Catering kitchen and restaurant opens at Shropshire college

Walford and North Shropshire College has opened its new catering facilities at its Oswestry campus.

The new facilities were installed during the summer and include a specialist teaching kitchen and a training restaurant which will be open to the public from mid-October.

Course tutor Dan Tompson said the students had been thrilled to get to work in the new facilities.

He said: "We've had a good start to the course. We've got 16 students and there is a genuine excitement and enthusiasm about being involved in the newest restaurant in Oswestry.

"The group is a mix of level 1 and level 2 students, all studying professional cookery."

The college is offering courses ranging from entry level to level 3 professional food cookery, and hospitality and catering, and will offer apprenticeship training in connection with local businesses.

As part of their studies, the students will be working in their own restaurant, spending shifts in the kitchen and serving customers to give an all-round view of how the business works.

Mr Tompson said: "We'll be opening our restaurant on October 17 with Marcus Bean from the New Inn at Baschurch coming, and then the public will be able to come in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for lunch. The kitchen we've got is quite unusual because it's open plan and you can see in from the restaurant.

"It makes it quite interesting because you'll be able to see your lunch being prepared."

Paul May, deputy principal of the college, said: "We have seen a steady increase in interest in our hospitality and catering provision in recent years, with demand far outstripping the capacity of our current facilities.

"We are now able to offer students some fantastic full-time courses in hospitality and catering.

"These will provide the stepping stone for students aiming for a professional career in the industry."