The Swan & Edgar (Bar, Restaurant)

old jackets, samples and remnants sent to the bar by a host of tweed-wearers, from local residents to Savile Row tailors.

Hardback and paperback books, from War & Peace to Mills & Boon now prop up the downstairs bar, adding a literary leaning and bookish bent to the room, and the banquette seating has been covered in patchwork made from earthy tweeds, dogtooth check, cord and tartan, lending an original baronial twist to the décor.

Comprising mainly of British fare made with locally sourced produce, The Swan & Edgar’s food menu centres around beautifully prepared yet hearty sharing dishes served in a convivial environment.

At the weekend, The Swan & Edgar offers an English manor-house style breakfast buffet, to which diners can leisurely turn up and help themselves to a variety of cooked and cold foods for a fixed price. Harking back to country house breakfasts of a bygone age, this style of dining makes The Swan & Edgar the ideal location for a laidback weekend brunch.

Where Bourne & Hollingsworth concentrated on classic cocktails, The Swan & Edgar’s focus will be on fine wines, beer and ales, and spirits. Extensive and inclusive, the wine list also features a good selection of Ports, Sherries and Dessert wines, and a carefully chosen selection of fortified wines and rare spirits will be available. The Swan & Edgar will also host regular talks and tastings from wine and spirit experts for drinks enthusiasts.

Instead of cocktails, The Swan & Edgar is introducing the notion of ‘serves’, a classic style of drinking that has been lost in the recent trend for complicated mixology. ‘Serves’ are simple concoctions that mix two or three ingredients, adding an extra flavoursome kick to a particular spirit, but keeping it simple. Drinks falling under this category include; Bloody Mary, Pimms, Elderflower Spritzer and Kir Royale – all ideal for The Swan & Edgar’s laidback atmosphere and classic food menu.

The upstairs dining room at The Swan & Edgar has a capacity of 35 and is the ideal space for holding private events. Throughout the week the space will hold everything from Book Readings to Pub Quizzes but the room will also be available to hire for private parties. The kitchen’s sharing plates and flexible catering means that guests who wish to hold dinner parties for their friends, but lack the necessary space at home, will find that the room upstairs at The Swan & Edgar would provide an ideal alternative, seating up to 25 people round a long table.

Swan & Edgar is opened monday to saturday from 4 pm - 11pm and sunday 12 pm - 10:30 pm.