The Lost Boy Will Be Found in Farnham
The Lost Boy will be found at 3 Downing Street in Farnham from Friday September 6th 2019 when the Old Town’s newest arrival opens its hospitable doors at midday. A substantial investment by its owners, Oakman Inns, in the sympathetic restoration of the attractive Listed 18th Century Georgian building will also see an impressive make-over of the newly extended gardens, with outside seating and terraced areas by RHS Chelsea Gold medallist, Kate Gould.
Renamed The Lost Boy as a tribute to local author and creator of Peter Pan, JM Barrie, the refurbished interiors will reflect the building’s Georgian heritage while a combination of natural materials and stylish fixtures and fittings will create a contemporary environment that the soon-to-be Farnham regulars will find relaxing and comfortable. The restoration work includes the installation of new and accurate Georgian-style panelling in place of the ‘modern’ pine-boarded walls, the reinstatement of two original Georgian fireplaces and the impressive renovation of the Georgian central staircase and stairwell linking the ground and first floors to connect all elements of The Lost Boy’s offer.
General Manager, Clare Cheeseman (pictured), said: “I know from my friends in town that everyone is looking forward to seeing what we’ve done and I’m pretty certain they’re going to love the changes as much as I do. The restaurant, conservatory, bar, private dining room and the garden are all looking great and, thanks to the hard work from my new team, we’ll be ready to open our doors on Friday 6th.”
Her Deputy is Charlie Kirk who added: “Our recruitment days at The Maltings were a great success. We have a total complement of 45 people, the majority of whom live locally. They have all spent the last few weeks in our intensive training programme and this week they’ve been successfully putting all they’ve learnt into practice at our ‘Soft Opening Events’.
“We have an open theatre-style kitchen where Head Chef, Piotr Furgal, and his team will be preparing delicious Mediterranean-inspired dishes to order using fresh, seasonal, sustainable produce while our Italian Pizza Chef, Marco Milia, brings his extensive experience of working with traditional, wood-burning ovens like the one we’ve installed at The Lost Boy, to produce authentic, hand-crafted Neapolitan pizzas baked to perfection.”
“For some of the team, working in the hospitality industry will be a new experience,” explained Clare, “and our award-winning training programme provides each member of our team, whatever their previous experience, with a solid basis from which to develop their skills and to advance their careers. Many of our managers at Oakman Inns, for example, started work as a Bar Attendant or a Kitchen Porter so the new team are not only excited about being part of the opening but are also looking forward to the possibility of a long-term career in hospitality.”