HAVE you discovered the award-winning restaurant at Oxford Brookes, asks the university's restaurant operations manager Jonathan Warhurst.

It’s one of the region’s best kept secrets – offering a gourmet experience in sleek surroundings – and we also run wine and cookery courses too.

The Brookes Restaurant at the university’s Gipsy Lane Campus is part of the Oxford School of Hospitality Management and was created to give our management students experience on the ‘factory floor’ so they get exposure to all levels of a real business.

Two years ago, the school was judged to be number one in Europe for research in its field and top in the world for research productivity, so we offer one of the best management training programmes in the UK using a mix of classroom time and on-the-job experience.

The pleasant outcome for Oxford residents is that they get to enjoy a high quality restaurant in Headington.

We’re working hard to make it one of the leading venues to eat within Oxfordshire. It’s staffed by a brilliant team who give the students a true experience of working in a high-end business and the chefs are passionate about food and education.

At the Oxford Restaurant Awards we came first for most outstanding service and runner-up in the gastronomic restaurant award.

But as well as eating at this great facility you can also enjoy a more hands-on experience. The restaurant is home to the Brookes Restaurant Cookery and Wine School which runs a wide range of courses throughout the year, some of which lead to a qualification.

We have been approved by the Wine and Spirit Education Trust to provide two formal qualifications: our Foundation Certificate in Wine is ideal if you’re looking for a gentle introduction into exploring different wine styles, pairing up wines with different food and learning how to correctly store and serve different wines. The course includes wine tastings and a workshop for pairing food and wine.

Then, if you want to explore further, the Level 2 qualification builds on this to give you understanding beyond the label.

This qualification is popular with all wine and spirit employees as well as the passionate consumer.

Oxford Brookes is celebrating 10 years since becoming the world’s first Fairtrade University and at the restaurant we drive ethical principles reflecting our concern for the environment, as well as supporting local producers.

The restaurant has forged strong links with local suppliers from around the region such as Kelmscott Pork at Lechlade, Bucksum Salads at Long Crendon, Samuelsons soft drinks at Witney and the family butcher and greengrocer Cutler and Bayliss in Lechlade.

Our menus focus on the best of British seasonal ingredients such as Waterperry apple, leg of partridge, local beets and parsnips.

The staff are passionate about how and where we source our food which allows us to create monthly and weekly specials.

While the restaurant’s main focus is the lunchtime trade, in the evening and at weekends we host private and corporate events and we also run a monthly supper club which is an informal event where we invite a guest speaker followed by a supper.

So if you want to treat yourself with a new dining experience, why not take a trip to Headington?