The Black Swan Ockham

We lunched at the Black Swan after a delightful two hour walk along the banks of the way.
The menu was innovative and quite extensive, and there were plenty of tempting dishes to choose from. We made one unappealing choice which was the sole. We asked if this was Dover or Lemon Sole and were told that it was a Megrim Sole: no, I hadn’t heard of it either! However it turns out to be a somewhat distant cousin of the Dover and Lemon sole and is plentiful in the waters off Cornwall. It is cheap to purchase and there is a reason that it has not surfaced before on menus around the country as, to our palates, it both appeared and tasted unappealing in texture and flavour. It does not warrant the £24 price. Otherwise, the food was delicious!
The service at the Black Swan was excellent, and a big “thank you” to Jo who was charming, professional, and diligent!

This was my first visit to the Black Swan and I had heard some good reports about it. Whilst the service was reasonably quick and friendly, the food was distinctly average. I had the calamari for starter which had too much breadcrumbs and not enough seafood. For main, I had the burger, which consisted of 2 small patties (a children's meal has one of the same burger patties - it would have been cheaper to have ordered 2 children's meal for myself). I was expecting something more substantial and I've had better burgers at places like Gourmet Burger Kitchen. The only savour was the apple crumble dessert which tasted pretty good and was a decent sized portion.

In summary, nothing specific to complain about, but nothing to write home about either. However, when you then consider the price, I would definitely feel that the food is overpriced and poor value for money. If I'm going to pay those prices, which I'm happy to do, then I expect something above average.

Although we went in the evening, the setting and location is lovely and I would go there for a Sunday afternoon drink, but would not be a hurry to eat there again until they 'upped their game' somewhat.

Sign up To NHS track and trace or you don’t get in. I didn’t go in

This is one of our absolute favourite places, the food has always been incredible and it’s such a beautiful setting. We were celebrating a very special occasion which was made even more special by the outstanding service and thoughtful personal touches. Can not recommend this place enough.

Another fantastic meal at the Black Swan, and such brilliant service from Jo. We had a great time celebrating a family birthday.

The Black Swan has been one of our favourite destinations over the summer. Moving inside however the service was quite slow, the children’s meal was covered in salt and the lit fire had made the pub very smoky. We all had to change when we got home. Hopefully just teething problems moving inside.

very fast service, good partitions between tables, lovely smell coming from the fireplace, which was a nice feature

Good food and service.

Thanks to Sam our waiter, very charming and polite.

Very nice food though portion size varied quite a lot amongst our range of mains. Dessert was delicious. It is pricey. Other than that the only real downside was catching them on the night of a powercut such that the restaurant was pretty cold (ate with our coats on and still cold) but prob not a lot they could do about it.
Very nice waitress serving us.

Despite arriving in plenty of time for our booking, we were sat at our table for 1:15pm the food took an age to arrive. We ordered a couple of “nibbles” dishes and one starter. The olives arrived after about 15minutes but the sourdough bread and the starter arrived at 2:15pm an hour after we had taken our seats. They basically forgot about those items.
The food was ok but was in our opinion well overpriced and to be fair not worth the money. £10 odd for a club sandwich which turned out to be a bread roll with the food stuffed in it and with a handful of skinny fries. Unless you want to pay through the nose for standard food then go somewhere else. Also not much choice.

My friend and I had a lovely meal in a familiar setting, not my first visit and it wont be my last.

this was our second visit this month, it was raining so we sat inside. The environment felt safe, staff were all wearing masks.
The food was delicious, the staff were very friendly and efficient. Will be going back again soon.

We haven’t been for ages but it was lovely to be back. Covid caused some issues as although table was booked for 1330 & we were warned not to be late or stay longer than 90min we queued until 1405 for our table and then waited 35min for 2 warm ciabatta sarnies. Apart from that the food was yummy, staff pleasant and the garden was clean and tidy.

Lovely day,were able to eat outside and everything from arrival to end was extremely well managed. Staff very friendly and helpful and food very good. Would definitely recommend.

Had a really good lunch. Would highly recommend. Only issue was the measures to record necessary data for covid could have been taken quicker or explained beforehand.

Lovely staff, we felt very safe with their covid precautions . Food was good and we still received the £10 pp discount . A good evening

The location and ambiance of the place was top class.
The food was good, but I must confess that my order was fish and chips, and it really should not have taken that long to be ready.
The servers seemed that they would rather have been doing something else with their time, and their mannerisms were cold and impersonal.

Lovely food, great atmosphere!!! Couldn’t want more.

Beautiful sunny day - service was just very very slow but polite and helpful but everything took way too long!- we were there for 2 hours to have some crushed avocado mac.n.cheese as one course and then ice cream - otherwise lovely place lovely staff and usually enjoy coming here.

One thing I didn’t like at all was being charger over £5 for a TOMATO juice! I wasn’t even asked if I want a large glass or small glass I was brought a glass and then charged for 2 when I questioned it they said that’s how much they charge for a big glass. I didn’t make too much of a fuss but that is unacceptable to make that decision for the customer bring me a big glass and charge me twice without asking me.

The service was fab but unfortunately the beef (£18) was very grissly and chewy. The roasts were a good size but just a shame about the beef. I mentioned it to the waitress but nothing was done. There was a DJ in the garden on the Sunday. The music was upbeat and every one seemed to be having a good time. Lovely setting but wouldn’t be returning for an expensive roast any time soon. Bit of a shame.

Sunday roast was good, but suspect the roast potatoes were just frozen and deep fried. Other than that, staff were great and the location is spectacular.

The venue and the meal were very good. We enjoyed our visit.

Three if us out of six had roast beef as a main. It was poor. Loads of gristle and fatty edges. The taste however was good. Bot good value for £18 plus 12.5%.
Service was ok but fragmented because we were served by 3 or 4 different people.

Fantastic pub with wonderful food. We sat inside on a fairly sunny day (due to the kids feeling a bit chilly). Inside lacked atmosphere and felt a little cold unfortunately. It may be better when slightly busier. Would definitely recommend.

Superb food and service as always. Lovely day. Thank you.

Another first class visit to The Black Swan. Looking forward to visiting again.

We arrived promptly and were looked after and served very quickly considering the number of people turning up, that was amazing. Also the roast lunch we had was proper Sunday lunch, I cannot cook anything
Ike that so it was a real treat. Also as service was so good, we were on out way within the allotted time, which suited us fine as we had doggies waiting at home for any leftovers! We were also provided with a doggie bag - well done.

Lovely food, lovely location and friendly service
Thanks!

Our local. We enjoyed a lovely evening, always warmly welcomed.

Service was good and social distancing was fine.
Very loud table next to us which was irritating but not The Black Swan's fault.

My wife and I had the Charter - not much meat and pastry was horrible.

Covid-19 compliant, lots of room to dine inside. Excellent food and service.

Lovely dog friendly pub that felt very safe. Service was professional and efficient. Food was well prepared and tasted very nice.

Great chicken pie, lovely outside area, attentive staff

Nice setting, but disappointed with Quality of food. The vegan burger and fish n chips very poor

Very good observance of Covid rules made us feel safe at all times.Service was good and food was great (as usual)

Delicious! Great service and totally covid friendly. What a lovely gastropub in the Surrey countryside. We came across it by chance and have been back twice in one week! The tidy, manicured hedges and extensive outdoor seating area are very attractive as you arrive. The staff are very courteous and friendly. The menu is creative and full of seasonal produce using fresh ingredients and cooked really well. On my first visit, I enjoyed the sardines and squid with fried broccoli spears side and my H had the prawn linguine which was a generous and tasty serving. On my second visit, I have the fish dish again with a lovely fresh burrata and cherry tomatoes. Our friend said that his battered cod and chips were the best fish and chips he had ever eaten. Praise indeed from a real foodie. The Apple crumble and custard was great as was the Lemon tart of the day. We are so glad we found this place and have recommended it to several friends already. We have been lucky with the weather and sat outside. Inside, it looks like it will make a comfortable and spacious favourite for the winter months ahead. So, in summary, The Black Swan Ockham has a great location; attractive grounds and interior; polite, helpful and friendly staff; and clearly a talented chef.

Often come here for just a drink so thought we’d book a meal. All hygiene rules were observed and we felt comfortable and safe. The service was very good. The food was also very good but felt it was rather overpriced.

We stopped here for dinner on Wednesday evening and it was one of the best meals out I have had in a long time. The staff were all very polite and attentive and I will definitely be returning.

We waited at least 20minutes before some one came and took our drink order, then we didn’t get everything we asked for.
The burgers were gristly

Very friendly staff.Weather good,so able to eat outside.Attentive service and delicious food.
Will definitely eat here again and recommend it to our friends