AN 18th century pub in Kirkby Stephen has been recognised for its delicious culinary offerings by a major beer brewer.
The Black Swan at Ravenstonedale has been awarded Estrella Damm’s prestigious Top 50 Gastropubs award.
The award commended the pub’s ‘enviable food offer’ which ‘revolves around locally sourced, seasonal Cumbrian dishes and hinges on strong relationships with local producers.’
Head chef, Scott Fairweather, said the award was ‘beyond his wildest dreams’ while The Black Swan’s owner, Louise Dinnes, said she was ‘very proud’.
“It’s absolutely fantastic, it’s beyond my wildest dreams,” said Mr Fairweather, who has worked at the pub for nearly five years.
“I’ve spent many many years trying to get on that list.
“We don’t focus on the awards as a primary target, it’s more about keeping the customers happy every time they come but the award is a nice little reward for all the staff.
“Thank you, not just to the awards but to our suppliers and all our customers as well.
“We’ve managed to build something quite special over the past five years.”
Ms Dinnes added: “We’re very proud.
“It’s an amazing award because it is voted for by the trade.”
Mr Fairweather said the award, voted on by industry experts, was a well-timed boost for the business, which recently reopened for outdoor dining in the pub’s courtyard.
“Especially after the last year it’s certainly going to help,” he said.
“The awards don’t come first and foremost but they do get you the recognition.”
The new outdoor set up has proved very popular with customers, according to the chef.
“It’s been very good doing just the outdoor dining,” said Mr Fairweather.
“We’ve changed things around because we’d like to be seen to be making an effort.
“We are a healthy business and we’re here to stay.
“We’ve converted an area in our courtyard, and it’s been really popular.
“We’ve gone with a courtyard bistro, with a very French classical basis to it with our seasonal twist.
“We’ll stick with that when we open inside and merge it with our old menu.
“So it’s going to be super simple and hyper seasonal and we will change things depending on what produce is best.”
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