Eat My Words: We review the Bull and Swan in Stamford
As someone who falls into the ‘Gen Z’ age bracket, I do my best to not live up to some of the annoying stereotypes.
‘Gen Z is addicted to technology.’ ‘You believe everything you see on social media.’ ‘Gen Z is scared to get out in the real world.’
Not true.
But when a juicy looking burger pops up on my social media feed it’s hard not to be ‘influenced’.
This is what led me on a visit to the Bull and Swan in High Street St Martin's, Stamford. After all, I was keen not to believe everything I see online!
Joined by my parents Tina and Mark, sister Millie and nana Charlotte, whose birthday it was, we booked an evening table for a celebratory meal.
Inside, it has a traditional English charm with wooden floors and beams. For a pub that is said to have once been a fancy gentlemen’s drinking club, the only clue to its pretentious past was the portraits of periwigged chaps adorning the exposed brick walls.
Although on our day of dining it was a bright summer evening, it is easy to imagine what a cosy spot it would be on a chilly winter’s day after a stroll around the nearby Burghley Park.
Have a look at our other Eat My Words reviews here
It was the whole family's first time visiting and as first impressions go, there were no complaints.
We were greeted by a friendly and attentive waitress, who to our surprise later told us she was on a trial shift, and placed our drinks orders.
As the designated drivers my sister and I had fizzy drinks, so I cannot speak to the Bull and Swan’s alcoholic offerings. But from what I saw the bottle of Merlot being shared by the others went down rather quickly.
It wasn’t until I’d polished off the pint of lemonade that I noticed a slight chip around the rim of the glass. One of the wine glasses was also watermarked, giving a dirty appearance as the light flooded in from the vast window we were sitting next to.
It didn’t bother us particularly, but it does lower the tone slightly.
Despite being a table of five, we did not tackle much of the menu. Our order consisted of three of The Bull burgers - for myself, my sister and dad - and two sirloin steaks and chips, one well done for my nana and the other medium for my mum. It may sound boring but blame my dad, he definitely passed on his burger-loving genes.
The Bull is described on the menu as two smashed patties, burger sauce, onions, bacon, baconnaise, American cheese, steamed brioche bun, gherkin, and Kofmann’s fries.
But the chef had not taken the bull by the horns when it came to the presentation…
A portion of fries slid around the plate, along with a couple of stray crumbs from the burger bun.
It looked more like a dish I would see at a canteen than the one making me drool on Instagram. Had we been bull-fished?
To my disappointment, there was not a hint of salad in sight on either of the dishes.
Now, this may have been our fault, as they aren’t actually listed on the menu as including any garnish. But, for £18.50 a burger and £26.50 for steak, I slightly begrudge paying an extra £6 for seasonal greens or a £5.50 house salad.
Despite these gripes, The Bull did hit the bullseye when it came to taste.
The juicy patties were cooked to perfection and the tasty lashings of sauce and melted cheese made it soft to eat.
It isn’t too often you find a burger made with patties outside of a fast food chain, but in my opinion they are superior. Less mess and the perfect burger to bun ratio.
According to my mum Tina, the spokesperson for the steak eaters, it was tasty but the fries lacked the rosemary flavour described on the menu. She said the medium steak was more on the well done side.
With all of our plates completely cleared of food, we pondered desert.
Orders of sticky toffee pudding sundae, English strawberry and crème pâtissière tart, and cookie dough, chocolate sauce, marshmallows, vanilla ice cream were sent to the kitchen as well as a cheese board (if you can call that a dessert).
In contrast to the mains, the desserts were all beautifully presented with an appearance which reflected just how tasty they were.
My dish, the warm cookie dough, was mouthwatering with melted chocolate chips and a gooey marshmallow in the centre.
I snuck a bite of my sister's strawberry tart which was refreshing and a perfect summer treat.
Out of five:
Food: They say never to judge a book by its cover, but with food we do tend to eat with our eyes first. With a little bit more attention to detail the Bull and Swan could go from a good meal out to a great one. There is no denying though that the food was delicious. ***
Drink: Although I would have loved a crisp glass of white wine, a lemonade was the next best thing when driving. ***
Decor: The decor in the Bull and Swan was spot on. It was cosy and clean. The old fashioned candles on the tables added a nice touch. ****
Staff: Brilliant! A warm greeting and extremely attentive throughout. I hope the waitress on the trial shift got the job as she is exactly the sort of person you want serving you ****
Price: I would like to see a bit more bang for your buck. Paying £18.50 for really good burger as a one-off treat is fine, but I would expect it to at least have a bit of garnish ***
Have you had a great meal? Share your own Eat My Words reviews or tell us where to try by emailing: news@lincsonline.co.uk
