Southall Manor House is a new project being funded by the Mayor. It’s helping to equip local people with the skills local businesses need. Lucy Taylor, Ealing Council’s Director of Regeneration and Planning, tells us more…
What is the project?
Southall Manor House is about people and place. In terms of people, it will create a pool of local skilled staff that businesses can employ. In terms of place, we’re doing the building up as a training restaurant where people can learn on the job. Many businesses in Southall said there was a real shortage of trained chefs.
That meant they had to bring in people from India and other places to do these jobs. Southall Manor House is a way of giving Londoners the skills they need to go into jobs we know that exist. It’s about training students in a live environment and training the chefs and supporting the local businesses.
The project was developed with Jamie Grainger Smith, from Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant. It’s based in the grade II listed old manor house which dates from the 16th century. The building sits in a park in what was a rundown part of Southall. When the Mayor’s Regeneration Fund came along we looked at how we could give the building a new lease of life.
We’re building an extension so that we can create a proper commercial kitchen. There will also be space for learning and education, events and be a place that will support local businesses too.