The Betsey Wynne changes course

The new management of The Betsey Wynne is promising some tasty tweaks to the menu while keeping the pub's classic charm.
The Betsey WynneThe Betsey Wynne
The Betsey Wynne

Jack Ashmore is now running the show, with the support of Rodolfo Abrantes, at the Swanbourne pub after Oakman Inns and Restaurants acquired the site.

Mr Ashmore, who previously ran Oakman pubs in St Albans and Beaconsfield, thinks the pub is the perfect place for a pint with pals or a hearty meal with the family.

And assistant manager Mr Abrantes, who is originally from Portugal, is excited about the new menu.

He said: “I think the pub is beautiful.

“It’s all fresh food, that’s 100 per cent the case, because we have six deliveries a week.

“We have some of the best ingredients around and the menu is brand new, with some great Italian and English food.

“It’s just been taken over so it’s about getting it all to work at the moment but it’s a great pub.”

In 2014, Oakman won two major awards at The Publicans – the industry Oscars.

It won Best Community Pub Operator and Best Pub Employer. And in 2015, it won both awards for the second year in a row.

Oakman, founded in 2005, now runs more than a dozen pubs across the south east region, including The Akeman in Tring and The Akeman Inn in Kingswood.

CEO and founder, Peter Borg-Neal, recently confirmed the acquisition of the Betsey Wynne, along with sites in Amersham and Solihull.

The deal involves a 25 year free of tie package with the Swanbourne Estate to lease the Betsey Wynne.

Mr Borg-Neal said: “It is a superb pub built in 2007 and we are already operating it as a fully-fledged Oakman Inn.”

The Betsey Wynne was built on disused allotments and a field known as Spuddle Spits in 2006.

Tom Fremantle, a descendant of Betsey Wynne and of the Fremantle family who still own the Swanbourne Estate, was walking back from a pub in Winslow.

He thought Swanbourne needed a village pub and the dream snowballed from there.

Today, The Betsey Wynne, which prides itself on using locally reared and grown produce, sits among 1,300 acres of farmland.

The pub describes itself as ‘an idyllic watering hole with the right blend of excellent quality, seasonal local food, and cosiness’.

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