Minskip's Wild Swan to fly high this year

The historic Wild Swan at Minskip, near Boroughbridge is looking forward to a stellar 2023 after a magnificent Christmas and New Year.

Owners Stephen Lennox and Alex Bond are now targeting the next 12 months to build upon the Wild Swan’s excellent reputation by investing in the business, expanding and enhancing its menus for lunch and dinner, creating an outdoor garden area and by catering for private and corporate parties.

Alex commented: “We are delighted that our beautifully refurbished inn has become a staple on the North Yorkshire restaurant scene with an exuberant menu which cleverly works between the boundaries of classical pub food and A La Carte gastronomy, crafted by a kitchen team led by Paul Murphy, one of Yorkshire’s most talented chefs. Paul works hand in hand with General Manager Nathan Wake to ensure our food is delivered with impeccable service.
“We had a tremendous festive season. Christmas Day lunch was fully booked, with all 60 covers taken, and we had to turn people away. New Year’s Eve was busy, too, with a special Minskip Evening of Magic hosted by brilliant magician Rob Hutchinson.

“We love adding something extra to special evenings such as specialist menus, or entertainment to improve the experience. The success of going the extra mile shows with revenue 70 per cent up this year on the same period for 2021.

“But it is vitally important to look forwards, not back. We have launched an exciting new seasonal menu for this year packed full of great local Yorkshire produce, which will cater for a wide audience.

“Our main menu will have A La Carte dishes with a superb choice of meats, fish, and vegetarian options for special dinners out, whilst also catering for guests who want to pop in for a quick bite at lunch with a local Yorkshire ale.

“We are now also hosting bespoke corporate and private parties for up to 15 people within our private dining space. We’ve worked closely with clients to design specialist menus across evenings and lunches fit for any occasion, and we’ve had excellent feedback from private events we’ve already held.”
The Wild Swan also has a new addition heading into the spring, an intimate outdoor garden area with its own dedicated bar. It is the picture-perfect suntrap, set between the rear of the historic inn and a characterful disused mill.

Newly paved with Indian stone, it is wonderfully styled with comfy outdoor furniture set under string lights; perfect for enjoying an al fresco dinner outside with a few cocktails. There is also a woodfired pizza oven adding another option for diners.

Alex commented: “We are very proud of the new garden. It really will be a great place for customers to while away the hours of an afternoon / evening through spring and summer with some terrific summer inspired drinks, and the delights our ever-changing seasonal menus.

“In addition, we have woodfired pizzas available to customers which proved a great success in previous years. We have also received bookings for outdoor bespoke garden parties for all types of celebrations which is another offering we look forward to hosting for our customers.”