Swan, Bromham  

This Greene King country pub, located on the outskirts of Bedford, is charm personified from the outside. The old brickwork, leaded windows and village green setting is certainly alluring. Inside though finds a depressingly familiar example of what happens when a lovely old pub becomes chainified. Framed prints on the wall and original beams complement the huge old fireplace, but all the nice bits are washed out in a thin haze of mediocrity. There was also a nasty draft rattling around the pub, which only subsided when we un-wedged the open door. Friendly but vaguely uninterested staff with logoed T-shirts scuttled about the place. Indeed the only interesting incident - albeit pretty bizarre - was when not one, but two groups of people ordered drinks, took one look at the food menu and left again, drinks virtually untouched. Momentarily puzzled, the staff metaphorically shrugged their shoulders and carried on - it is, after all, a waged job with little emotional attachment - which is ironically similar to the feeling we had for the place.

reviewed:
03/08/2008

pub features:(click on an icon to see an explanation)

real ales - Greene King

large beer garden

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