The White Horse - Central Bedfordshire

For Sunday lunch, I had the pleasure of dining with David and Maggie, a speed boat designer from the 60s who knew Donald Campbell, and the first female LGV1 instructor in the UK. David shared stories of nearly tipping over a tipper truck with a live load, while Maggie reminisced about her breakfasts at Wally's Cafe and Sunday treats at Eddie French's farm. I learned the trade of LGV1 driving from Bert French of Big Wheelers in Reading, who always reminded me to think of Yorkie Bars. As a teenager, I spent nights fishing by the river Ousel, where only minnows and bullheads could be found. My passion for angling and dissecting animals for study continued into my late teenage years. The River Ousel holds special memories for me, as it is where my Dad caught his first pike, which we proudly carried home.

Decided to stop in for lunch as we were passing by, but we only ended up ordering drinks as the place seemed run down. We were disappointed with the warm beer and overall appearance of the pub and gardens. We won't be coming back, despite the nice exterior.

Won’t be returning, the landlord seems to think the pub is his front room, whilst sitting at the bar getting merrily drunk with a five year old running riot. The people that run The White Swan need to have an understanding of customer service, which unfortunately they don’t seem to.

Came in for the Saturday “Thai Kitchen” evening for the 2nd time and wanted to leave a review of the great food and service received. Very friendly welcome into the pub, drinks order taken and shown to our table. Food order taken (set menu but were happy to make tweaks at our request). Every single dish on the menu tonight was delicious and all tasted beautifully fresh and authentic. We were given plenty of time between courses (at our request) no rushed feeling that they want you in and out that you sometimes get at restaurants. This is a great little ‘pop-up’ type dining experience and great to be able to get it on your doorstep. We hope you get the support required to continue this.

The pub is quite big inside, but despite this, we were only given the option of sitting at one of two tables. The rest of the pub was almost empty. The tables were uncomfortably close to a group of three already there, making it difficult to sit comfortably. It seemed silly to be so cramped when the rest of the pub was so empty. My husband tried the fish and chips, which he found to be okay, but I opted for the vegetable lasagna, which was both small in portion size and lacking in flavor. Disappointed by the main course, we decided to skip dessert. When we got home, I ended up making myself a sandwich because I was still hungry. The lady tending the bar, who also served our food, was attentive, but overall the food could definitely use some improvement.