THE WHITE SWAN - Station Road, Bosham

We took a rather prolonged rout to our destination today. We were prevented from reaching our prime objective by a closed road with no diversion. Dad then remembered a pub which wasn't too far away, but that seems to have turned in to a housing estate. Determined not to be detached from our destiny, we carried on, eventually arriving at Bosham. The last time we attempted a trip to The White Swan, we arrived to see the roof being removed. We are happy to report that today, the roof was firmly in place.

First impressions we are told, count for a lot. Our first impression upon entering was good. The bar is light and clean, with a recently refurbished feel about it. Nice wooden floors and nice wooden tables, forming that blend between contemporary and rustic which so many pubs strive for now a days. Although the pub wasn't busy, it seemed the staff had their hands full, and we had to wait a little while, but we were acknowledged and told someone would be with us shortly. We were told to take a table and that our drinks would be brought over, and indeed they were.

The menu read quite well. Presenting meals which appealed, (I like that), without really setting fire to your imagination. A main course here is between £10 and £15, most falling between the £10 and £12 mark. There were also a few offerings on the specials board, but nothing that jumped out. The pie of the day was pork in a cider cream, that was good enough to get Dad's vote. I was seduced by the supreme of chicken, and there's a little story about that. I can at times be a little bit fussy, but I also think it the mark of a good pub to accommodate such irritants as myself, at least to a point. I asked if I could have the chicken without the bacon, and with chips instead of new potatoes. I was delighted to discover that this was no problem at all, and I'm sure that made all concerned feel much better about themselves, you have to love a happy ending.

I should also mention that we asked for some garlic bread to start with, only to find out that it wasn't on the menu. After a quick word with the kitchen, our waitress informed us that the chef would make us some anyway, so far so good. After our garlic bread had come and gone, it was on to the main event. Dad's pie was a proper, solid pie. Home made with short crust pastry, a self contained little pastry parcel. My chicken arrived, and it looked lovely, but there was a slight issue. My wish for chips had been granted, only to be taken away. My chicken had made it's short journey from the kitchen in the company of.....new potatoes. I genuinely wasn't that bothered though, so in the best English tradition, I didn't say anything. The chicken was well cooked, the potatoes were as nice as new potatoes can be, and the stilton sauce was tasty, and had just enough stilton in it. As luck would have it, Dad's pie was accompanied by chips, and he kindly offered me a few so I didn't miss out. They were good and certainly homemade, they could maybe have been slightly crisper. We also had a bowl of vegetables to share. The bowl in question contained cabbage, carrots and runner beans, all of which were cooked well.

This may not have been our destination when we set out, but we often believe that we are guided by fait's foodie hand. We can happily tick off another pub from our list, and report that we thoroughly enjoyed our food. This is a nice looking pub inside, our waitress was very good, the prices are about right, the music playlist was spot on and the food was good. Can't say fairer than that.

Atmosphere          7

Service                 8

Food                    8

Value                   7.5

Verdict                 4*