Pub newcomers win top food award

A Cotswolds village pub, taken over by its new owners in 2008, wowed customers and industry judges alike to be named best restaurant in the Which? Good Food Guide.

The Swan at Southrop is run by Lana and Sebastian Snow, who previously operated the Snows on the Green restaurant in Hammersmith, west London.

The theme of the menu is modern British cooking and the Swan's menu focuses on seasonal produce from the local area. Set menus cost £13 (two courses) and £16 (three courses). There's a separate menu for Saturdays, including a specific brunch menu.

The pub was named the best in the south-west in a popular vote of independently-owned local restaurants, pubs or cafés. A total of 25,000 diners nominated businesses. The overall winner was picked from the 10 regional winners by a panel of judges.

Sebastian said weekly takings soared from around £6,000-£7,000 to £20,000 since they entered the pub, which is held on a private lease from the estate owners.

"It wasn't in our plan to run a pub in particular. The owners of the estate liked what we were doing in London and we were invited to take the business on."

The Guide's consultant editor Elizabeth Carter said: "We've been searching for a culinary gem that goes the extra mile for its customers and the Swan at Southrop exceeded our expectations.

"As well as the careful sourcing of local raw materials and quality cooking from Sebastian Snow, the friendly service and value for money make it the kind of place we all want at the end of our street."

Another pub won a regional prize: the Wiveton Bell in Wiveton, near Holt, Norfolk.