SOMERSET Larder, the catering company set up to supply local produce into Hinkley Point C, has reached a significant milestone - serving its 2,000,000th meal on site.

The company was formed in 2014 to help the region’s food and drink producers gain a foothold into the large contracts available during the building of the new power station near Bridgwater.

Somerset Larder uses locally sourced ingredients, including meat from Pyne’s of Somerset, vegetables and fruit by Arthur David, dairy by Gundenham Dairy, bread by Mortimers Bakery, coffee by Clifton Coffee and baked goods by M.J. Baker.

Somerset Larder has a central production kitchen, based in North Petherton, where the majority of food is produced and then delivered to the site. It caters for four restaurants, four coffee shops and numerous vending machines - feeding the 3,800 workers on site every day.

It now employs 135 people.

The group is focusing on recruiting apprentices into the business, three chefs recently completed courses and three more are about to start.

It has also employed an apprentice finance assistant and is looking into opportunities to bring more into hospitality roles.

The Hinkley Point C Project is aiming to support 1,000 new apprentices throughout the construction phase.

Managing director, Steve Braithwaite, said: “It’s incredible what we have achieved in the past five years. The Hinkley Point C development was an opportunity to bring together some of the best local food businesses in Somerset and for us to provide outstanding food for the community.

Our ‘from field to fork’ ethos has helped more than 20 local food and drink producers get the finest, locally sourced, products onto canteen tables.

“It has been such a huge success that we are now looking at a number of other exciting opportunities to supply different industries, which will lead to an expansion of the business and ensure our model is sustainable in the future.”

Since launching the Somerset Larder has catered for 4,041 meetings and events on site, sold 300,000 cups of coffee, and has seen 200,000 full English breakfasts consumed on site.

It sells 7,800 sausages a day, 99,700 eggs a month and has 316,000kg of beans delivered each year.