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Andrew Palmer
Group Editor
2:15 AM 13th August 2022
lifestyle

Weekend Dining: The Wild Swan at Minskip

 
Group Editor Andrew Palmer looked forward to reacquainting himself with a chef who he says knows how to subtly combine flavours.

Village names can be strange. Take Minskip near Boroughbridge, a name derived from the Old English ‘gemaenscipe’ meaning a community or communal holding.

One thing you don’t want to do however, is skip past this village because, and you heard it here first, I suspect it will not be long before The Wild Swan starts gaining AA Rosettes!

This country pub, which has been part of the community in Minskip for nearly 200 years, has over the past couple of years had a period of stopping and starting, but now its trajectory looks positively healthy with a new set of owners.

The Wild Swan has the right infrastructure: the exterior a typical façade and a modern interior that is elegant and welcoming with a light and airy ambience, the tables nicely spaced. The serving team and Maître ‘d are more than welcoming and attentive.

With everything in place, the next thing to do was to entice someone to take over the kitchen to ensure the dining experience was top notch; encouraging a chef whom I admire, Paul Murphy, to join them on their journey, is a boon.

And it’s not often that a restaurant reviewer gets to try the food of a favoured chef twice within a few months, but because Murphy’s reputation goes before him as a culinary master, and in my opinion, king of combining flavours, he was snapped up.

Murphy, who has only been in post for three weeks and also known for being adventurous in the kitchen, is experienced to understand that jumping in with a radical menu is not the right approach. He has opted, sensibly, to set about establishing the pub’s standing as a great dining experience.

His menu, changed every couple of weeks, takes pub classics to which he adds the ‘Murphy’ touch.

My companion and I found the menu accessible deciding we would try one pub classic and something different from the various choices.

Onion bhaji
Onion bhaji
The starters included: Tempura Tiger Prawns with sweet chilli sauce & mixed leaves (£8), Moules Mariniere white wine shallots thyme and sea herbs (£9), and a wild mushroom risotto with fresh mint and peas (£8) that sit along a beef cheek croquette beer mustard and bacon (£8). We chose the Onion Bhaji mango, cumin & coriander (£8) and the King Scallops Black pudding, Apple, Artichoke & smoked pancetta.

Scallops
Scallops
What a revelation! Let’s start with the bhaji first. Many would consider this quite heavy. However, it is the antithesis, Murphy has created an airy and fluffy, like a pumped-up pillow batter, skilfully spiced, with the best mango, cumin and coriander chutney, and apologies for the cliché but it’s true, the best I have tried. Having travelled extensively across the length and breadth of India, I would say it has an authentic taste. If I was an entrepreneur on Dragons’ Den, I would have no hesitation in taking Murphy’s recipe and bottling it for sale. So, what made this dish special? The light batter with black onion seeds sitting on a bed of pickled coleslaw well-seasoned giving it texture and freshness. The chutney, which is a combination of 30 flavours, has a tang to it that is heavenly. The three red chillies that he uses gives it a kick that will not blow your head off or send you grabbing for the water jug, it is refined and sophisticated with coriander and cumin playing a part in this delicious dish. The scallops were equally well-presented and tasty. The black pudding offered like small Pontefract cakes, was not over seasoned or strong and therefore the subtly of flavour played to the scallop. The artichoke a nice touch.

The wine list is excellent supplied by Yorkshire Vintners based in Ripon.

Whilst we are waiting for our mains to follow, we sipped a rather enjoyable Lebanese red, Hochar, Chateau Musar Bekka, its expressive and complex sweet ripe fruit, spicy and savoury elements proved to be an excellent choice. It’s unusual to see a red from this area of the world on a wine list in these parts and many people don’t try it; maybe because of price, but it is a fabulous area and a smooth wine, a great accompaniment for many dishes. It is aged in French oak barrels for six months. It’s also good to see a delightful selection of digestifs and dessert wines ranging from a Bordeaux to a Greek Samos Vin Doux.

If the starters were anything to go by the mains too were packed with flavour and perfect seasoning.

The mains included: Classic Fish Pie smoked haddock, cod & king prawns with parsley mash, parmesan crumb & seasonal greens (£19), Fish & Chips (£15) a stunning Frito Misto, Duo of Pork: belly & fillet, mash, toffee apple & mustard cream sauce (£19), Chicken breast & thigh scrumpet garlic & herb potato roast roots kale, wild mushroom & pancetta (£19) plus a nice take for vegetarians: roast cauliflower sweet potato, spiced grains, roast greens, hazelnuts & Kimchi (£15). For those who want to share there is a Chateaubriand Steak which includes a bottle of Merlot or Shiraz, halloumi, and skinny fries plus Sticky Roscoff onions. The specials included: Sesame Tuna Udon Noodles Dashi Broth Scallops mussels ginger & lemongrass and Pan-fried Seabass garlic prawns sauteed potatoes roasted tomatoes & Spinach

You can see it is a menu for every taste.

Steak Frites
Steak Frites
We opted for the Steak Frites tender bar steak with skinny fries (£19) and the venison haunch roast plums dauphinoise potatoes & celeriac puree (£24). The meat, once again supplied by R & J based in Kirby Malzeard, was excellent quality as is to be expected from this meat supplier.

The steak was cooked to perfection and if the earlier mango chutney was heavenly the peppercorn sauce, prepared by talented sous chef Frazer Ross was divine. This young chef will do well under the guidance of the accomplished Murphy. Ross was coy when I was guessing at his secret ingredient. Choosing to keep schtum. His smooth, tasty sauce, again with felicitously chosen components, could pair with Murphy’s chutney for bottling and selling. It’s delicate flavour and texture would be a surprise to many who have experienced something that is fuller with dominating black peppercorns that add nothing to flavour or texture. The fries were suitably seasoned, and the accompanying side salad had beautiful, tasty earth Lancashire tomatoes, and large shavings of a quality parmesan. Roscoff onions were a delightful accompaniment.

Haunch of Venison
Haunch of Venison
The venison was tender with a piquant plum sauce. The choice of wine went well with the meat and plums. The aroma of the dauphinoise potato had a familiarity about it that had one guessing at the ingredients. It was, thankfully, not sloppy, in fact it was precision through and through in preparation. Measured with meticulous accuracy and flawless in flavour. The undertones and nuances of flavour from the butternut squash, sweet potatoes, complemented the venison.

The Lemon Posset
The Lemon Posset
Again, the deserts had several pub classics: Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and homemade vanilla ice cream, (£8), Chocolate Brownie with aerated chocolate, honeycomb, and homemade ice cream (£8) Affogato (£9) and British cheeses (£11). We opted for the Lemon Posset with homemade shortbread (£8) and Pear and Frangipane Tart with crème Anglaise & summer Berries (£8).

Pear and Frangipane Tart with crème Anglaise
Pear and Frangipane Tart with crème Anglaise
The posset was lemony without the overbearing citrusy zest that often takes over a dessert, and the homemade shortbread delicious, complemented by some caramel chocolate infused with raspberries - a nice touch. The crème Anglaise for the pear tart was light, not overdone on the taste, and a wonderful surprise with toasted hazelnuts. Of all the dishes, the only one to score less than the others on points, as the pear needed to be a little stronger.

Overall, Murphy will undoubtedly make his mark. A confident chef who has honed his skill to include pub classics adding an inventive element.

My strong recommendation to anyone heading north on the A1 is leave junction 48 and turn left, it’s a stone’s throw; those from the north turn left and go round the roundabout, cross over the A1 and head straight for the Wild Swan at Minskip, because it is certainly worth skipping past Boroughbridge and heading to this cracking pub.


Outside pizza area
Outside pizza area
Main St, Minskip, York YO51 9JF
01423 326334
https://wildswan.pub/
Food: Monday to Thursday 12-2.45pm & 6-8.45pm
Friday & Saturday 12-8.45pm
Sunday 12-6pm

Pizzas & Sharing Platters Served All Day Monday to Thursday, 12-6pm Friday & Saturday, 3-6pm Sunday