Hospitality is built on people. Skills, confidence, resilience, pride, those things aren’t just memorized in a lecture hall. They’re learned in the pressure of service, in front of real guests, with real standards and expectations. That’s the philosophy behind The Academy Restaurant at Cheshire College, South & West, Crewe campus.
This isn’t a mock kitchen or a classroom roleplay. The Academy is a fully functioning, two-rosette standard restaurant, open to the public. Guests book tables, sit down to multi-course menus, and are served by learners who are in training but already working to industry expectations. Lecturers stand behind them, guiding, mentoring, and nudging, but it’s the students who lead the experience.
Why open a college restaurant?
The idea is simple but powerful: give students the same environment they’ll face once they leave college, while still in a place designed for learning. By creating a real restaurant in the heart of campus, Cheshire College gives learners the chance to:
- Build confidence and technical ability in live service, not just assessments.
- Understand front-of-house as much as kitchen craft.
- Work with sustainably sourced, local ingredients, learning the importance of provenance and ethics alongside skill.
- Serve paying customers from the local community, building a direct link between education and the people hospitality exists to serve.
It’s not theory, it’s practice with purpose. And that’s why the Academy has earned recognition across the UK. Both its Crewe and Ellesmere Port sites are AA accredited through the College Rosette Scheme, and the College has twice been named AA College Restaurant of the Year. Those awards prove the standard is not “good for students,” it’s simply good, full stop.
The Academy Restaurant is open during term time for:
- Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday lunch (12–2pm)
- Thursday dinner (6:30–9:30pm)
And we recommend you go and try, I have been and it is absolutely incredible.
Menus change with the seasons, and the service is designed to test students on everything from plating and timing to guest interaction and wine service. The point is to stretch them. Every booking, every plate, every guest becomes part of their training.
As the College itself has said, the restaurants lead the way in sustainable hospitality education, using eco-friendly products, cutting food waste, and prioritising local suppliers wherever possible. Learners aren’t just taught how to cook or serve, but how to do it responsibly and with pride.
On Thursday 23 October 2025, The Academy’s learners will step out of campus and onto one of the region’s up and coming hospitality stages: the Cheshire East Hospitality People Awards, hosted at Crewe Hall Hotel & Spa.
This event shines a light on the people who make hospitality happen in East Cheshire from chefs and general managers to housekeepers and rising stars. And this year, the entire awards dinner will be prepared, cooked, and served by students from The Academy, supported by their lecturers and Craig Sherrington, a former contestant on Great British Menu.
John Holden, food and beverage lecturer at Cheshire College, summed up the moment:
“We have been asked to prepare, cook and serve the dinner at the East Cheshire Hospitality awards on the 23rd of October at Crewe Hall. This will be supported by Craig Sherrington, a former contestant on Great British Menu.”
For the learners, this is no small task. Cooking for a high-profile awards dinner, with an audience filled with industry leaders, means pressure and expectation. But it also means opportunity, a chance to showcase talent, professionalism, and the standard of training happening in Crewe.
Why it matters
Hospitality is the UK’s third-largest employer, yet recruitment remains one of the sector’s toughest challenges. Too many young people leave school without ever considering hospitality as a viable career. The Academy exists to change that, showing students early on that hospitality is skilled, creative, fast-paced, and rewarding.
Events like the People Awards prove that the system works: learners who might otherwise only be cooking for peers or family are suddenly serving industry professionals, mentors, and potential employers. It raises the bar for them and for everyone watching.
I am so excited to see what the student will prepare and looking forward to trying it on the 23rd October at The Cheshire East Hospitality People Awards!
If you also see hospitality as skilled work learned in live service, powered by people, and worth backing, then come along to our next event The Art of Hospitality, 9 October at The Queen, Chester grab your free ticket and be part of an event that roots for hospitality!
