By Jonathan Byrne
Clink in Prison
I was definitely impressed with
all of the food I was served.
Every element of the dishes is
freshly made as a method of
teaching a wide range of
cooking skills to the trainees
giving us bread baked freshly,
fresh pasta and home made ice
cream.
chorizo created a delightful
starter. Deep fried Jerusalem
artichoke crisps and puree
carried the flavor strongly,
definitely the best artichoke
I’ve tasted. Although I’m not
usually a pudding fan, I
thoroughly enjoyed the
combination of fig, cinnamon
An assortment of canapés.
T
he whole meal
experience is very
important to me. Not only do
I want to enjoy and be
impressed by the food and
beverages, I want to enjoy
them in a pleasant
environment served via
warm engaging service. Even
better if the whole meal
experience is so good it
blows me away! Lunch at
The Clink takes the whole
meal experience to a new
level with elements you are
just not going to encounter
elsewhere.
The Clink is a charity operating
four restaurants in HM Prisons,
a garden project growing fresh
produce that is served in the
restaurants and an Event
Catering service in London. The
main aim is to reduce the
reoffending rates of prisoners
released back into society. It
does a spectacularly good job.
Historically 46% of released
prisoners reoffend within the
first year growing to 75%
reoffending within five years.
Graduates of The Clink,
monitored by independent
examiners in 2012, have
achieved a reoffending rate of
12.5%, a significant and
noteworthy reduction.
engagement. One of my fellow
diners was Head Chef of one of
the top London hotels. He
actively seeks to recruit The
Clink Graduates as Chefs today
have rarely experienced the
standard of training and
development imparted at The
Clink.
Chocolate Tart, Pistachio ice Cream and Black Cherry.
THE LONDON & UK DATEBOOK
• Excellent food and a display
of culinary skill.
Griddled courgette with tomato
and aubergine purees
and light almond sponge. No
alcohol is served at The Clink.
Rabbit and chorizo press,
chorizo oil, porcini mushroom
cream and pickled chervil
Maple syrup baked fig,
cinnamon ice cream and
almond sponge.
Training in The Clink is one of
the top jobs in the prison and
everyone was very keen to
demonstrate their enthusiasm
and service skills. I’ve never
had so many smiles and
handshakes from a restaurant
service team. The two men
serving our group delivered the
perfect balance of discreet
service and friendly
The rich tomato and smoky
aubergine purees added perfect
flavours to the light Amuse
Bouche. The balance between
the smooth rabbit and spicy
A visit to The Clink enhances a meal experience to
become a rewarding life experience.
http://theclinkcharity.org
Loin of venison, venison
tortelloni, textures of artichoke
and confit potato
The Clink Restaurant at HMP Styal, Cheshire.
14
The main aim is
to reduce the
reoffending rates
of prisoners
released back
into society. It
does a
spectacularly
good job.
• The perfect standard of
service.
• A stylish smart environment.
• An enterprise that trains and
develops people who have
faced challenges.
• An opportunity for offenders
to genuinely reform.
• A charity reducing crime and
saving cost for the exchequer
& our society.
The Clink Restaurant at HMP High Down, Surrey.