Twenty four talented head chefs have completed a year’s training and graduated in the inaugural year of the Barchester Chef Academy.

The Academy is the brainchild of hospitality development and standards manager, Mervyn Knights, who joined Barchester 20 years ago as a kitchen assistant and worked his way up through the ranks.

Knights said: “I am absolutely delighted at how well the Academy has been received by everyone who attended the course, it has been such a positive experience for all involved. So much so that next year we are going to increase our intake to 34 chefs, I am very much looking forward to meeting the Academy’s new Class of 2023 in January.”

The Barchester Chef Academy helps chefs to both hone their skills and learn new ones, covering many different modules including cooking for residents living with dementia, budgeting, balancing flavours, minimising wastage, presentation skills and so much more. The graduates will now act as Ambassadors back in their divisions, helping to train the hospitality teams in their sister homes.

Dr Pete Calveley, chief executive of Barchester Healthcare, added: “I had the pleasure of visiting the Academy and sampling some of the fantastic dishes produced by our chefs. I was impressed by the high standard of cooking and by how beautifully presented everything was.  I am incredibly proud of all of the chefs that took part in the Academy this year, I know they produce wonderful food for our residents and patients, cooked to their individual preferences, every single day.  I am also exceptionally proud of Mervyn and all that he has achieved with the Academy, it is a brilliant initiative and one that I know will go from strength to strength under his leadership.”