The Freebrough Restaurant

Under the direction of our Chef, Stewart McGreskin, the Freebrough Restaurant is revolutionising the way our students view school meals. The restaurant currently provides a before school breakfast club, break time snacks and a wide range of healthy, delicious lunches.

Freebrough Academy uses a ‘cashless catering’ system which removes the need for the students to carry cash. Students simply visit one of the cashless catering machines when they arrive at school to top up their account and then later pay for their food at the tills by using their fingerprint.

Grab an apron and give these delicious, healthy recipes a try:

No Longer All at Sea

Many people who choose to follow a career as a chef are prepared to stand the heat in the kitchen but, unlike Stewart McGreskin, few actually come under fire in the execution of their duties.

Employed now as chef at Freebrough Academy in Brotton, supervising a brigade of 12 kitchen staff, Stewart, born in Glasgow but now of Stokesley, first worked in a professional kitchen when he was 14. At weekends, he was employed at the Norseman Hotel in Peterlee to peel vegetables, which he did until joining the Royal Navy at 16 to train at HMS Chatham in Kent as a chef. At 17, on his first posting, to the helicopter command cruiser HMS Blake, he joined a 12-strong brigade of chefs who worked on shift 24 hours a day catering for the crew of 350. Most of their time was spent visiting European ports. Stewart also served on Royal Naval shore bases in Northern Ireland where, as well as cooking, he took part in shore patrols.

On Stewart’s next ship, the aircraft carrier HMS Bulwark, the chef brigade catered for 470 crew members unless there was a Royal Marine contingent on board when the number rose to some 1500. The men were served in four dining rooms – the officers’ mess, chief petty officers’ mess, petty officers’ mess and that for other ranks. During this period, the ship visited the USA, West Indies and Far East. In 1981, aboard the frigate HMS Zulu, Stewart was honoured to be appointed Captain’s Cook.  The following year, during the Falklands conflict, he found himself on HMS Intrepid, a troop carrier equipped with landing craft. It was there that the ship came under fire from Argentinean forces but Stewart fortunately came through unscathed.

After the war, he left the Royal Navy as a Leading Cook and worked as a chef for two years on the North Sea oil production platform Murchison, off Aberdeen. His clientele there numbered one thousand. His next rig was the semi-submersible Apollo 2.

Following a period as one of Joe Rigatoni’s original chefs in his first restaurant, in Hartlepool, Stewart broadened his qualifications by gaining a Certificate in Education at Hartlepool College of Education, which ultimately allowed him to teach Hospitality and Catering there. Afterwards, he championed the cause of healthy eating as a member of the North Tees Health Promotion Community Food Project and then took up a post as lecturer to trainee chefs at Middlesbrough College.

Currently providing 800 hot and cold meals every day, Stewart can not speak highly enough of his team and looks forward to opening the Freebrough restaurant in the near future to parents, staff and the local community for themed evening meals.

 

Freebrough Students Support Local Older Residents

Freebrough Academy staff and students recently hosted a special kind of event for senior citizens from the local community.  Around 35 people from Brotton Over Sixties Luncheon Club enjoyed afternoon tea in the superb facilities of the Freebrough Restaurant – and they even had a game of bingo!

Since the Academy opened a year ago it has been at the heart of East Cleveland.  Principal Linda Halbert explains, ‘We are creating a vibrant environment at Freebrough, not only for our students who are inspired and motivated to achieve excellence, but also for the local community who can benefit from our superb facilities and ‘can do’ culture.’

The Brotton Over Sixties Luncheon Club organises popular and fun activities and outings for older people in rural Brotton.  Margaret Whitehead, organiser of the Club says, ‘The event hosted by Freebrough was a superb social occasion.  It’s exactly what makes our members feel part of their local community, and connect with people around them.’

Chef at Freebrough Restaurant, Stewart McGreskin says, ‘Local residents enjoyed well-deserved pampering and attention, and our motivated students put their skills into real-life practice, gaining the satisfaction of helping others along the way.  Win-win for us all!’

The event marks an on-going programme by Freebrough Restaurant to open its doors to the wider community.  It currently provides a before-school breakfast club, break time snacks and a wide range of healthy, delicious lunches.  Now it intends to expand this further, so local people can benefit too.