The New Beech House In Amersham Will Combine Tradition With Innovation To Create The Town’s Largest Bar & Restaurant

For the last few months, the residents of Amersham have been waiting with keen anticipation to see what the major development on Hill Avenue will produce. The wait will soon be over as the contractors race towards completion of The Beech House which will see its doors open next month (February).

The 140-seater pub will feature a glass-fronted bar area, a substantial restaurant and a private dining room. Following a week’s familiarisation and on-site training for the new team of around 60 people, all will be revealed when it opens its doors in late February.

Outside, there will be a pavement café feel with al fresco seating where shoppers and locals can watch the world go by over a drink.  Inside, one unmissable feature of the new pub’s design is four enormous, shiny, copper tanks located by the bar. The large vessels each contain over 1,000 pints of craft beer which are delivered under air-tight seal direct from the maturation tanks at London’s Meantime Brewery.

James Stanton, the newly-appointed General Manager, explains: “It's a unique way of serving beer, and customers will immediately taste the difference because the beer has never been exposed to the air between brewery and glass, which makes for enhanced aromas and well-rounded flavours. That also means that the beer doesn’t need to be pasteurised or filtered, so it continues to improve in flavour right up to your first sip.”

James, who was until recently the GM at The Beech House in Beaconsfield, is excited about returning to Amersham where he grew-up:

“I am really looking forward to introducing the local community to our new pub. I think we have managed to create a perfect blend of traditional pub comfort with a rich, contemporary feel and, with our latest kitchen and bar equipment, our offer is pretty unique. Our open theatre-style kitchen will be equipped with a Josper charcoal grill and a traditional wood-burning pizza oven; our bar will be serving brewery-fresh ale – as well as an extensive range of cocktails, carefully selected wines, soft-drinks and a range of coffees and teas. This will be Oakman Inns’ fourth Beech House, and having been part of the of the opening team of the first in Beaconsfield, I’m really proud to have been chosen to lead the opening team here.”

Andrew Kolvin, the new Head Chef is thrilled with the possibilities. “I can’t wait to get into our new state-of-the-art kitchen with my new brigade and start producing freshly prepared, seasonal dishes to order, all with sustainably sourced ingredients and full of the flavours of the Mediterranean. With our large open kitchen, where the chefs are always on view, we’re looking forward to seeing our guests enjoying the dishes we’ve created -  that’s what it’s all about for us.”

The design focuses on comfort and creating spaces for all kinds of get-togethers - for family parties, groups of friends or business colleagues, working breakfasts or intimate soirees. Above the main dining area, a Mezzanine floor will provide a private meeting room - for businesses, local groups and family occasions plus further flexible space for larger private parties.

The owners of The Beech House, the award-winning Oakman Inns, currently operate 20 pubs, four of which are in Buckinghamshire and will be opening The Cherry Tree in Olney’s town centre in March. The Beech House in Amersham will be Oakman Inns’ 21st pub and their fourth Beech House.