Blog
The old team are back!
Rich, Jenny, Brett and Charlotte have reunited to bring The Offord Shoe back to life. Just before our arrival at the beginning of April 2025, a devastating kitchen fire completely destroyed the kitchen — an unexpected setback that changed our plans overnight.
Although it forced us to rethink our original vision, it didn’t stop us from creating amazing food and a beautiful atmosphere. We rolled up our sleeves and got creative, setting up a unique courtyard cookhouse with BBQs and fire pits to serve food throughout the summer.
It's been BUSY - The patio's been fixed, new garden benches bought, fairy lights went up, A LOT of fairy lights, things have been painted, pictures have been hung - all done with a little bit of the old magic.
We have organised and hosted many events from garden birthday parties, our very first music festival – Sound and Sips - and an intimate evening with Spike from the Quireboys to name a few.
From the day we arrived back the support from our friends, family and the local community has been incredible — it’s been wonderful to see so many familiar and new faces coming together to help rebuild what makes The Shoe special.
As the seasons changed, we knew cooking outside in the rain couldn’t last forever. So, on 9th October, we invested in a fully equipped container kitchen, brought to life with the hard work of Jodie the electrician and Paul the builder. The new setup will keep us going until our main kitchen can be rebuilt, and has meant that we have been able to bring back the famous Shoe Sunday Carvery.
Early November saw the cellar being refitted and a new selection of ice cold beers went on offer, as well as the old office space being turned into a prep kitchen, meaning we can start to expand our menu. With Sunday carveries back and our menu evolving all the time, the best is yet to come.
But we need you — your support, your energy and your visits — to help bring The Shoe back to how it used to be. Together, we can make it better than ever.
