Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive of operations at Oakman Inns, said: “I am particularly excited that Ross has agreed to join our team.
“We have an excellent reputation for our food, but as with everything we do, we are always aspiring to do more and to do it better than anyone else.”
News of Pike’s appointment comes as Oakman Inns reported total sales up 20% year on year and like-for-like sales up 9% on last year this week.
Highly regarded
Ross Pike and Madalene Bonvini-Hamel sold their acclaimed Suffolk gastropub the British Larder in February this year, citing a desire to focus on retail, food consultancy and publishing work as their motivation.
Bonvini-Hamel previously told the PMA: “The choice had to be made between running the pub and developing the other aspects of the business – Ross and I were working 90 hours a week in the gastropub and as a result weren’t able to give the other opportunities the attention they deserved.”
Shortly before closing the pub came 20th in this year’s Top 50 Gastropubs.