THEY’RE bartering at the bar these days at The White Swan Inn. Anglers, foragers, allotment-holders and hunters are all at it, swapping surplus produce for beer.

It was Wesley and Emma Chamberlain’s idea. They took over earlier this year and are trying to simultaneously foster community spirit and source local ingredients for the kitchen. So people are swapping berries for beers, potatoes for pints. Rhubarb for rum, perhaps, if the idea really takes off.

I wish I’d had something to offer, but I’ve never fished nor hunted and rarely forage further than the freezer. When I arrived at the White Swan, I had some Chocolate Limes in my coat pocket but I sensed they’d get only the shortest of measures and even shorter shrift, so I had to pay for my beer the old-fashioned way. What a mug.

The White Swan in Wighill near Tadcaster is a grand pub, a large and quintessentially British building set back from the main road through the village, only a mile or so off the A64. It was closed from 2007 to 2009 but was then bought and restored by a local businessman. It has since changed hands a couple of times but has rebuilt a reputation along the way for homeliness and good food.

The décor is simple but there are several rooms, offering privacy for those who want it or a bit of bar-room buzz for those who don’t.

My wife and I took a little table in the front room, found ourselves admiring the long menu on the blackboard, and instantly regretted having already eaten. Forced to choose from a spectacular selection, I’d have plumped for Black Sheep ale Yorkshire rarebit with apple and sultana chutney from the starters board; cider & tarragon-battered haddock with chips, tartar sauce and peas from the mains; and then almond meringue with vanilla-poached pineapple and lemon curd from the desserts. But as I say, there was an abundance of choice.

Those with smaller appetites could choose from a range of sandwiches or an old-time classic: a half-pint of prawns with shallot vinegar and bread. For those after less still, there was a decent coffee and cake offer.

On the bar, Moorhouses Brewery has provided a customised house beer, predictably named White Swan. Timothy Taylor’s was represented alongside that, as were the usual big name lagers.

Wesley studied culinary arts and has run pub and restaurant kitchens elsewhere but this is his and Emma’s first pub of their own. He says business has been good so far, customers have bought into the bartering idea and, no less importantly, they have had great fun making their mark.

“We moved over from Beverley to come here, but running a pub has been a dream of ours for quite a while,” he says. “We have turned the rooms back to what they used to be like, we are mainly using local produce in the kitchen and we have enjoyed using local things from villagers, such as spices and vegetables. We have had a lot of game brought in too and it has gone very well. We have even been bartering for work – for example to repair the fencing.

“We have had a lot of people who say they never used to come to the pub, but since we took over they have been coming back. We have been here eight weeks now and we are loving it.”

Shorts

• The spring festival at The Slip Inn in Clementhorpe began last night and continues until tomorrow.

• The George and Dragon, a fantastic village pub in West Haddlesey, south west of Selby, has its eighth St George’s Day beer festival next weekend, from Friday to Sunday. There will be around 20 beers and live music.

Twitter: @pintsofview