A TOP chef is teaching pupils across the North West the art of running a busy restaurant.

Nick Cullen, the owner of Nick’s Restaurant in Chorley Old Road, has already piloted the scheme and is set to roll the project out to secondary schools in Bolton.

He will hold a series of workshops to teach youngsters the art of good food including how to source and prepare local ingredients, how to set and arrange tables and the best way to serve wine.

Mr Cullen, who has run the restaurant for eight years, said: “It helps the children understand life outside school and think about their careers.

“I try to give them an insight into running a restaurant and we emulate a Saturday night at eight o’clock, with a bit of flame and magic to create that pressure.”

The 42-year-old started his career at the age of 15 and worked in various Bolton eateries before opening his restaurant in December 2000.

He decided to launch the workshops after teachers who dine at his restaurant suggested he speak to schoolchildren about his work. Mr Cullen held a successful trial with pupils at Canon Slade last year and decided to devise a regular programme of workshops.

This week, pupils from outside of the town — who study at Holy Family Secondary School in Heywood — visited the restaurant.

Nick’s passion for fresh flavours isn’t always welcomed by his young apprentices, but feedback has been positive: “I get the children to try different things, like mussels and oysters. People say they don’t like things before they have even tried them,” he said.

Sarah Burke, aged 14, sometimes cooks with her mum and enjoys tasting new foods.

She said: “It’s good to have an option about what we do when we grow up and to experience different things.”

Daniel Smith, aged 13, said: “I liked listening to Nick because he was really interesting and I really liked the food he cooked. I would love to have my own restaurant one day.”

For more details on Nick’s session, contact 01204 849774.