Agency at food centre moving to Shrewsbury college

In October, it was announced that Heart of England Fine Foods (HEFF) will share the restaurant and training kitchens at Shrewsbury College, which were recently revamped as part of a £15 million project.

The deal has now been rubber-stamped, with an official gala dinner celebrating the start of the partnership due to be held on January 31.

Origins restaurant forms part of a development at the London Road site and houses two industry standard training kitchens, a production kitchen plus a restaurant and bar, which deliver professional training in catering and hospitality.

The link-up will see Shrewsbury College students serving lunches and evening fine dining on several days of the week for Origins and Taste Kitchen chefs from HEFF will offer daily breakfasts and evening meals across the weekend and during academic holidays.

HEFF, which works with hundreds of businesses across the Midlands to promote local food and drink, will be relocating all of its operations from Battlefield, including office staff and its Local Food Store, by March 2014.

It comes after HEFF's six-year contract to provide support services for food agencies ended as part of cost-cutting measures by Shropshire Council in July.

Steve Wain, Principal at Shrewsbury College, said: "We are delighted to have this exciting new venture to launch 2014 at the college. The board of governors and I felt strongly that this partnership would not only ensure HEFF and its wealth of expertise in the food and drink sector stayed in Shropshire but also would hugely benefit our students as we prepare them for life after college."

Chief executive of HEFF, Karen Davies MBE, said: "This is a fantastic move for HEFF, as it takes the organisation forward, benefiting not only our food producers but also the students at Shrewsbury College.

"The students will have the added value of working alongside an industry body."