The Cink Restaurant at HMP Styal scooped the top award at this year’s Cheshire Life Food and Drink Awards, which took place at Carden Park on 22 July.
Also highly commended in the same category were Linden Stores, Knutsford, and Groobarbs, High Legh.
The restaurant is consistently rated #1 on TripAdvisor and was voted a “Travellers’ Choice” restaurant in 2023, placing it in the top 10% of TripAdvisor restaurants worldwide.
Housed in a former chapel just outside Styal prison’s gate, it is open for brunch, lunch and dinner. It can also be booked exclusively for business meetings or celebrations.
The Clink employs women on day release from HMP Styal, enabling them to both acquire qualifications, reintegrate into the community and rebuild their lives.
The restaurant has trained over 100 women for careers in hospitality, offering industry qualifications in both professional cookery and front of house service.
Gail Gardner-Harding, Restaurant Manager at The Clink Styal, said: “The whole team at The Clink Restaurant, Styal are absolutely thrilled to have received this award. It is a terrific accolade to our staff and, most importantly, our students.
“Working at The Clink Restaurant at Styal is incredibly rewarding for so many reasons. Not only are we helping our wonderful students gain qualifications and employment, but we are also serving delicious food to our guests and providing amazing service.
“The restaurant is a fantastic place to come for coffees, cakes, brunches, sharing plates or three-course meals and can also be hired out by businesses, too. We are looking forward to welcoming people to our community day on Saturday 7 September and invite anyone interested in our work to come and find out more!”
