About Oakman Inns & Restaurants Ltd
Oakman Inns & Restaurants Ltd was inaugurated in 2007, embodied by its first venture, The Akeman in Tring, Hertfordshire.
Oakman Inns & Restaurants established the unique concept of the ‘modern public house’, and the company’s success has been founded on this market niche. Typically situated in traditional market towns, Oakman Inns & Restaurants transform historic buildings into contemporary spaces which complement their archaic foundations.
Offering an imaginative Mediterranean-inspired food menu, Oakman Inns are characterised by unique cooking methods incorporated into each kitchen, such as the Josper Oven and the Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, with emphasis on freshness, quality and taste.
Established and led by Chief Executive Peter-Borg Neal, Oakman Inns & Restaurants carries a tremendous reputation for Italian food from a former venture, Forno Vivo, also previously based in Tring and Wallingford. Beyond Italian food the menu extends to Spanish, Southern French and Greek dishes, featuring traditional recipes and modern reinterpretations utilising the best of Mediterranean ingredients. Fresh fish delivered regularly from Billingsgate and fresh meat from a local supplier is cooked on a Josper chargrill oven in theatrical open style kitchens.
With breakfast served until 12 noon and coffee, cakes and pastries available all day, more traditional values centred around a sociable venue cater to every taste, occasion, and requirement. An extensive range of draught beers, lagers, wine and cocktails supplement exciting modern bars, to be enjoyed whether visiting for business, pleasure, or celebration.
Its unique and creative aesthetic design won The Akeman the Publican’s prestigious Pub Design of the Year Award in 2009. This success was a patent manifestation of the effort and innovation that was invested in creating The Akeman, and has fortified the company’s resounding popularity in producing locally-recognised modern pubs of high distinction and quality.
In addition to The Akeman, the company portfolio also comprises the Old Post Office in Wallingford, Oxfordshire and more recently, the Red Lion in Water End, Hertfordshire, which underwent substantial renovation and extension before opening its doors in December 2009.
As part of its perpetual evolution, Oakman Inns & Restaurants has also recently purchased two hotels, the King’s Arms hotel in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, and The Marlborough hotel in Witney, Oxfordshire, marking its first move into the hotel industry. The company has also invested in a joint venture, the British Larder Suffolk, an addition which has resulted in the organisation doubling in size to six sites.
Oakman Inns & Restaurants has major plans for renovating the hotels, and by generating the highest sales per outlet of any business in the sector per unit with double digit like-for-like growth, the company is continuing to expand considerably, fortifying its reputation furthermore.
Blending the modern with the traditional, the design hooks reflected in the creation of each Oakman Inns & Restaurants venue are symbolic of its underlying principles – to meet the needs of the modern consumer while being sympathetic to its heritage.
Priding itself on its ability to offer fantastic food, drink and hospitality in an exciting yet comfortable setting, Oakman Inns & Restaurants are committed to making any experience a memorable one, at any time of day and on any day of the year.