Harden's survey result
Summary
“Very classy indeed” – Tom Parker’s “informal” pub-restaurant “shows no sign of slowing down”, having snaffled a star from the tyre men in 2018. A “small menu of great seasonal and local ingredients is cooked and presented beautifully” and, as the only Timothy Taylors pub in Lancashire, there’s no cause to complain about the beer.
Summary
“Very classy indeed” – Tom Parker’s “informal” pub-restaurant “shows no sign of slowing down”, having snaffled a star from the tyre men in 2018. A “small menu of great seasonal and local ingredients is cooked and presented beautifully” and, as the only Timothy Taylors pub in Lancashire, there’s no cause to complain about the beer.
Summary
“Way better food than Northcote” – that’s the claim by some aficionados of this “perhaps slightly unprepossessing-looking” hostelry, which vies as “the best pub restaurant in the North West” (and which was blessed with a Michelin star in October 2018). Tom Parker’s “exceptional” cuisine makes “beautiful use of fresh local ingredients” and has gone from strength to strength in recent times. All this, and “as the only Timothy Taylors pub this side of the Pennines, the beer is excellent”. Top Tip: “inside it’s a tale of two rooms, with the welcoming bar, with open fire to the right, and a rather characterless dining room with cramped tables and a distinct lack of atmosphere to the left. Go right”.
Summary
“Really fine, adventurous cooking from a small kitchen in unlikely pub premises” (“a lot more pubby than many gastropubs”) again wins high praise for Tom Parker at this extremely popular destination. There have been shifts in recent times between à la carte and “keenly-priced” prix-fixe menus, and all agree the set menus are the way to go value-wise if you have the choice. “The wine list is nothing special, but fortunately there is a full selection of superb Timothy Taylor ales on tap: this being the only TT tied pub this side of the Pennines!”
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at White Swan at Fence?
Restaurant details
White Swan at Fence Restaurant Diner Reviews
"We took our lockdown 'bubble' to the White Swan, as it is a favourite of ours, but she hadn't been to this class of restaurant before. She was just knocked out by the amazing food - she was expecting a traditional Sunday Lunch! She slurped up tomato broth topped with whipped basil; she devoured Cod with Morel mushrooms, wild garlic, chicken broth and thyme; then she swooned at Bresse duck. She was agog when she was told there would be two desserts: mango and passion fruit, then strawberries with Tahitian vanilla ice cream and herbs in a brandy snap basket. The White Swan continues to serve amazing food at very reasonable prices (£50 for 5 courses plus extras) with very cordial service. Our 'Bubble' was gobsmacked at how good it was. Only wish we lived a bit nearer. Glad to see another excellent restaurant survive, and hope they continue to prosper."
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
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| Lunch | £40.00 |  |
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| Dinner | £50.00 | |
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| Drinks |
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| Wine per bottle | £20.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
| Extras |
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| Service | 12.50% |
300 Wheatley Lane Rd, Fence, BB12 9QA
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑11 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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