About the Editor
“The Travel Editor of The Telegraph has asked me to stay in a few hotels and write reviews about them,” Paddy told me, “and take you!” I spent the next eighteen years as ‘my husband’, never named, driver, bag carrier and shower tester. When we had travelled enough motorway miles, slept in enough hotel beds and eaten in enough restaurants, Paddy and I decided that a website using journalists’ hotel reviews to describe the hotels would be popular and useful. I am delighted you are a reader and hope that you might become a contributor by writing to us.White Swan
Pickering, North Yorkshire, Northeast
20 July 1996
Paddy Burt
A HEARTY WELCOME IN HEARTBEAT COUNTRY
The White Swan Inn
16th century inn
Vintage four poster bedroom
Courtyard
Vintage inn suite
Paddy and her husband stayed at this pub in 1996. So you might think that the review which appears below is a bit out of date.
The young man, Victor, is now the owner and the White Swan is featured in the 2011 edition of The Good Food Guide. Since 1996 they have been visited and written about by many more journalists including Jay Rayner and Tom Parker-Bowles. There is a review in The Times written by Vincent Crump in 2005 which reads like the next episode of the soap opera after the one Paddy wrote.
There are one or two interesting historical references, like ‘avocado pear’, which nobody would write or say today and MGBs were classic cars which were affordable. The baby, the 'star turn of the week' must now be a teenager. (we'd love to know what happened to him or her).
Heartbeat was filmed on location in and around the area. It was first shown in April 1992, but set in the sixties; it was then the television highlight of the week.
In spite of being sent up a bit, Victor comes out of this quite well. The interview you can read if you click '... and now' will tell you how things have changed and what you can expect to find if you stay and dine at The White Swan today.
The young man, Victor, is now the owner and the White Swan is featured in the 2011 edition of The Good Food Guide. Since 1996 they have been visited and written about by many more journalists including Jay Rayner and Tom Parker-Bowles. There is a review in The Times written by Vincent Crump in 2005 which reads like the next episode of the soap opera after the one Paddy wrote.
There are one or two interesting historical references, like ‘avocado pear’, which nobody would write or say today and MGBs were classic cars which were affordable. The baby, the 'star turn of the week' must now be a teenager. (we'd love to know what happened to him or her).
Heartbeat was filmed on location in and around the area. It was first shown in April 1992, but set in the sixties; it was then the television highlight of the week.
In spite of being sent up a bit, Victor comes out of this quite well. The interview you can read if you click '... and now' will tell you how things have changed and what you can expect to find if you stay and dine at The White Swan today.
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This is what Paddy wrote in The Daily Telegraph on 20th July 1996
I’d been told that The White Swan in Pickering was run by a wine buff known as “the ebullient Deirdre”. No ordinary wine buff either: Dame de la Jurade de Saint Emilion, no less.
So where’s Deirdre? Here’s a young man who is nothing like a dame, although he deserves ten out of ten for ebullience. Make that eleven.
Belting us upstairs, he opens a top floor door and marches us straight to the smallest room: “This is the only bathroom in the hotel where you can sit on the loo and see the whole of the North Yorkshire moors,” he declares without drawing breath. When we fall about he remains commendably straight-faced. And no, he doesn’t charge extra for loos with views.
Our room is small, pleasant and rather ordinaire, except for the folksy mobcap lights, which strike a discordant note. As does the clock radio. “Only an hour slow,” remarks my husband. “Maybe they don’t have British Summer Time in Yorkshire?” I suggest.
Downstairs in the 'snug' - as opposed to a tiny, jam-packed bar – we meet a couple with a carrycot from which contented sucking noises emanate. The motherly waitress, having taken our order, cannot resist a peep. “That baby’s been star turn all week,” she exclaims. The parents nod, should anyone be surprised?
I’d been told that The White Swan in Pickering was run by a wine buff known as “the ebullient Deirdre”. No ordinary wine buff either: Dame de la Jurade de Saint Emilion, no less.
So where’s Deirdre? Here’s a young man who is nothing like a dame, although he deserves ten out of ten for ebullience. Make that eleven.
Belting us upstairs, he opens a top floor door and marches us straight to the smallest room: “This is the only bathroom in the hotel where you can sit on the loo and see the whole of the North Yorkshire moors,” he declares without drawing breath. When we fall about he remains commendably straight-faced. And no, he doesn’t charge extra for loos with views.
Our room is small, pleasant and rather ordinaire, except for the folksy mobcap lights, which strike a discordant note. As does the clock radio. “Only an hour slow,” remarks my husband. “Maybe they don’t have British Summer Time in Yorkshire?” I suggest.
Downstairs in the 'snug' - as opposed to a tiny, jam-packed bar – we meet a couple with a carrycot from which contented sucking noises emanate. The motherly waitress, having taken our order, cannot resist a peep. “That baby’s been star turn all week,” she exclaims. The parents nod, should anyone be surprised?
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Now that charmer we met earlier- Victor – is bounding towards us, complete with bottle in bucket. Opening it, he presents Pouilly Fuisse with a flourish. “But we asked for Tokay Pinot Gris.
He’s only momentarily abashed. “Don’t worry. I’ve got Pinot Gris in the fridge – it’s my current favourite.” Maybe: though mightn’t it have been better to check the bottle before opening it?
He returns, slightly less ebullient. “Er, I was wrong. I’m afraid your Tokay Pinot Gris isn’t as cold as it should be…” We taste and agree.
“You seem to be a wine buff,” my husband suggests. “No, my mother’s the expert.” “And where is your mother?” I ask nosily. “She’s retired. I’ve taken over.” Ah.
Warm wine or not, this is a classy sort of pub. In the St Emilion Room, or Restaurant St Posh, it’s all starchy damask cloths and pots of agapanthus on each table. “Aga –what?” asks my husband. “A species of lily,” I say. “lovely but they cost a bomb,” I add, having recently paid an outrageous price for two at a garden c entre.
As for food, we have decided to bypass the whole Whitby lobster experience in favour of avocado pear and Whitby crab tian with pesto mayonnaise and salad of smoked goose breast with melange of citrus fruits and garden mint. Both are tasty and immaculately presented. We also like the blonde waitress who’s well trained and not prone to unnecessary chat.
While I have been known to moan about the sauces, the difference between the delicious pimento one accompanying my steamed breast of chicken(stuffed with duxelles and served with buttered tagliatelle) is that it’s an integral part of the dish, not some ready made concoction added to justify the price. Ditto my husband’s pork tenderloin with caramelised apples and a green peppercorn-and-port cream sauce. “Perfect.” He’s smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
Victor, meanwhile, darts back and forth. Forgetting its inauspicious start, he bowls over and snatches our wine from its cooler. “Is there some left?” I ask. “A soupcon,” he replies. Like all good bosses, I guess Victor likes to have the last word.
For coffee we squeeze into the bar described as the 'strong heartbeat of our hotel and restaurant'. (Just in case you didn’t know, Heartbeat was filmed near here.) Over in the corner, a group of chaps from London are conversing quietly. “Stag party?” whispers the girl at the bar. Really? They’re frightfully well behaved. The mystery is solved next morning when I discover the leader of the pack owns an MGB – MGB owners are always well behaved. I should know; I own one.
But I digress. Apart from the indifferent juice, breakfast is wonderfully civilised – starched cloths and napkins again. A wee suggestion though: how about putting cafetieres or jugs of coffee on the tables so that people don't have to wait for more to be offered?
He’s only momentarily abashed. “Don’t worry. I’ve got Pinot Gris in the fridge – it’s my current favourite.” Maybe: though mightn’t it have been better to check the bottle before opening it?
He returns, slightly less ebullient. “Er, I was wrong. I’m afraid your Tokay Pinot Gris isn’t as cold as it should be…” We taste and agree.
“You seem to be a wine buff,” my husband suggests. “No, my mother’s the expert.” “And where is your mother?” I ask nosily. “She’s retired. I’ve taken over.” Ah.
Warm wine or not, this is a classy sort of pub. In the St Emilion Room, or Restaurant St Posh, it’s all starchy damask cloths and pots of agapanthus on each table. “Aga –what?” asks my husband. “A species of lily,” I say. “lovely but they cost a bomb,” I add, having recently paid an outrageous price for two at a garden c entre.
As for food, we have decided to bypass the whole Whitby lobster experience in favour of avocado pear and Whitby crab tian with pesto mayonnaise and salad of smoked goose breast with melange of citrus fruits and garden mint. Both are tasty and immaculately presented. We also like the blonde waitress who’s well trained and not prone to unnecessary chat.
While I have been known to moan about the sauces, the difference between the delicious pimento one accompanying my steamed breast of chicken(stuffed with duxelles and served with buttered tagliatelle) is that it’s an integral part of the dish, not some ready made concoction added to justify the price. Ditto my husband’s pork tenderloin with caramelised apples and a green peppercorn-and-port cream sauce. “Perfect.” He’s smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
Victor, meanwhile, darts back and forth. Forgetting its inauspicious start, he bowls over and snatches our wine from its cooler. “Is there some left?” I ask. “A soupcon,” he replies. Like all good bosses, I guess Victor likes to have the last word.
For coffee we squeeze into the bar described as the 'strong heartbeat of our hotel and restaurant'. (Just in case you didn’t know, Heartbeat was filmed near here.) Over in the corner, a group of chaps from London are conversing quietly. “Stag party?” whispers the girl at the bar. Really? They’re frightfully well behaved. The mystery is solved next morning when I discover the leader of the pack owns an MGB – MGB owners are always well behaved. I should know; I own one.
But I digress. Apart from the indifferent juice, breakfast is wonderfully civilised – starched cloths and napkins again. A wee suggestion though: how about putting cafetieres or jugs of coffee on the tables so that people don't have to wait for more to be offered?
And now...
Pickering is an ideal base explore the glorious North Yorkshire Moors, some of the most breathtaking and unspoilt parts of England –picture perfect villages, historic monuments, breathtaking vistas and warm friendly Yorkshire folk are all waiting for you! Discover what North Yorkshire has to offer on foot. Whether it is a short stroll or an all day expedition we can point you in the right direction and we can even make you a packed lunch.
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside… and we are, much closer than you might think.
Anti-litter charity Keep Britain Tidy has announced that this year Yorkshire has 17 award-winning beaches, including five which have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag which recognises those coastal destinations with the highest standards of water quality, cleanliness, safety and environmental management.
Among the five, the popular holiday resorts of Hornsea and Withernsea have regained their Blue Flags, whilst Scarborough North, Whitby and Filey have all retained their Blue Flag status and Bridlington North just narrowly missing out.
Many of the region’s other beaches were very highly rated too, with 15 of them receiving coveted Quality Coast Awards (QCAs) which recognise and reward beaches that achieve the highest standards of beach management. Among the 15 are Bridlington North and South, Barmston, and Fraisthorpe in East Yorkshire and Robin Hoods Bay, Sandsend and Runswick Bay in North Yorkshire – giving Yorkshire a higher concentration of QCAs than any other region in the UK.
and also
Some hotels leave dogs out in the cold when it comes to their policy on accepting dogs. We believe it's not a real holiday unless ALL the family get to experience it, that’s why dogs are invited to The White Swan Inn too. Dogs (and cats have been welcomed too) can enjoy their time with you in the bar, lounge and bedrooms at The White Swan. Pickering is an excellent base for endless walks – we can help you and your dog plan your days exploring the best North Yorkshire has to offer.
The Michelin Guide is celebrating 100 years of the 'Guide Great Britain and Ireland' The White Swan Inn is one of 30 establishments that have been consistently good enough to have been in both the 1911 and the 2011editions of The Guide.
North Yorkshire is a walkers paradise. It has around 10,000 km of public rights of way. We have information and printed walking routes for guests to head out and take advantage of the area’s outstanding natural beauty on foot.
In July 2011 The White Swan was shortlisted in the small hotel/townhouse of the year category by Welcome to Yorkshire in their White Rose awards scheme.
Oh we do like to be beside the seaside… and we are, much closer than you might think.
Anti-litter charity Keep Britain Tidy has announced that this year Yorkshire has 17 award-winning beaches, including five which have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag which recognises those coastal destinations with the highest standards of water quality, cleanliness, safety and environmental management.
Among the five, the popular holiday resorts of Hornsea and Withernsea have regained their Blue Flags, whilst Scarborough North, Whitby and Filey have all retained their Blue Flag status and Bridlington North just narrowly missing out.
Many of the region’s other beaches were very highly rated too, with 15 of them receiving coveted Quality Coast Awards (QCAs) which recognise and reward beaches that achieve the highest standards of beach management. Among the 15 are Bridlington North and South, Barmston, and Fraisthorpe in East Yorkshire and Robin Hoods Bay, Sandsend and Runswick Bay in North Yorkshire – giving Yorkshire a higher concentration of QCAs than any other region in the UK.
and also
Some hotels leave dogs out in the cold when it comes to their policy on accepting dogs. We believe it's not a real holiday unless ALL the family get to experience it, that’s why dogs are invited to The White Swan Inn too. Dogs (and cats have been welcomed too) can enjoy their time with you in the bar, lounge and bedrooms at The White Swan. Pickering is an excellent base for endless walks – we can help you and your dog plan your days exploring the best North Yorkshire has to offer.
The Michelin Guide is celebrating 100 years of the 'Guide Great Britain and Ireland' The White Swan Inn is one of 30 establishments that have been consistently good enough to have been in both the 1911 and the 2011editions of The Guide.
North Yorkshire is a walkers paradise. It has around 10,000 km of public rights of way. We have information and printed walking routes for guests to head out and take advantage of the area’s outstanding natural beauty on foot.
In July 2011 The White Swan was shortlisted in the small hotel/townhouse of the year category by Welcome to Yorkshire in their White Rose awards scheme.
Editor's Choice
White Swan
Paddy and her husband stayed at this pub in 1996. So you might think that the review which appears below is a bit out...
Paddy and her husband stayed at this pub in 1996. So you might think that the review which appears below is a bit out...