Ravenous reporter Emma Dunn went down to Swindon College to check out the food available to members of the public

TUCKING into a thick steak of gammon smothered in a creamy sauce, I would never have known my lunch had been prepared by students.

Hidden away in Swindon College’s North Star campus is a gem of a restaurant, which serves up top quality food to the public at the bargain price of £6.50 for three courses at lunchtime.

From the moment I arrived, the waiters, who were Level 1 hospitality and catering VRQ students, were waiting on my every need and as soon as I sat down I could watch the student chefs on a flat-screen TV cooking in the kitchen next door.

I opted for the homemade potato and watercress soup followed by the gammon steak with a mustard, sage and onion cream with crushed garden peas, potatoes and carrots.

The service was prompt and polite and when the soup arrived I was not disappointed.

It was a generous serving with a homemade roll, which was the perfect temperature and just the right consistency.

The main course kept up the high-standard with succulent gammon, which was easy to cut and was complemented nicely by the creamy sauce, crushed peas and a generous portion of carrots and potatoes.

My glass of water was kept topped up at the table and my waiter regularly came over to check my food was okay.

I finished my lunch off with a warm honey muffin with strawberry and fresh fruit salsa and clotted cream, which was just as tasty and I finished the plate.

It looked as though the other 20 guests in the room were enjoying their meals as much as I was and hospitality lecturer, Faith Rostron, said the students need people to come to the restaurant to help develop their skills.

“Everybody says we’re Swindon’s best kept secret. It is a lovely atmosphere and gives the students a realistic working environment and keeps them busy,” she said.

“It is a learning environment so this is where they are training.”

The students, who were accompanied in the kitchen yesterday by chef lecturer Sian Vockins, start preparing lunch three hours before the public arrived.

The menus change each term and the current menu which I sampled will be available until the end of the month.

First year students make and serve lunch from Monday to Wednesday from noon, Level 3 students cook lunch on Thursday from 1pm at £7 for three courses, and second year students cook and serve dinner on Thursday from 6.30pm at £10 for three courses.

Booking in advance is essential. To book a table phone 01793 498244.