New general manager and head chef join team at The George Inn, Oakham

Johanna Ake has joined the team as general manager and Gareth Phillipson is now in the kitchen as head chef.

The pair, who both previously worked at The George of Stamford, took up their new roles at The George Inn at the beginning of May after approaching Ryck Turner – the owner of the 17th century Grade II-listed inn located in Oakham’s Market Place.

Ryck, who bought the hotel and the adjacent buildings for £3 million in 2022, set out to spend another £2 million in an ambitious project to recreate a classic English country inn. He has already refurbished several parts of the building while keeping it open and trading.

Formerly known as the Whipper-In, it was rebranded earlier in the year as The George Inn – returning to its original name which dates back to the 17th century.

Johanna moved to the UK from Finland in 2006 and was previously the bar manager at The George of Stamford.

She said: “When Ryck first showed me around and outlined his fantastic vision for The George Inn, I was very impressed by what he and his new team had already achieved over the course of the past 18 months and I could not wait to get involved in what will continue to be an incredible journey.

“It is an exceptionally exciting time to be here, and I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to help fashion the new inn and continue with the progress towards making it into the premier place to stay in the region. I am working with Ryck and the team to ensure that we put our customers at the forefront of everything that we do.

“I am a people person and we will all work to ensure that when guests visit us here, whether they stay for the night or have a meal in the dining room or a drink in the bar, they have the best customer experience possible.”

Gareth, from Ketton, qualified as a chef at a manor house hotel in Dover. He was formerly head chef in the Garden Room at The George of Stamford.

He said: “This new position represents the perfect chance for me to support the existing highly skilled kitchen team to serve the highest quality food at what is one of the best hospitality venues in the county. I am passionate about food and making sure that all the dishes that leave our kitchen are exceptional and excellent.

“My ethos as a chef is informed by the ‘farm to fork’ philosophy. We want to use as many local ingredients as possible and to offer delicious produce from the surrounding area, when it is in season. Food provenance is vitally important, and we are busy getting closer to our suppliers and how they operate.

“When I was told that our beef comes from our herd of British White Cattle owned by Ryck, I welcomed the invitation to travel down to the Wiltshire farm to see our livestock in natural surroundings. We met the farmer caring for them and the butcher that creates all the different cuts for our kitchen. We believe that producing great food starts with ensuring that everything that comes into the kitchen is fresh and top quality.”

Ryck said he has been impressed by the way that Johanna and Gareth have settled into their new roles and credited all the existing team for making them so welcome.

“The general manager and the head chef are clearly very important roles,” said Ryck. “Johanna and Gareth have more than 50 years of experience in the hospitality industry between them and they have already formed a strong working relationship with the existing team and myself.

“Within just a few weeks we are all operating as one unit, the entire team here is really starting to jell and perform in order to help realise my vision for The George Inn, Oakham. We are now forging ahead with delivering our plan to create a quintessential English country inn where our customers will be able to relax and enjoy themselves in a charming, convivial environment where the food and service is of the highest standard.”

The 17th-century inn’s website can be found at: www.thegeorgeinnoakham.co.uk/

Find the inn on Facebook as The George Inn Oakham and on Instagram search for The George Inn Oakham.