The award was made following an anonymous visit to The Swan by an AA inspector at the end of 2008. This makes the brasserie one of just five restaurants in the region (with an ME postcode) to have achieved two AA Rosettes. Speaking about the head chef, Scott Goss and his team, the inspector said: "The simplicity of his style is genius! Scott heads up a dedicated team and this is evidenced by the standard of delivery on the plate. There was a very high standard of quality and care using the best local and seasonal ingredients to create some superb dishes." The two AA Rosettes are also an indication that The Swan has achieved "greater precision" in its cooking than other restaurants and there is "obvious attention to the quality and selection of ingredients". Goss said he was riding on a high: "It's been a phenomenal 12 months for both myself and The Swan in West Malling. This time last year I was awarded an Acorn Award as one of the top thirty under thirty year olds in the restaurant and hotel business. "This was followed by The Swan's launch of its own county-wide cookery initiative, called The Cygnet Award, which got a whole generation of secondary children creating and writing new recipes using seasonal and regional produce and I was proud to head up the judging panel and look forward to mentoring the two winners this month. Now we have 2AA Rosettes, this really is the proverbial icing on the cake and a great start to 2009!" The Swan has seen a major refurbishment over the past year, with the first level of the 15th century, former coaching inn, transformed into a corporate and private dining space called Front Rooms at The Swan. The ground floor brasserie has also seen an interiors upgrade and the addition of a 'theatre window' into the kitchen, whilst the outside garden has been transformed into an Al Fresco dining area for summer dining.