Darren joined the prison service back in 2005 having served with the army in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kenya and the Falklands. He finds ‘innovative ways’ to provide a varied menu for 530 prisoners daily, all on a budget of £2.30 per person.

Commenting on the award, Darren said: “This award is credit to the prison. These awards are a brilliant way of showing what all our staff do.”

Darren is regarded by colleagues as someone who is willing to go the extra mile, cancelling holidays and working extra hours to ensure the kitchen can support the prisoner population. He takes prisoners working in the kitchen under his wing to teach them food hygiene, preparation and knife skills, so that they have transferable catering industry experience upon release.

Kerry Winter, head of corporate services at HMP Lewes, added: “I am over the moon for Darren. He’s an infectiously positive individual who is never phased and just knuckles down and gets the job done. He is a credit to the prison, and it is a marker of the man that he lives by the mantra that he would not serve anything in the prison that he would not be prepared to eat himself.”