Friday 9 November 2012


Quality dining is the order of the day in our newly refurbished restaurant
 
 
“Historically of course, inns provided, not just great food and drink, but rooms and lodging as well as stabling and fodder for the guests’ horses.

Whilst we cannot quite stretch to the stabling bit these days, we can do everything else - and in a way that ensures the interesting
past of the Royal Oak comes alive again.

Cosy comfort is at once obvious in the establishment’s new letting rooms, with plump mattresses, smooth cotton duvets, digital radios and refurbished vintage chairs and mirrors. Guests who slide open the dressing table drawers will also find original 1950s board games and Penguin classic paperbacks - all for their enjoyment.

Quality dining is always the order of the day, with the Royal Oak’s chefs whisking up a host of delicious ‘pub grub’ dishes - but with stylish upgrades! Local beef, seafood and seasonal produce is sourced throughout, offset by an impressively long wine list from Christopher Piper - each bottle unusually available by the glass. For beer lovers, Otter, Beachcomber and Shingle Bay, amongst others, are available on tap.

Wednesday 7 November 2012

Introduction




Honouring the time-tested traditions of a classic inn, The Royal Oak Freehouse at Bigbury has now reopened. The new proprieters, Hugh and Steve Ridgway, are Devon boys, brought up on Stadbury Farm just across the river at Aveton Gifford.

Hugh says, “At the age of four I had my first bottle of ginger beer and packet of Smiths crisps complete with little blue salt bag in The Royal Oak. It’s been our Devon local all our lives and Steve and I just couldn’t stand to see it looking so forlorn in receivership. So we decided to get involved”.

The Ridgways are also the owners of the acclaimed St Moritz Hotel in Cornwall, so they will be bringing their experience to bear on the Bigbury establishment. They have already invested substantially in a fitting refurbishment that echoes the property’s original design and charm, whilst paying homage to the inn’s namesake, HMS Royal Oak.