Barchester Healthcare’s National Chef Academy celebrates 1 million meals a month milestone

The Academy offers structured career pathways from entry-level commis to head chef, with apprenticeships and internal competitions encouraging ambition and skill. It offers an alternative to restaurant kitchens and a career that offers stability, training, and purpose.

The Academy is led by Mervyn Knights, who joined Barchester Healthcare’s Queens Court Care Home in Wimbledon as a kitchen assistant. Today, as Hospitality Commissioning and Academy Manager, he oversees 50 workshops annually across five divisions - training and inspiring the next generation of care home chefs.

Mervyn spent a week at Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, the two-Michelin-starred Oxfordshire institution, which has helped shape his philosophy that influences the training the chefs receive every day.

Mervyn Knights said: “We are delighted to reach this milestone, which I believe is a testament to the hard work of everyone involved in building up the Academy to what it is today. At Barchester, we recognise that dining is far more than just nutrition - it’s a key part of the day for residents. We serve up everything from roast dinners and fish and chips to themed celebration teas that bring families together around the table.

“We want our chefs to leave with confidence and pride knowing their food makes a real difference to people’s lives.”

At a time when chef vacancies are at a decade high after the recent removal of chefs from the Skilled Worker Visa list, Barchester’s Academy aims to cultivate local talent to futureproof care catering. With nearly one in four Britons projected to be over 65 by 2040, the demand for skilled chefs in social care is only set to grow.

Barchester encourages those seeking a chef career with purpose and clearly laid out development pathways to apply at jobs.barchester.com.