WHEN I asked my friend to The Swan Inn, Manningtree, she was adamant that it was an 'ugly duckling'. I was glad to prove her wrong, writes Stephanie Mackentyre. We were greeted by friendly smartly-dressed staff in a large...
WHEN I asked my friend to The Swan Inn, Manningtree, she was adamant that it was an 'ugly duckling'. I was glad to prove her wrong, writes Stephanie Mackentyre. We were greeted by friendly smartly-dressed staff in a large bar area adjacent to a comfy lounge with an open fire.Managed by Rosette-winning chef, Jason Shellum, I knew the menu would be exciting. We chose just two main courses although from the starters menu black pudding, crispy smoked bacon and crouton salad topped with a poached egg did sound very tempting. My pan-fried calves liver and crispy smoked bacon was served with a creamy mash and surrounded with a rich dark red wine jus. My friend's stuffed aubergine was filled with Italian mixed rice, served with new potatoes and a red pepper coulis and both were cooked to order and worth the wait. We declined the dessert menu, although the vanilla cheesecake served with a mixed berry coulis was hard to walk away from. If you fancy making a night of it, The Swan Inn offers six executive en suite rooms.
Useful to knowOur total bill came to �34.15 for two main courses with a tonic water, a dry white wine spritzer and two coffees. This is an independent review featuring a restaurant selected and experienced by our food and wine writer. The restaurant was not told it was being reviewed.
The Swan Inn & Restaurant15 Brook StreetManningtreeEssexCO11 1DR
01206 585066
