The Royal Oak in Paley Street put up for sale by Sir Michael Parkinson's son
The Royal Oak in Paley Street, Berkshire, has been put up for sale by Sir Michael Parkinson's son Nick.
The pub was bought by the chat show host and journalist in 2001 before being sold to his son around eight years ago. During the 19 years in the tenure of the Parkinson family, the pub become a renowned dining destination serving British food and hosting a plethora of celebrity musicians and actors as well as members of the royal family, including the Queen.
The Royal Oak won a Michelin star in 2010, an accolade it held for eight years under three chefs including Dominic Chapman who stayed at the pub for seven-and-a-half years before leaving to open his own pub, the Beehive at nearby White Waltham. The current head chef is Matt Samson.
Nick Parkinson, a trained chef who cut his culinary teeth as an apprentice in the kitchens of London's Savoy hotel and later moved into food and beverage manager roles before taking on the running of the Royal Oak.
He said: "It has been an unbelievable journey and it is with a heavy heart that I have made this decision but an opportunity has arisen for me and my wife that would make it near impossible to carry on with the Oak."
On taking over the pub in 2001, the Parkinsons spent £40,000 on adding a restaurant before later doubling it in size to 80 seats and adding a courtyard garden designed by horticultural expert Richard Vines.
The leasehold of the Royal Oak, which is tied to Fuller's Brewery, is available for sale with agent Davey Co for £195,000. Net sales of the business are said to be more than £1.1m with an adjusted net profitability of over £200,000 annually. The annual rent is £70,000 per annum.
