We are family

A year after acclaimed Spanish chef José Pizarro took over The Swan Inn at Claygate, his food and family cooking values are still going down a treat. And now you can spend the night. Rebecca Younger checks it out

- Rebecca Younger

The Spanish are renowned for their hospitality, which is perhaps one of the reasons José Pizarro’s takeover at The Swan Inn has gone down so well with the locals since it opened exactly a year ago this month.

Yes, the food here is good, if not outstanding, but there’s something about the way José and his team greet their clientele – local or not – that makes this village pub, situated opposite a leafy green in Claygate, extra special. While José has three other restaurants in London – José Tapas Bar, Pizarro Bermondsey, and José Pizarro Broadgate – it is here that his family cooking values can really come into their own. “Family is the most important thing and that is why this remains very much a local’s pub,” he says. “There are people who will come here every day for a drink and snack after work or a coffee during the day. If you look after the community, the community will look after you.”