Salute at The White Swan in Rothwell: The secret Italian restaurant hidden inside a British pub

The White Swan in Rothwell, West Yorkshire, may look like your local pub next to the stunning All Saints Church on Church Street, but here you’d be a fool to only grab a drink.

Inside, the restaurant kitchen ‘Salute’ produces authentic Italian food made from the best local produce.

From fresh asparagus to rhubarb picked from farm shops in the Rhubarb Triangle, head chef Maila Samatauskaite gets her inspiration from the array of home grown produce locally.

Our reporter Sophie Mei Lan, who used to live in Italy, went to try out this suburban foodie haven.

Very much like some of Italy’s big cities, the best places to eat are off the beaten track where there are less tourists, lower prices and places to park.

But I didn’t hold much hope on pub grub versions of Italian food. How wrong was I?

As my family and I ventured into Salute at The White Swan, we were immediately welcomed by the staff into this cosy and family-friendly venue.

The menu is diverse with a range of options for all taste buds including me, a gluten-free vegan. Normally I am having to create my own dish out of sides but instead I had plenty of choice. You can tell this place is experienced at serving the whole family.

Salute first opened its doors in 2004 in Woodlesford under the ownership of Justine Gregory before it found its new home in 2006 in Rothwell, taking over and renovating The White Swan Pub.

Over the years the food has been refined and the whole place is a family affair at the heart of the community.

Young people locally tend to have memories of eating here with their family before getting their first job at the restaurant.

The young team of waiting staff are the least intrusive but most attentive waitresses and waiters I have experienced other than those at Michelin-starred restaurants, where I wouldn’t dream of taking the kids.

But it’s not just the service which is spot on here, it is the food.

For me it's the best Italian food I’ve had since living in Naples. I had a starter of pasta and Mediterranean vegetables cooked to perfection and the flavour was so exquisite I forgot I was eating gluten free pasta.

My partner had pork belly and a small plate of home-made pasta whereas the kids had spare ribs for starters.

He’s a hard one to please as a food critic and former butcher but he was oozing at the mouth with praise for the pork belly and pasta which he said was his “best ever.”

We chatted and devoured the starters and then after a pause it was time for mains. We didn’t feel rushed at all and I felt like I was back in Naples around the dinner table slowly eating and chatting for hours.

A couple of us had pizzas and the others pasta and steak with chips alongside seasonal vegetables.

My gluten free ‘vegano’ pizza was divine with toppings of rocket, artichoke and other roasted vegetables, you don’t miss cheese when pizza toppings are this tasty.

Then to finish off it was a chocolate mousse with coffee froth on top and some delicious cheesecake.

The time flew although we were there for three hours, something that would have been unheard of in a city centre restaurant, especially how awkward you can be made to feel when dining out with the family.

But this place was brewing with family life and community and we were made to feel so welcome I did really feel like I was back home in Naples once again.

There’s no question whether we shall be returning, it’s a definite ‘si.’