By Neil Simpson
Getting involved with National Apprentice Week couldn’t be easier: support an apprentice by bringing an empty belly to one of the marvellous eateries below.
Fifteen
More than 10 years old and still going strong, Fifteen is the social aspect to Jamie Oliver’s quest for national gastronomic change, recruiting young and unemployed people as
restaurant apprentices. The London branch enjoyed a mature revamp last year, while in Cornwall, Atlantic Ocean views attempt to upstage the locally-sourced menu.
Read our London review
Read our Cornwall review
Brigade (pictured
right)
A former fire station, Brigade in London Bridge grants six-month apprenticeships to vulnerable members of society, dishing out quality fare under the guidance of founder and head chef Simon
Boyle.
Read our full review
The Waterhouse
In association with Shoreditch Trust, The Waterhouse exists to give catering experience and training to people facing financial, social or personal strife. The Haggerston canalside location
and dining terrace is an added bonus.
Read our full review
Create
Opened in Leeds in 2011, catering business Create’s first restaurant operates a seasonal menu under the watchful eye of Harvey Nichol’s executive chef Richard Walton-Allen. The former site of
the Bank of Ireland is staffed by unemployed or vulnerable people, with Create working to provide ongoing work experience and training.
Read our full review
The Clink (pictured right)
One could argue that your goose is cooked once you’re in jail, but Sutton-based charity The Clink would just go right ahead and eat it: each of
its restaurants is based within a prison, recruiting inmates and offering rehabilitation, as well as possible employment upon
release. The Clink currently operates at three locations in Brixton, Cardiff and High Down in Surrey.
Read our Brixton review
Read our Cardiff review
Lumen Café
Run by the homeless charity Lumen, its eponymous café in London’s Tavistock Place is stuffed to the roof with handmade offerings and good intentions.
Read our full review
Unity Kitchen
Operating cafes in east and south-east London, Unity Kitchen creates jobs for people with disabilities, meals that embrace local produce and cakes that make people gush. The Timber Lodge venue
is located in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, while another café is housed within the Royal Artillery Museum.
Read our Timber Lodge review
For more information on National Apprenticeship Week, visit the website.
Main photograph courtesy of Matt Russell