The Royal Oak  ::  Newsletter  ::  October / November 2007

We've swept the chimney and lit the log fire now that there's that November nip in the cold, crisp air. Only a brief respite this month before our Christmas and New Year festivities kick off. We're currently taking bookings for our Party Menu which will be running from the 1st December ~ why not join us; for what better way to spend a traditional Christmas than in this most traditional of country pubs?

Talking of tradition; we were again pleased to play host to 'The Wheatland' when they rode from the pub last Saturday morning. It was a bright fine day, which attracted a good turn out ~ and we were rewarded with the splendid sight of horses and riders congregating in front of the pub before departing to follow their laid trail. Our 'header' photo captures the event.

Our first news photo captures The Fabulous Ronnie during his performance last month. Whilst Ron looks somewhat serious on the photo (concentration!), this didn't reflect the smiles that he brought to the faces of his audience ~ so, thanks Ron, for an evening of music and mirth! Our next featured event was also fun, but with the serious objective of raising funds for St. James' Church and local charities. In fact, a total of £470 was raised at the Harvest Auction in the hands of our popular auctioneer Kenny Pugh. Just to emphasis the sheer quality of the lots, our third photo shows 'porter' Roy Davies with some kind of alien artefact (or possibly a root vegetable!).

We're just a quiet country pub where a few locals gathered to tell Spooky Tales on Halloween ~ but even so, we managed to get a mention in the Country Diary section of The Guardian (click here to read the story). Well done to Mike Rust and friends for organising the event; the collection on the night raised £56 for the County Air Ambulance.

Coming up ~ we're all at sea ~ or, at least, we will be on our Fish Specials night on Wednesday the 28th November. Yes, fish will be the dish of the day ~ have an aquatic appetiser and marine main for only £10.95. More info soon about our Christmas Parties, although we can confirm that popular singer Rob Chapman will be entertaining us on New Years Eve. We hope to see you soon, down at 'The Royal Oak'.

.... Steve & Eira

FABULOUS FISH
on our Fish Specials night
Wednesday 28th November

Cullen Skink
Cod & Pancetta Fishcake with Dill Mayo Dip
>++('>
Pan Fried Tuna with Mango Salsa
Breaded Haddock
Scampi
Mussels in a Tomato and Chorizo Sauce

Main Course £9.50   >++('>   Two Courses £10.95

Christmas at 'The Oak'

You are cordially invited to join our Christmas Festivities!

Christmas Lunch or Dinner from 1st December.
Prices from £12.95 [ click here ].

Christmas Day Lunch - £52.00 [ click here ].

Or to download our Christmas Brochure - click here.
(file size is 332KB - and you'll also need Adobe's PDF reader)

Lest auld acquaintance be forgot, get together with auld friends and new ....

Prize Draw

On Wednesday the 14th November, evening diners Paul and Belinda Rogers drew last months winning name out of our bowl. Congratulations go to Chia Richardson, who wins the Wolf Blass presentation pack containing two bottles of 'Yellow Label' wine, a 2004 Chardonnay and 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Our next photo shows Septembers winner Ro Sandland collecting her prize of a bottle of Prosecco Di Valdobbiadene whilst dining with husband Roger and friends during their last week resident in Cardington!

Commiserations everyone else - but why not drop your details in again to be entered into this months draw. We draw every month from those names left in the bowl on the bar during the period since the last draw, so don't forget to re-enter your name on your next visit to 'The Oak'. This month's prize is a bottle of Warre's Warrior Special Reserve Port.

Make sure you're in it to win it!

News in Brief ....

• The Church Stretton Ale Trail held its charity presentation night on Monday the 12th of November at the District Club. Cheques were presented to the County Air Ambulance (£500), the Mayfair Centre (£500) and Good Neighbours (£200). The sum was raised through ticket proceeds and from collection buckets in the bars during the event.

• The Cardington Cracker will take place out of Cardington on Sunday the 2nd of December. Commencing at 11am it's a 9 miles, 2600 feet climb, Fell Race. For more information click here.
  
  

• Our Christmas and New Year opening arrangements are as follows (usual opening times):
  
  

  	Lunch	Evening
  Christmas Eve	Bar & Food	Bar Only
  Christmas Day	Bar & Reservations	Closed
  Boxing Day	Bar & Food	Closed
  New Years Eve	Bar & Food	Bar Only
  New Years Day	Bar & Food	Closed
  2nd January	Bar & Food	Bar & Food
  Reservations are recommended throughout the Christmas period.

Dates 'at a glance' ....

Use these links to view our privacy policy, subscribe/unsubscribe, prize draw details and company information. Please feel free to forward this mail to anyone that you think may be interested in news and events at 'The Royal Oak'. This Newsletter is formatted and designed to be viewed using a graphics compatible email program. If you are having difficulty reading this mail, or if the mail appears as plain text, try pasting the following link into your internet browser http://www.at-the-oak.com/newsletter. Please report any problems to us at 'at.the.oak@googlemail.com'. Please set your email spam filters to let through our mailing address. We have taken reasonable precautions to minimise the risk of virus infection, however we cannot accept liability for any loss or damage sustained as a result of viruses. We recommend that you always use an up to date virus checker to scan your emails.

© Inn Toxicated Limited 2006, 2007