The Silver Plate

Run by our fantastic Catering and Hospitality students under the supervision of our expert staff, the department holds many coveted food and hospitality accreditations and awards, including the prestigious accreditation from the Craft Guild of Chefs. Launched in 2020, The Craft Guild of Chefs College and University Accreditation scheme is a mark of the high standards achieved by the sites.

Serving exquisite, varied, and locally sourced food throughout the week, the award-winning Silver Plate Restaurant allows students to showcase their talent as we host tasting menus, lunch, and evening meals as well as our sought-after wine and dine evenings to the public.

Our students prepare fantastic dishes in our industry-standard kitchens and also serve the general public in The Silver Plate restaurant. They’re provided with the opportunity to serve both lunch and dinner, as well as events such as wine and dine evenings, gourmet evenings, guest chef evenings, and Christmas lunches.

Top chefs

The Silver Plate has superb links with a range of top industry chefs, including Dan Ashmore (Group Executive Chef for Dean Banks), Ross Sneddon (Executive Pastry Chef at The Balmoral), and Ian Musgrave (Sous Chef at The Ritz). These chefs regularly provide our students with guest lectures and support them to provide our customers with the highest quality food and service.

Skilled students

It’s not just our teaching staff who are outstanding in their field! Our Catering and Hospitality students regularly enter competitions to show off their techniques and skills. These are just some of their recent accolades:

• Jack Hayes, Max Heath and Rhiannon Siddall were crowned the champions of Zest Quest Asia 2022. The team of students won an educational trip-of-a-lifetime to Manila in the Philippines thanks to the expert execution of their Vietnamese-inspired menu. The team also won the Best Use of Rice category for their innovative rice-based dishes, for which they also enjoyed a trip to Italy
• Commis Chef Apprentice, Matthew Mansell, reached the finals of the prestigious Nestlé Torque d’Or competition
• Students Jessica Nicholson, Jess Godber and Max Heath won two categories of the UK Young Restaurant Team of the Year Awards 2022. The team won the best use of living ingredients category and the best use of finest ingredients category
• Bakery students at The Sheffield College won a haul of industry awards in the annual Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees (ABST) 2022 competitions. The college’s trainee bakers won eight gold, seven silver and eight bronze awards whilst developing their professional and team working skills
• Talented students Max Heath, Jack Hayes and Lily Scriven won four of the competition categories at the UK Young Restaurant of the Year Awards 2023, including "Best Use of British Beef", "Cafeology Barista Award", "Welbilt Kitchen Award" and "Wellocks Trophy"