Archerfield: Six new recruits take first step at Chef Academy

This year marks the second year of the Archerfield Young Chefs Certificate of Excellence Award.

The two-year apprenticeship leads to a position at one of parent company Caledonian Heritable’s venues.

Half a dozen trainees from 2022 are now in their second year of the programme, with the latest six set to join them in the state-of-the-art training kitchen facility.

The 12 chefs are gaining ‘real time’ experience on the East Lothian estate, working in various different environments on live events, from banqueting to barbecues, alongside receiving expert teaching and guidance from Joe Queen and his team.

Six new recruits are starting out at Archerfield's Chef Academy

The former president of the Federation of Chefs Scotland said: “Not only are we training some talented youngsters within one of Scotland’s leading hospitality destinations, we’re guaranteeing the opportunity of a permanent position at the end of the apprenticeship.

“This programme is also a great way of building relationships and supporting the wider East Lothian community.”

The Chef Academy is just one of the apprenticeship initiatives launched by Archerfield in recent times, responding to the need for highly trained kitchen and front-of-house professionals.

Six new recruits are starting out at Archerfield's Chef Academy

The Archerfield Modern Apprenticeship, in partnership with Edinburgh College, runs initially from August 2023 to January next year.

The two selected apprentices will combine working at Archerfield Estate within the front of house team with studying at Edinburgh College’s Milton Campus.

The Modern Apprenticeship leads to a National Progression Award (NPA) in Hospitality at SCQF level 5, with the opportunity to progress to SCQF level 6 in semester two which runs from January-June 2024.