A Legacy in Catering Excellence at Horndean

Within catering however, there is no time for a staff briefing to chivvy the troops or the opportunity to get the best mugs out of the cupboard to woo the inspectors with hospitality on arrival. The inspection is happening – and it is happening right now, stand by your beds everyone!

For any organisation receiving a regulatory inspection, no matter how well prepared you are, there is a sudden chill in the air as the inspectors begin their walk-around, clipboard clamped to their chest and despite everyone’s consistent hard work, the review begins with a strange sense of foreboding.

A saving grace for the world of catering is that an FSA inspection is over more swiftly than in the world of education but the gradings have the same level of importance. Bluntly put, they can make or break a catering business. Fail to deliver against any of the criteria and you could be in real trouble, so consistent high standards are always paramount.

One morning in February this year, Horndean Technology College (HTC) received that very ‘knock’ at the main kitchen door. HTC operates two major kitchen facilities on its site at Barton Cross which have been upgraded over-time to meet the demands of seeing a customer base of around 1300 students and staff through the tills every day.

HTC Catering Manager, Sandra Ball said: “We are no strangers to the inspection process and are always welcome to feedback. This visit, we were reminded that our kitchens are exceptionally clean by the industry standards. We take a lot of pride in our preparation and storage areas so were not at all surprised when this was fed back to us. It’s really nice that someone else can see and appreciate what we do day in, day out.”

At the end of the inspection, HTC was easily reinstated with its top level 5/5 grading from the FSA to the delight of the whole catering team, who remain immensely proud of the important role they play in keeping the HTC family fed and watered.

HTC has a long-established team of experienced catering staff with the longest serving staff member having been at the College for over 39 years. This consistency in the staff team speaks volumes for job security and satisfaction.

Sandra told us: “Personally, it feels like I have been here forever and it has been nice to see so many generations of students go through the College, there is never a boring day and as a team we have had some great times together. Teamwork is so important, it is full-on every single day and we could not do it if we didn’t all pull together.”

It is a big operation at HTC, delivering a full catering service to students, staff and visitors daily during term time and then outside of these times, the team continue cater for major events such as birthday parties, business conferences, school plays and productions, car rallies and even weddings throughout the year.

HTC boasts substantial leisure and entertainment spaces such as Barton Hall and with a fully licenced bar, plus staging and lighting facilities, they actively welcome new bookings.

The success of HTC’s catering strategy is apparent in that the service has expanded over time to offer a morning Barista facility to staff, a Pensioners’ Lunch Club, an annual Christmas Party and a Sports Café which is open now on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, providing hot and cold drinks and snacks to people using the site for various leisure activities.

Whilst Sandra is off with a ‘spring in her step’ to proudly reinstate the 5/5 accreditation sticker in the front window at Reception, she and the team also warmly welcome communications from anyone wishing to know more about venue hire, hospitality and catering at HTC.

To download the latest HTC Hospitality, Catering and Leisure Brochure please visit:

https://horndeantc.hants.sch.uk/community/business-dimension-facilities-and-conference-hire/