Greene King invests in two more prison kitchens

Greene King has invested in two new kitchens to train over 60 prison leavers per year into employment.

The pub company and brewer will be launching training kitchens in HMP Onley in partnership with New Futures Network and HMP Perth with Scottish Prison Service and Perth and Kinross Council.

It comes as the group made a commitment to hire 400 prison leavers by the end of 2025 through its Releasing Potential programme.

The kitchens will enable up to 60 prisoners each year to develop skills in everything from food preparation to customer service, with the aim of taking on a role within Greene King once they leave prison.

Greene King also runs prison kitchen programmes at HMP Thameside and HMP Grampian in partnership with the Ministry of Justice, the Scottish Prison Service, Aberdeen City Council, New Futures Network and Novus. 

Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King, said: “The opening of our two new training kitchens in HMP Onley and HMP Perth is a really important part of our continued commitment to offering opportunities to everybody, regardless of their background. With pubs at the heart of local communities across the country, we are in a unique position to provide a range of jobs nationwide.  

“The new kitchens are a vital next step in our Releasing Potential programme that is helping to provide prison leavers with the employment and skills they need to build long-term careers in hospitality and successfully rehabilitate. I’d like to thank to all of those who have worked hard behind the scenes in making this possible and I look forward to welcoming more candidates to the Greene King family thanks to the academies and programmes.” 

Terry, a kitchen team leader and Releasing Potential participant, added: “While I was in custody, I was very uncertain as to what the future may hold. I heard about Greene King and opportunities for prison leavers from a member of the kitchen team. I needed to commit to something in relation to work and I’ve always enjoyed cooking so I decided to take part in the programme. I’d never held down a job for longer than three months before so was very nervous about the role. But now I’ve been here for more than five years.”

The pub group’s Releasing Potential scheme was launched in May 2019 and has since supported 260 prison leavers into employment across more than 65 UK prisons.

In 2022, Greene King also became one of the first employers in the UK to take part in a pilot programme providing apprenticeships to prisoners in open prisons.

Greene King operates around 2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Scotland and Wales and was founded in 1799.