As the leading chef association in the UK, The Craft Guild of Chefs has always been committed to increasing the standards of professional cooking through greater awareness, education, and training. It is keen to do more to inspire the next generation of chefs at a grassroots level, which is why it decided to launch its new accreditation programme.

The scheme is aimed at colleges and universities that want to benefit from the association’s decades of experience and to tap into its extensive network of chefs by associating their faculty with the Craft Guild of Chefs name. It will also offer colleges access to high profile chefs who can be asked to become guest speakers and College Patrons. The scheme will offer three levels - Gold, Silver and Bronze - with stringent criteria to earn the accreditation.

Andrew Green, chief executive, Craft Guild of Chefs, said: “We see our new initiative as a way of helping prospective students assess the quality of the course they choose and ensure it offers them the most potential to support them at the start of their culinary education journey. While universities and colleges who are confident of the calibre of their courses can proudly display their rating and endorsement from the Craft Guild of Chefs to ensure they continue to attract talented and committed students.”

Darren Creed from Loughborough College said: “We’re extremely proud of the teaching on offer at our college, which is why we signed up to be accredited by the Craft Guild of Chefs. The scheme underlines our commitment to being the best provider in hospitality education and our ethos of working in partnership with the industry at every opportunity.”

Terry Tinton from Westminster Kingsway College added: “We need to support our young chefs and our future talent to ensure the hospitality industry comes out fighting, especially in the face of what have been challenging months. Like many of our peers, we pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching and the opportunities afforded students, but we understand that choosing the right course can be difficult. By partnering with The Craft Guild of Chefs, we can offer future students the assurance that our credentials as a quality institution have been endorsed by one of the leading associations in our industry.”