The Rose Inn to Bloom Once Again in Wokingham’s Market Place
A famous Grade II Listed pub dating back to the 19th century reopens in Wokingham on Monday 18th October, creating 30 new jobs in the process. The Rose Inn is owned by The Oakman Group, one of the UK’s fastest growing pub companies, which owns 36 premium pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, including The Royal Foresters, in nearby Ascot.
The group has invested £2.1m in Wokingham’s prominent town centre building to transform the pub into a welcoming and elegant town centre pub, bar and restaurant. Up to 185 friends, family and colleagues will be able to meet in a variety of settings across The Rose Inn’s two newly designed floors for drinks and food throughout the day.
As well as horse-drawn carriages, The Rose also once hosted Barack Obama, who came to Wokingham for his half-sister’s wedding in 1996.
The ground floor caters for up to 120 covers, while upstairs is the newly restored ‘Oakroom’ – named to unite The Oakman Group with the town’s old name, Oakingham. With its large bay window overlooking the Market Place, this first floor lounge will no doubt become a favourite for watching the world of Wokingham go by over morning coffee. It will also be available to host private events.
Oakman’s design ethos for its portfolio of historic properties has always been to restore and repair original features and two reinstated fireplaces will be back in use for the opening.
The Rose Inn will open with a Mediterranean inspired autumn/winter menu with daily specials all prepared with fresh, sustainable ingredients. Dishes will include a Côte de Boeuf sharer, Stone Bass plus vegetarian and vegan choices many of which are cooked on an open grill over charcoal to produce a deep and smoky flavour. Pizzaioli will be creating hand-made, wood-fired Neapolitan pizzas and for those with a sweet tooth, what could be more tempting than Baked Apple Rice Pudding Crumble? An open, theatre-style kitchen which accommodates the charcoal grill and wood-fired pizza oven means guests will be able to watch the expert chefs at work cooking their food to order.
The team, led by General Manager, Will Upton, includes many locals who will be encouraged to develop their skills as part of the group’s award-winning training programme which in 2020 won them a prestigious Princess Royal Training Award for a second time.
“We are very proud of The Rose Inn and want to be right at the heart of the Wokingham community,” said The Oakman Group’s CEO Dermot King. “It is a beautiful building, and we want to compliment such a wonderful venue with the highest standards of service and produce. The team are very much looking forward to opening and welcoming guests to eat, drink and have a wonderful time with us.”