It says that all prison catering staff are trained to work safely and effectively with prisoners, help them learn new skills, and also have their own opportunity to study for an apprenticeship.
A spokesman said: “Prison caterer roles also promise more stability, with staff benefitting from greater job security and a public sector pension as they help produce around 90m meals across the prison estate every year.”
The current catering manager at HMP Grendon and HMP Springhill is Martin Harding, who served in the Royal Airforce for 20 years.
He says: “I love my job and I don’t even want to retire. There’s not many people who can say that at age 65.”
He continues: “We take our jobs very seriously in prison catering. If I didn’t believe I was making a difference, I couldn’t do the job.
“You have to believe that rehabilitation works and you have to be able to cook, of course. But equally you’ve got to be a great communicator. Working in a prison kitchen is like no other kitchen you’ll have experienced.
“There’s so much camaraderie and we have prisoners who work with us. So we have to form relationships with them - some are great, some are a bit harder to work with - but ultimately we couldn’t do it without the prisoners.
“I’ve heard them say things like: ‘I’m loving it - I’ve never done a day’s work in my life, all I’ve ever done is deal drugs’ and now here they are cooking for hundreds of people.
Martin says: “It’s important to try to teach basic cooking skills which many of them just don’t have. Watching them gain confidence is very rewarding.
“By giving them something they can use on the outside it all goes towards helping reduce the likelihood of their reoffending. I believe in the power of second chances and working with prisoners is so much more than just a job.”
He adds that prison caterers are challenged professionally in their role.
“You have to be creative and thoughtful to stretch the budget as far as possible, much like a home-cook. For example, making our own chips rather than buying bags of oven chips saves £12,000 a year and likewise making our own roast potatoes saves £3,500 annually.”
If you are curious about taking your catering career in a rewarding new direction at HMP Grendon and Springhill, or other prisons in the region such as HMP Aylesbury, you can apply or simply find out more by visiting the HMPPS website.