The Swan at Southrop

The Swan has stood beside Southrop’s village green since 1606 and remains the sort of pub every village would like to call its own.

It’s part of the wider Thyme estate and merges genuine local character with a kitchen supplied with some of the finest produce in the Cotswolds. Ingredients arrive from Thyme’s gardens, farm and orchards, giving the menu a direct connection to its surrounding landscape.

The cooking is seasonal and unfussy. Pub favourites include steak au poivre and frites, and braised lamb shoulder with peas and salsa verde. As elsewhere across the estate, the focus is firmly on the quality of the ingredients rather than unnecessary embellishment.

Low beams, open fires and higgledy-piggledy furniture create an atmosphere that feels comfortably lived-in rather than designed. Locals gather for a pint, estate guests wander over for supper and walkers stop in after exploring the surrounding countryside.

The outcome is a pub that remains central to village life while benefitting from the produce, hospitality and attention to detail of one of the region’s most admired estates.