Rating and review

Atmosphere 5*
Service 5*
Food 5*
Value for money 5*

The Black Swan by Tommy Banks, Oldstead, Yorkshire.

We were met with a slightly cold reception when we bumped into Tommy Banks in the car park before dinner but this did not put me off, perhaps he wanted to maintain the rockstar Chef persona that he probably deserves…The Black Swan has recently been rated the best restaurant in the world by TripAdvisor so I was excited to see what all the rage was about.

Such a cosy country pub in the middle of nowhere with a real fire and food that soothes the soul. I know I haven’t talked much about bread as a feature dish in my reviews so far but The Black Swan reigns supreme. They do a sourdough with a great firm crust, slightly sticky texture but with a good rise, dark in colour and a nice chew. What a perfect staple dish! All the other courses were fresh and straight from the micro-farm in the kitchen garden. A solid favourite dish was the beetroot confit in beef dripping with smoked cod roe mousse.