Oakman's Annual Company Celebration 'Oakfest' Returns

Last Monday, once again we came together with our teams for our annual Oakfest event, closing our venues for one day, enabling all of our employees to attend and celebrate their hard work and dedication over the past year. It was a brilliant day, and the sun even greeted us too for one rare occasion.

It was a festival themed event, with fancy dress, live music, plenty of bars from our brilliant suppliers, a field full of inflatables and, of course, delicious fresh food, true to Oakman style.

To add to the ‘Thank You!’ we also took the opportunity to present our Oakman S.P.E.E.D Awards, recognising those team members and venues that truly represent the values of Oakman, and who have gone above and beyond for us.

The Award Winners:

Sustainability – The Betsey Wynne
The team at The Betsey Wynne in the village of Swanbourne have created their own little allotment in their pub garden to grow fresh herbs and vegetables for them to use in the kitchen.

Passion for Pubbiness – Derek Ferguson at The Royal Foresters
Derek is a key member of the team at The Royal Foresters and is described as being the “glue that holds us all together”. In his role, he represents a true passion for pubiness with no job too big or too small for him and he is a true handy man to have around. He has a passion for his job, his venue and the rest of the team he works with, and is always looking for things he can do to help improve things for everyone working at The Royal Foresters. A true inspiration and Oakman legend.

Engaged Teams – Matthew Allen and The Royal Foresters
Royal Foresters Head Chef Matt Allen and the team at The Royal Foresters have been learning British Sign Language to help create a better work environment for one of the kitchen team to whom this skill really matters.

Excellent Operations – Robert Barraclough at The Beech House Beaconsfield
Robert “Baz” Barraclough, General Manager at The Beech House in Beaconsfield, was recognised for a superb strategic business meeting that he organised and led at his venue to help identify new opportunities for our venues that our guests would appreciate and be a reason for additional visits to our pubs.

Design & Details – Marcin Zajac at The Anchor
With the launch of the spring summer 2024 menu across many of our pubs, one of the new hero dishes was our Salmon En Croute. Ahead of going live, Marcin delivered a superb and detailed training session to his team to ensure that this dish is truly a “hero” of the menu for our guests.