We've all made pilgrimages for dinner; been prepared to put in a trek for a bite to eat but would you step behind bars? The Clink started in 2009 and is now running three restaurants in prisons - Brixton,Cardiff and High Down in Surrey - with plans to open 10 more in the next three years.
They open for breakfast and lunch and they are very particular about their customers. In order to eat there you must be over 18, have a valid photo ID and be happy to be subjected to searches similar to those at airports including biometric identification and have a genuine interest in the charity itself. You can't take in your mobile or camera or any cash - you pay for your meal with cheque only - and all bags are banned apart from handbags or a briefcase. All this may seem an unnecessary hassle just to get lunch in a prison, but you only have to look at what they're achieving to realise this may be one time you should want to do time.
Between 25 and 30 prisoners are trained to either cook or work front-of-house in a proper working environment to gain City & Guilds qualifications. Each graduate on release is mentored weekly for up to a year in their new job and reoffending rates are extraordinarily low. 75% of prisoners who leave prison without employment or training tend to reoffend within five years. The national reoffending rate after one year of release is 47%. Prisoners working in The Clink have a reoffending rate of just 12.5%, which really tells you everything you need to know about why this scheme is so important.
Last year over 18,000 people visited The Clink and no wonder with ambassadors such as Giorgio Locatelli, Antonion Carluccio, Gareth Edwards and recently Cyrus Todiwala. The Brixton branch even won the Sustainable Restaurant Awards this year and each year they win a fistful more. Yet each restaurant operates at a loss - around £150,000 per year - due to the costs of training and mentoring. Each diner spends around £20-£25, so a loss is inevitable, but with more diners and even businesses choosing to eat and work there - there are private rooms to hire - this deficit could be addressed.
But, we hear you yelling, this is all well and good but what about the food? The restaurants source locally from butchers nearby or even their own working farms. They look towards Europe for inspiration, so expect to find herb-crusted pork chops, vegetarian lasagne, stuffed pancakes and so on with real care taken both in the cooking and presentation. Porridge remains unavailable...
Y'know, we all want to do our bit and we all like eating out. If a very reasonable, well-executed meal is within reach, wouldn't you jump at it? And at the same time help the less fortunate cook their way out of a troubled life? It's a bit of philanthropy prettied up on a plate you'll genuinely enjoy. Let us know what it's like.
