Staff and students from Edmunds Restaurant in Bury St Edmunds all raised a glass after claiming a prestigious award.
Edmunds – an establishment housed in the ground of West Suffolk College – received a highly commended AA college rosette.
To receive this accolade, a mystery shopper from the AA rosette team anonymously comes along to the establishment and judges them on all aspects of the experience.
They look at the booking system, the service, cleanliness of the restaurant, lighting, cutlery, the menu, staff and the food.
They then consider all of this before grading the restaurant – and Edmunds passed the test with flying colours receiving ‘highly commended’.
The awards were set up to reward establishments for the quality and range of their services and facilities.
This is the third year in a row that Edmunds has received this accolade.
Andy McGowan is the head of the Culinary Arts Academy at West Suffolk College – an establishment that forms part of Eastern Education Group. On this success Andy said: “I believe only around ten colleges in the country pick up this ‘masterchef’ style award. We found out this week. The letter was waiting for me on my desk and it’s great news for everyone. It’s quite an accolade to have and it means we can enter more awards in the future and we get a nice certificate and plaque on the wall.
“All students get a copy of the certificate that they can use in their portfolios and it’s a big deal for us to get this. This gives us an access to a network (of other restaurants) and it helps make our students better prepared for industry and gives them a competitive edge.”
Eleanor Houlder, 17, from Barwell is on a level one vocationally recognised qualification. Eleanor said: “I thought it was great. I served the lady who came in so it was nice to know I played a part in the success. I’m very proud.”
Lydia Komodromos, 16, from West Wratting is on a level one catering course. Lydia said: “I was quite surprised. I was in the kitchen cooking the dessert during the AA visit. It makes me feel good to have played my part. This and the college give me more confidence. I can now say that I work for an award-winning restaurant on my CV.”
Some of the feedback stated that ‘the tables were well managed throughout’ and that ‘the team did a great job’.
