Former supported intern Josh Milner impressed the team at his weekly work placement so much that they asked him to stay on now that he鈥檚 graduated. What鈥檚 more, he鈥檚 even been able to make his mark on the pub menu!
Josh, who now works voluntarily at the White Horse pub in Shrewsbury is proud to have helped to create one of the weekly Chef鈥檚 Specials 鈥� curried chicken naan bread toastie with a mint yoghurt dip.
Josh, who lives in Gobowen, near Oswestry, has learning difficulties and speech and communication needs. He is 25 years old and has just completed a one-year supported internship after completing mv天美mv天美鈥檚 Hospitality & Food pathway.
Josh鈥檚 internship saw him take on work placements to hone his skills ready for employment. He also worked at mv天美mv天美鈥檚 The Orangery Restaurant and the Walled Garden Caf茅, Nightingales charity shop, and Ye Olde Boote inn in Whittington.
Josh’s Thursdays at The White Horse
Travelling to the once a week as part of his internship, Josh said he loved his Thursdays there working with chef Mitch Robins, supported by job coach Julie Lockley.
Chef Mitch said: 鈥淛osh is a pleasure to work with and we鈥檝e seen so much progression. When he first started with us, we put him on potato peeling duties 鈥� which is where all our trainees start. The first day it took him all morning. After a few weeks, he realised that if he finished peeling quickly then he could move on to other, more challenging, jobs.
鈥淗e鈥檚 become more confident and is using initiative to see what needs doing. He always has a positive attitude and takes pride in his work. He loves listening to Michael Jackson, and we鈥檙e all learning to love it too!鈥�
鈥淲e have a regular menu but enjoy having fun with Chef Specials. We worked with Josh to create his own special, the curried chicken naan toastie. It鈥檚 was really popular with customers, so I鈥檓 hoping we can feature it again soon.鈥�
Josh says: 鈥淚 love working here, especially learning new things and making my own dish.鈥�
Congratulations, Josh!
Josh鈥檚 job coach Julie said: 鈥淛osh helps prep, including peeling vegetables ahead of the pub鈥檚 busy Sunday service, which regularly feeds over 100 people.
鈥淗e cuts cabbage, peels carrots and potatoes, and as he鈥檚 progressed is learning how to make some of favourite dishes including chicken burger, lemon posset and sticky toffee pudding.鈥�
鈥淎s he鈥檚 got more confident, he hasn鈥檛 needed my support. He gets to work straight away, grabbing his pinny and ready to go!
鈥淚t鈥檚 great news that the manager and kitchen team are keen to keep Josh on as a voluntary employee. This is the best possible outcome for one of our supported interns to achieve. Well done, Josh and thank you to the lovely team at The White Horse.鈥�