I recently visited another pub in this neck of the woods which was possibly the most uninviting place you could possibly imagine.

Well, The White Swan couldn’t be more different – this place is so picturesque it could feature quite happily on a chocolate box.

But, whilst The Badger looked like a hellhole, it turned out to be surprisingly inviting and convivial, so appearances can be deceptive.

And so it proved with the White Swan at Ash. It looked fantastic, but the reception was as frosty as the fridges sitting behind the bar.

I can forgive the barmaid for not being the sharpest tool in the toolbox, but there’s no excuse for rudeness.

For the first ten minutes I was completely ignored and after that she served every single local ahead of me, no matter where they were in the queue.

Then, to add insult to injury, at the request of the locals, she started putting the pints she’d already pulled into the fridges behind her to keep them cool while they popped out for a fag.

The Badger was slaughtered on social media but turned out to be okay. The White Swan gets glowing praise online, but is about as welcoming as a Rottweiler with attitude, which is also a fair description of the barmaid.

That said, the pub was pretty full, though everybody knew everybody else, if you know what I mean.

Likewise, the dining room was fairly busy, though again I would suggest no-one had travelled too far to eat here and a lot of them seemed to have arrived in the white vans parked outside.

Inside, like the exterior, the pub looks the part and special mention should go to the smoking area and the ‘chase the ace’ game on the wall where you could win £500 just for drinking at a quiet time of the week.

At this point a particularly feisty-looking woman walked through the front door with her two children and demanded to know where her fella had been all this time?

I took this as a hint it was time to leave myself.

All in all, The White Swan flatters to deceive and unless you’ve lived within walking distance for at least five years I wouldn’t bother if I was you. I can’t help wondering if the clientele that once infested The Badger haven’t take flight and landed at The White Swan.     

The White Swan, The Row, Ash Road, Ash TN15 7HJ

Decor: **** (From the outside this one could feature on a chocolate box)

Drink: *** (the usual suspects were all available)

Price: *** (reasonable enough)

Atmosphere: ** (not particularly welcoming)

Staff: ** (focused on the locals)