The 12-week course aims to further develop and complement the kitchen skills and techniques already gained on the job. The course, which is run in conjunction with Westminster Kingsway College in London and Trafford College in Manchester, culminates in an awards ceremony and dinner created, prepared and cooked by the chefs for selected guests who include members of the management team and general managers from Stonegate Pub Company. The participants on the programme attend the course once a week covering topics and workshops including kitchen and knife skills; butchery; fish classification; sauce and soup preparation; bread; pasta; kitchen design and workflow; people management and food profit. Perry Huntley, head of food at Stonegate Pub Company said: "The Chef School is a successful initiative which was expanded throughout the estate following the merger with Town & City. The majority of our business segments, which include Yates, Slug and Lettuce, Missoula, Classic Inns, Locals and Great Traditional pubs all have representatives taking part in the programme. "Over 40 people have graduated through Chef School and we get incredible feedback from those who take part as well as from the general managers. By offering our kitchen teams this training opportunity to further enhance their skill set and knowledge, we aim to attract and develop enthusiastic and talented people who have the ambition to succeed. This programme is just one of many career progression opportunities we offer at the company." Tony Begley, general manager of Slug and Lettuce in Reading added: "Our chef, Rhian Kenure had been at Slug and Lettuce just under a year when she was chosen to attend Chef School. "Taking part in the programme really gave a boost to Rhian's confidence and it helped to develop her leadership skills as well as learning more about the intricacies of cooking and preparing food. Within a short period of time, she was appointed as area chef and now assists and consults on new menu launches along with sharing her knowledge with others." The celebratory dinner, which will be created and devised by the chefs, will take place on Wednesday 11th July in Manchester and Tuesday 17th July in London.