The Swan in Islip has been a favourite of mine over the past few years.
As many of you will know, the talented Paul Welburn, has now moved on to pastures new down in Cornwall, so I wanted to go along one last time to try the food as we wave goodbye to him from the Oxfordshire food scene.
We had the option of the set lunch menu (£25 for 2 courses or £35 for 3), which is incredible value for the quality of food you get. There is also the option of the tasting menu when we visited (£69). After some deliberation, we went with the set lunch menu as we didn’t want to get too carried away on a Thursday lunchtime!
To start off you are served their amazing homemade bread and cultured butters, one with a marmite vibe and the other with hints of sweet honey and salt. Also, having the amazing goats cheese Oreo and pork croquette is brilliant, and a great start to the meal.
For starters, I went with the gin cured salmon and Sarah had the cauliflower risotto with lamb ragù (Paul also kindly threw in a beetroot dish for us). These were three very different dishes, but what stands out for me is the complexity of textures and tastes that run through each dish. Combining all the elements of the dish on the fork, provide that perfect balance of flavours and textures that can be so hard to accomplish. On the beetroot dish, the warm beetroot cake with its soft texture, coupled with the sweet harder texture of the beetroot, the salty creaminess of the goats cheese, finished with the sweet bitter orange brought it all together so perfectly. These types of amazing contrasts ran through all the dishes.
With the starter plates completely cleaned by both of us, we move onto the main dishes. I went for the chicken, a choice I never usually go for, but I am so glad I did!
Again, when I talk about contrasts of flavour and textures, this comes into play again. The chicken breast was so soft and juicy, as well as being perfectly seasoned which was complimented so well by the sweet red pepper. The other elements of the dish being the rolled thigh, encased in smoky charred skin was delicious, and the green olive pomme purée was divine, all pulled together with a well-balanced jus.
The cod was cooked perfectly and took on the flavours of the curry sauce well. The crisp potato element had a warming spice to it, with the passion fruit gel bringing some refreshing acidity and sweetness.
For dessert, we shared one between as we couldn’t really fit anything else in, but we persevered and tried a dessert!
We opted for the caramelised white chocolate tart, which was rich and sweet with contrasting yuzu favours in the form of a gel. You also get some of the homemade fudge as an additional sweet treat.
Going to the Swan has always been an amazing experience.
Each time I’ve been, the food and service has been consistently excellent with brilliant seasonal food that made you savour every bite. We are going to miss you Paul, thank you for bringing us your food over the years and wish you every success in your endeavours down in Cornwall.
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