The Oak

Richard Cawthorne visits a rejuvinated Stanstead Abbotts venue led by a chef with a passion for seafood

THE Lord Louis was a typical Herts village tavern and like many before and since it suffered a familiar fate, slipping into decline and eventually closing. The building’s good fortune was that it happened to be on the road from Roydon to Datchworth, where the Tilbury, a renowned gastro-pub is located. A member of the Tilbury team was chef and Roydon resident Craig Oakley, who had been looking to open his own business and whose journey to work took him down Stanstead Abbotts High Street – and past The Lord Louis. He took the place on and, renaming the venue, is now the owner and head chef of The Oak.

Described winningly as a ‘fish-led gastropub’, the business opened in January and by the summer had made enough of an impact to become a finalist in the Newcomer of the Year category in the 2017 Hertfordshire Life Food and Drink Awards. By last month, it had progressed still further, sufficient to make booking a weekend table at short notice not an easy task. We ended up on a Saturday, not my favourite reviewing day since, with the kitchen at full stretch, it rarely gives a true picture of how a restaurant works. On the other hand, coping with and keeping happy a full house, which this was with all 52 covers occupied, is also an important part of what the business should be about.