Pike, who joined the 13-site pub group as chef director after the closure of the British Larder in February, designed a range of festive menus and party packages incorporating Southern European and traditional British cooking.
Peter Borg-Neal, Oakman Inns CEO, said: “We have already had enquiries at all 13 of our sites and with a dedicated Christmas co-ordinator at each pub we can ensure that we deliver the best experience for businesses, friends and families alike.
Peter Borg-Neal:
[Pike's] creativity is already inspiring our brigades at every level
“Ross and I share so many of the same values and his creativity is already inspiring our brigades at every level – you know when a menu is right when you are excited by the various permutations of starters, mains and puddings.”
Informal
The company will offer informal Christmas dining for small groups and businesses with its “Christmas bites at the bar” option – featuring a range of snacks and small, tapas-style dishes.
More formal dining will also be available for parties, who will be able to choose from two three-course Christmas menus (£27/£35) offering dishes including seasonal fish baked over charcoal, home-made vegetarian Portobello and porcini ravioli and Christmas panettone bombe soaked in brandy with Morello cherries and ice cream with dark chocolate sauce.
Pike said: “Christmas is a great opportunity for my brigades to really show off and to present their food as if they were cooking for their own family – with real heart and love.”
On Christmas day, the group’s sites will offer “Oakman’s 100% Christmas” menu, with centrepieces including roast bronze turkey with pigs in blankets, stuffed turkey leg and lashings of cranberry sauce, slow cooked roast sirloin of beef shin wellington, dauphinoise potato, crispy kale and horseradish crème fresh and roast butternut squash en croute with cabbage and parsley pesto.
Fire
Pike and wife Madalene Bonvini-Hamel closed their award winning Suffolk gastropub the British Larder in February, citing a desire to expand into other areas of work as their reason for doing so.
Prior to closure, the pub had featured in the Top 50 Gastropubs three years in a row and won the coveted title of Best Food Pub at the Great British Pub Awards 2012.
However in June, shortly after re-opening as the Unruly Pig under new management, the site was severely damaged in a fire, with roughly 30% of the pub completely destroyed.