quintessentially English from the outside, with its Edwardian red brick facade and a garden path leading to the front door. Inside, it&#8217;s simple but stylish, with bare timber flooring, leather upholstery, and paintwork in pale green and a cool blue. There’s greenery too, and nods to José&#8217;s homeland with Spanish artwork and legs of Ibérico ham hanging above the bar.



SCOFF &amp; QUAFF



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This isn&#8217;t my first time at The Swan Inn &#8211; and I can say with certainty, the tapas menu is fabulous. José is known for his simple and authentic Spanish food &#8211; and that&#8217;s what you get here, classic tapas made from the finest ingredients that have been imported from Spain, as well as locally sourced produce.



But for a real treat this Christmas, you&#8217;ve got to go for the festive menu. It&#8217;s tapas menu that comes out as two separate courses. The first featuring small sharing plates of Spanish omelette, toasted bread with Catalan tomatoes, croquetas with Ibérico ham, pickled anchovies and wild white prawns. It&#8217;s all exceptional, but the croquetas are the stand-out dish among this lot. 



The star of the main course is, of course, the suckling leg of lamb &#8211; tender, rich and delicious, it literally melts in your mouth. It&#8217;s served alongside traditional Catalan canelon with spinach, pine nuts and raisins, a green salad and roast potatoes with garlic and rosemary.



The pudding is sticky toffee pudding with vanilla ice cream &#8211; which is a lovely way to round off this meal.



STAY



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The bedrooms are in the converted barn adjacent to the pub. They’re not huge rooms, with double beds rather than king size beds, but there are luxury touches like soft linens, fluffy towels and gorgeous-smelling toiletries. Simple and stylish are the buzzwords here.



KID-FRIENDLY?&nbsp;



The ethos surrounding José Pizarro&#8217;s restaurants is family and togetherness &#8211; sharing food around the table &#8211; and children of all ages are welcome. 



AND DOGS, TOO?



Four-legged furries are also given a warm welcome, and their own bowl of water on arrival.



DISABILITY ACCESS



The pub is on one level, and easily accessible. Even the loos are downstairs.



OUT &amp; ABOUT



Sandown Racecourse is nearby if you fancy a flutter on the ponies, and the beautiful National Trust property, Claremont Landscape Garden is also nearby. You&#8217;re also only a couple of miles from Hampton Court Palace.



THE MUDDY VERDICT



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Good for: Fans of Spanish fare are going to love the festive menu and the selection of tapas dishes. There&#8217;s a private dining room which seats up to 20, so this would suit those having a private celebration. 



Not for: If you&#8217;re after the traditional roast turkey with all the trimmings, this isn&#8217;t going to suit you. 



The damage: The festive menu is £50 per person. There&#8217;s also a festive set menu priced at £35 per person. 



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José Pizarro The Swan Inn, 2 Hare Lane, Claygate, KT10 9BS. Tel:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=the+swan+inn+esher&amp;client=safari&amp;sxsrf=APq-WBsJcJBcdeKFcHXKUgwyPoTArTmrsw%3A1644265545940&amp;source=hp&amp;ei=SYABYomdNuW58gLNmrbwCA&amp;iflsig=AHkkrS4AAAAAYgGOWZ0XK_Th0u_-LwkkT7Gqf-qmgj5Q&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjJ5Z2-tu71AhXlnFwKHU2NDY4Q4dUDCA4&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=the+swan+inn+esher&amp;gs_lcp=Cgdnd3Mtd2l6EAMyCwguEIAEEMcBEK8BMgUIABCABDoECCMQJzoLCAAQgAQQsQMQgwE6DgguEIAEELEDEMcBEKMCOg4ILhCABBCxAxDHARDRAzoICC4QsQMQgwE6BwgAEMkDEEM6BQgAEJIDOgQIABBDOgQILhBDOgoILhDHARDRAxBDOg4ILhCABBCxAxDHARCvAToLCC4QgAQQsQMQgwE6CAguEIAEELEDOggIABCABBCxAzoLCAAQgAQQsQMQyQM6CAgAEIAEEMkDUABYwhBgiBJoAHAAeACAAboBiAGcEJIBBDMuMTSYAQCgAQE&amp;sclient=gws-wiz#">01372 462582</a>



<a href="https://josepizarro.com/venues/jose-pizarro-swan-inn-esher/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">josepizarro.com</a>

Review: José Pizarro’s festive menu at The Swan Inn, Claygate

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