A Michelin-starred chef is to offer training sessions to prisoners working at a pioneering rehabilitation restaurant behind bars at High Down.

The move comes after friends and family of inmates at the prison, in Banstead, have raised a number of concerns since the start of the year, including claims that staff shortages are resulting in prisoners being locked in their cells for 23 hours a day and are unable to attend rehabilitative classes - something the Ministry of Justice has denied.

The Clink restaurant opened at High Down, as the first of its kind in the prison estate, in 2009. 

It aims to reduce reoffending rates by training prisoners and getting them jobs in the hospitality industry upon their release with the support of The Clink charity’s career mentoring scheme. 

Despite concerns about rehabilitation in the prison, The Clink has announced that renowned chef Adam Simmonds will become a ‘chef ambassador’ at High Down and provide hands-on support to the inmates working at the restaurant.

The restaurant has 28 prisoners in training at the restaurant at a time - 14 in front of house and 14 in the kitchen.

Simmonds, who has worked at The Ritz and been part of kitchen teams headed up by the likes of Marco Pierre White and Raymond Blanc, will hold skills workshops for the inmates.

He said: "I am looking forward to working with the talented trainees in the kitchen to continue the great work of the charity and the people who have donated their time to educating and rehabilitating prisoners."

The charity’s ambassador programme offers inmates the chance to learn technical skills, develop their palate for combining flavours and experience life in a fast-paced kitchen. 

The same high standards seen in the chef ambassadors’ kitchens are expected in The Clink.

Chris Moore, chief executive of The Clink charity added: "It is of great benefit to the prisoner rehabilitation scheme to have respected chefs, such as Adam, leading the work of the ambassador programme.

"They kindly offer their time and knowledge to aid the development and education of the prisoners in training which ultimately helps to reduce reoffending rates."

Clink restaurants have also opened Brixton and Cardiff prisons, with a fourth due to open at Styal prison next year.

Inmates work towards qualification while gaining experience in the restaurant, while diners are required to book in advance, must be given security clearance and eat with plastic cutlery.

The charity aims to have 10 training projects running by the end of 2017.