HMP Lewes prison chef wins national award

Army veteran and prison chef Darren Courtney has been recognised for his outstanding work at HMP Lewes at the Skills for Justice Inspire Justice Awards.
By Kye ParkinContributor
Published 2nd Dec 2022, 10:37 BST
Updated 2nd Dec 2022, 10:37 BST
L to R: Mike Cunningham (Skills for Justice); Darren Courtney (HMP Lewes); Alfie Moore (BBC Radio 4 Comedian)L to R: Mike Cunningham (Skills for Justice); Darren Courtney (HMP Lewes); Alfie Moore (BBC Radio 4 Comedian)
L to R: Mike Cunningham (Skills for Justice); Darren Courtney (HMP Lewes); Alfie Moore (BBC Radio 4 Comedian)

Darren joined the prison service back in 2005 having served with the army in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kenya, and the Falklands.

No stranger to filling bellies in trying circumstances, Darren finds innovative ways to provide a varied menu for 530 prisoners daily, all on a budget of £2.30 per person.

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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.

What’s more 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.

Reacting to the news of his win at glittering awards ceremony held in Birmingham, Darren said: “This award is credit to the prison. These awards are a brilliant way of showing what all our staff do.”

Kerry Winter is Head of Corporate Services at HMP Lewes and nominated Darren for the award. She said: “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.”

The Inspire Justice Awards is sponsored by UNISON, Serve & Protect CU, Napo, SFJ Awards and Policing Insight. To find out more visit: https://skillsforjustice.org.uk/inspire-justice-awards

Related topics:Northern IrelandKenya