The prison made famous by Gordon Ramsay's 'Gordon Behind Bars' TV programme is set to launch a three-story training restaurant and meetings venue at Her Majesty's Prison in Brixton in early 2014.
The restaurant, which is open to the public will see inmates given the opportunity to enter a real working environment by cooking lunch and dinner for up to 100 diners.
The Clink restaurant at HMP Brixton is the third of its type and will follow The Clink's Five Step Programme which has already been successfully used at HMP High Down in Surrey, educating prisoners and aiming to equip them with skills and experience to secure employment upon their release. Whilst the menu details and pricing for the Brixton project are still to be confirmed, it is expected that the format will be similar to that of the existing restaurants which both feature a rotating seasonal selection of British food with dishes ranging between £5 and £15. The Cardiff and Surrey restaurants have proved very successful, serving over 15,000 diners in 2012.
Following the screening of the 'Gordon Behind Bars' TV programme, a number of inmate chefs went on to work in restaurants across London including Ramsay's Savoy Grill and Roast restaurant.
Chris Moore, chief executive of the charity, said: 'Brixton was the perfect site for our next restaurant...the central location lends itself to securing support from local businesses and members of the public, providing real-life experience for those prisoners who make it through the selection process to join the programme.'
In addition to the 100 seat restaurant, the building will also include rooms for business meetings and working lunches. The rooms are intended to provide the charity with additional income to assist in the running of the restaurant.
Clink Brixton opens February 27 2014 and is located at HMP Brixton, Jebb Avenue, London SW2 5XF. To find out more about Clink Brixton, visit The Clink Charity website.
