It’s been a turbulent but exciting time for Peter Wilton recently, as his head chef and friend Paul Welburn departed for Cornwall permanently a few weeks ago, READ ABOUT IT HERE freeing up the revered head chef position, which he has seized with zeal.
The pair have worked together for over a decade since Paul’s tenure at Rhodes W1 before moving to Oxford, Paul of course being awarded the first Michelin star in the city centre for three decades when he took over Oxford Kitchen in Summertown with Peter at his side, before it transformed into 215 when Paul departed to open The Swan in Islip READ ABOUT IT HERE
So his departure left big shoes to fill, but when the vacancy arose, Peter had to think long and hard about it. “I had to ask whether it was the right time and situation for me but it feels like a natural progression and I’m just looking forward to making my mark,” he said.
Maintaining the modern British offering in the Cygnet Restaurant but with a more grazing/small plates menu, and a Sunday roast, Peter aims to give his customers more choice. And judging by our recent meal at The Swan, Peter is coping admirably and finally flourishing in his own right.
From the word go when the bread was delivered, we began paying attention, the rosemary foccacia, lemon and paprika butter (£5) capturing all out attention; soft, crispy, herby, the butter soft and creamy with a hint of spice and lemon, then the moreish spiced olives (£6).
But it was the crispy pork skin with garlic mayonnaise (£6) which took my breath away. Light, pungent, snappy but not fatty or oily, I refused to share them, which considering that’s the point of the grazing menu was a hard stance to maintain. We ordered more.
Dishes then rolled in with wonderful momentum; the squash risotto rich with braised beef and crunchy with breadcrumbs (£15/£25), the cured salmon, treacle, soda bread and dill (£15) as memorable; so delicate, the herbs and treacle piped on the imbued fish, the bread thin and dense.
As for the salt baked celeriac, pickled apple and hazelnuts (£15) it was evidence of Peter’s ability to manage texture and flavour, nothing overpowering, every element getting its moment in the sun, with juice and crunch making it sing.
The ceasar chicken thighs and charred lettuce (£15/£25) was less of a salad than expected, the poached chicken plump and moist, slathered in Caesar sauce, finally grated parmesan and charred lettuce.
Fully indoctrinated, we waited keenly for the ‘mains’ the potato dumplings, maitake mushroom, Old Winchester cheese (£25) – a posh take on gnocchi – but again the attention to detail shone through. The roasted cod, romesco and tenderstem broccoli (£25) was positively leapt upon, the fish flaking away, the Romesco rich and creamy with tomatoes, peppers, almonds and garlic, resplendent on the plate.
Decadent as it sounds, the pear frangipane tart, pear sorbet, spiced maple syrup (£15) was calling, and worth the wait, the soft, sweet juicy, almondy filling offset by a sharp, tart sorbet and sweet syrup glaze.
While the vanilla cheesecake, apple ‘crumble’ (£15) was much more unpredictable; pretty as a picture, the cheesecake in the round topped with biscuity crumble and topped with a piquant apple sorbet. Clever and stylish in equal parts, I can still taste it.
So don’t assume that because Paul has left standards have slipped, but what will be interesting is seeing Peter’s own recipes and concoctions sneaking onto the menu. But as he said himself, ‘it’s early days. We’ll wait.
Cygnet at The Swan is at 1 Lower St, Islip, Kidlington OX5 2SB https://swaninnislip.co.uk
