Oakman Inns & Restaurants’ expansion continues apace with the opening of their thirteenth bar and restaurant – The King’s Head in Chipping Ongar. The King’s Head, a listed Coaching Inn built in 1679, has been closed for over five years but has been fully renovated after a £1m investment and opened in Chipping Ongar’s High Street on 8th July.
Apart from reverting to its original name, The King’s Head’s designers have discovered hidden Inglenook fireplaces, which have been covered up for over a century and which are now restored. Old tattered brickwork has been rendered in a traditional lime plaster, and new panelled wainscoting installed much in the manner of the late 18th century. A new 30 seat double-height private dining room has been created with its original brickwork and timber framed roof, bringing style and a sense of restoration in the true sense of the word.
Outside with views across the countryside, a new dining terrace seats 30 guests with seating for a further 30 in the walled garden. This terraced al fresco area, leads into the light and spacious café dining area where a full length open kitchen allows guests to watch fresh handmade pizzas being baked to order in the wood-fired brick pizza oven or mouth-watering, flavoured meats and fish being grilled on the unique charcoal Josper grill, the signature cooking style of the multi award-winning Oakman Inns.
Known for their culture of working with and for the community and their commitment to ethical sustainability, all the pubs and restaurants in the Oakman Inns collection have a tradition of raising awareness and funds for a worthy local cause. At The King’s Head this tradition will be maintained with every Belly of Pork dish sold raising 25p for the Chelmsford-based Helen Rollason Cancer Charity.
All Oakman Inns have gained two star ratings from The Sustainable Restaurant Association and as Head Chef, Neil Papley, who has moved from the George & Dragon in Epping, commented:
“Those keen to support the best in good farming practice will be pleased to know that all our food is responsibly sourced. Our beef comes from suckler herds throughout England and Scotland, our pork is outdoor reared along the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, our lamb comes from Cornwall and our fish is all sustainably sourced from the east and south coasts.”
This will be the fourth Oakman Inn that CEO Peter Borg-Neal has opened in 2015 and he commented: “I was delighted when Paul Thornton gave Oakman Inns the opportunity to take on The King’s Head. It is a wonderful old coaching Inn and Chipping Ongar is a fantastic town. Clearly the building needed a lot of TLC as well as some serious financial investment to restore it to its former glory. It now looks amazing and I am very confident that Rachel and her team will ensure it, once again, becomes the centre of the community.”
James Browning Chairman of Ongar Town Counciladded: “The re-opening of the King’s Head is tremendous news for Ongar – it’s really what our town needs as it’s been an eyesore for far too long. Peter Borg-Neal and his team at Oakman Inns have done an incredible restoration – and the King’s Head has something for everyone. We wish Rachel and her team every success.”
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