In 1976 the family moved to the Kent Coast near Dover where they discovered and bought a derelict manor house just outside the village of St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe. Over the course of the years this transformed from a decaying wreck surrounded by tin sheds and old barns on a working farm into what is known today as Wallett's Court Country House Hotel - one of the regions most respected 4 star hotels with a restaurant holding international accolades and a luxury spa set in acres of landscaped gardens.

At the helm of Wallett's Court was Gavin's father, Chris Oakley whose reputation as a great chef followed him from his work in the city out into the 'sticks' . Wallett's Court, at first a simple b&b run by Gavin's mother Lea, slowly evolved into a restaurant with rooms when Chris offered the occasional dinner to 'lucky' guests. Then with Gavin at his side, the restaurant's reputation began to grow and diners traveled from near and far to experience Wallett's Court.

Gavin gained invaluable knowledge in those early years working alongside the 'old master' in the engine room and in the late 1980's did his 'tour of duty' in the London kitchens of Albert Roux. It was here that Gavin made his decision to take a step forward and return to the limelight of centre stage in the restaurant at Wallett's Court.

From the early 90's Gavin developed and built the hotel and restaurant business at Wallett's Court before taking a break to indulge his passion for the great outdoors and travelled to the Alps to train as a Mountain Leader and Ski Instructor. During this time he discovered that the Europeans really knew how to relax after a 'hard day on the hill' and on his return to Wallett's Court hatched a plan to build a Spa complete with indoor relaxation pools, hydrotherapy spa, sauna and steam room and treatment rooms similar to those he'd seen in the ski resorts of Austria and France.

This development at Wallett's Court led to a quantum leap in business. Gavin had identified a growth business and pre-empted the boom in the Spa business in the UK. Over the course of the next few years Gavin built on the strong Spa trade and now has a well established operation offering Spa Breaks which encompass the excellent restaurant the original core of the successful Wallett's Court.

With Wallett's Court now operating as a busy country house hotel with around 40 employees and a strong well-established management team and a great head chef in Steve Harvey. Gavin found a little too much time on his hands and on a quiet day in early January 2008 heard through the local grapevine that the nearby Garden House Hotel was up for grabs.

The 12 bedroom village inn and restaurant was experiencing a lull in trade and the owners at the time were keen to indulge their passions elsewhere. The 'sharks' were circling and Gavin got news that a consortium of 'city boys' financed by a UK supermarket group were set to make a move on the hotel and make wholesale changes which could have an adverse affect on the delicately balanced local community and economy. He took a bold move and made an offer inspite of warnings from economists and the doom and gloom of the world economy. The initiative taken and the Garden House Hotel was acquired. Over the next few months of endless hours of planning The White Cliffs Hotel was born - a name linked to one of the country's most iconic landmarks with a nod to the original name of 'The Cliffe Tavern', a name still used by many of the locals.

Gavin and his team have now taken the hotel onward and upwards to give the heart of the village of St. Margaret's-at-Cliffe a new lease of life. With his experience, the ever present guidance of Chris and Lea his parents and the support of an enthusiastic and highly competent crew there is no doubt we can expect great things as time passes…