A GASTRO PUB THAT'S PART OF THE CITY'S HISTORY

THE WHITE SWAN - LEEDS'S THEATRE PUB

Tucked away between Briggate and Lands Lane in the cobbled Swan Street is one of the city’s hidden gems.

What springs to mind immediately is The City Varieties – the famous music hall and the oldest working theatre in the country – but would it have not been for the landlord of the White Swan in the mid 1800’s the theatre would never have existed.

The inn dates back to the mid-1700’s and above the pub, in the 1800’s, was a singing room the start of the theatrical tradition in Swan Street.

The theatre was founded by local pub landlord and benefactor Charles Thornton as an adjunct to the White Swan Inn following on from the singing room.

The ‘Verts’ as its lovingly known to many was originally called Thornton’s New Music Hall and Fashionable Lounge and later changed to the White Swan Varieties before eventually becoming the City Palace of Varieties.

Both the White Swan and the theatre are still very much of the city’s heritage and if you haven’t visited the White Swan then you are missing out on part of Leeds’s history and also an amazingly good gastro pub that serves amazing food.

Whether it’s a pub lunch, a snack, a pre-theatre or post work drink – not forgetting Sunday lunch The White Swan is perfection.

The outside is welcoming and has both heaters, a canopy and comfortable seats and tables and there’s a nostalgic blast from the past feeling as you sit in the cobbled street that is Swan Street – close your eyes and you could be back in Edwardian times!

Once inside I can honestly say that no other vintage gastro pub has been as meticulously planned as The White Swan inside to retain its air of pure nostalgia. On the walls are reminders of its strong theatrical connections with posters dating back to the era of music hall and more recent shows of the 50’s,60’s and 70’s.

Set on different levels the eating areas are more than well planned giving a spacious feel with only a few tables in each area some of which face onto Swan Street. The mis-matached 50’s dining chairs, a grand piano and a large stocked bookcase add an intimate but homely feel to the place. The White Swan is quite small in size – I always describe it as ‘small but perfectly formed’

It was a Monday when we visited for dinner and it came as no surprise that the place was quite busy.

We chose from the main menu and I decided on the soup of the day which was my favourite – tomato and it came with a toasted locally baked piece of bread. The soup was tasty and had a strong taste of tomato but most of all it came piping hot as did the bread.

My partner decided on the fish cakes with lemon mayo which came with a tomato and caper salsa. This was a large portion and beautifully presented. The lemon mayo must have been home made as it was smooth and tasty and a very good addition to the dish. The fishcakes themselves were smooth and contained plenty of fish.

For mains there was only one choice for me after seeing the dish served at the next table. Leeds Best Battered Haddock with hand cut chips served with Tartare sauce and pea puree.

These were the best gastro pub fish and chips I have ever tasted (and I have tasted an awful lot). The batter was hot and crispy and the fish inside was a thick fillet succulent and white. The skin on chips were fluffy on the inside and I loved the idea of the pea puree served on the side along with the Tartare sauce. The portion was massive and came well presented.

I was very surprised by my partners choice as being from the South he is always making fun of how we up north love our pies! However this was one of the rare occasions when he decided to try the pie!

The Leeds best steak and ale pie came up trumps and he extolled its virtues. It was tasty with lots of tender steak pieces and rich ale tasting gravy inside. The short pastry case just melted in your mouth. Praise indeed from usually a non pie eater.

The pie was served with a large portion of roasted vegetables, creamy mash and a red wine gravy.

After such a veritable feast of home cooked gastro pub grub we decided to wait a while before having a sweet.

The dessert menu has a great home-made feel almost as if granny had designed it yet there’s some sophisticated choices for those who prefer them.

My partner went for the baked rice pudding with Yorkshire strawberry jam and he wasn’t disappointed. He was over the moon that the pudding had the skin on and wasn’t too sweet and yet smooth and creamy admitting it was like his mum used to make back in the day. This was heaven on a plate – sorry in a dish – and I couldn’t resist stealing a few spoonfuls!

I decided on the mulled wine poached pear, crumble topped with granola with Northern block Madagascan vanilla ice cream. The granola crumble topping gave the dish an added texture element as poached fruit can sometimes be very soft and mushy.

After a coffee it was hard to tear ourselves away from the cosy atmosphere of The White Swan. For us both with theatre backgrounds in different spheres of the business the atmosphere in this place was so special.