Hotel Hit Squad: The best of rural Spain in Surrey – inside José Pizarro The Swan Inn

At first, I considered it one of the weirder openings of the year. But actually, it makes sense. I’ve always thought of Spanish chef José Pizarro as a London phenomenon, so to see him open a gastropub in Esher, Surrey, was like hearing that techno musician Aphex Twin had created the theme tune for a new sitcom by Brendan O’Carroll, creator of Mrs Brown’s Boys.

But Pizarro is rural through and through. He’s Extremadura’s favourite son, not SE1’s. Just because jamón croquetas and oloroso sherry have become hip in London doesn’t make them any less basic back home – the Spanish just happen to care about food. So, when Pizarro took over The Swan Inn this year – from similarly feted chef Claude Bosi…