The RoughStuff Story
A board for every purpose. Purpose in every board.
How our wooden chopping boards give opportunities and skills to inmates.
RoughStuff & The Prison
We’ve worked with prisons for over 15 years, empowering inmates with the skills, confidence, and discipline to make a positive impact in their community.
We have workshops in HMP The Mount, HMP Warren Hill, HMP Aylesbury and HMP Huntercombe.
Together, we’ve built state-of-the-art industrial workshops where prisoners can hone their woodworking skills making top quality oak chopping boards alongside our dedicated workshop managers.
Around 10-20 prisoners work Monday to Friday in each workshop to keep up with the demand for our boards. Beyond mastering new skills and discipline, each prisoner is also paid a statutory wage.
We have a contract with the prison to make the boards at an agreed commercial rate, and that income is used to help pay for the prison service as a whole and save us tax payers money.
It’s because of this relationship that we say there’s purpose in every board…
Mud Kitchen
Made in HMP The Mount and finished by participants at HACRO, this mud kitchen was made for a mother and baby unit in a womens prison.
Pictures sent in by happy Customers
Awards, Trophies and Smiles!
Oak Chopping Board Care
Caring for your oak chopping board is like caring for most wooden chopping boards. They’re natural products! So here are a few tips:
Try not to leave them submerged in water or exposed to direct heat
After use, clean with washing up liquid and a brillo pad.
Sanitize boards using coarse salt and half a fresh lemon to remove stains, odours, and bacteria. Scrub the board with the salt and lemon, let it sit for 5–20 minutes, then rinse and dry completely.
If you like to keep your boards looking smart we recommend that you regularly oil them with food safe kitchen oil.
Always follow general hygiene standards for using food on wood surfaces. RoughStuff is not responsible for how you use your board.
If you have any other queries on caring for your wooden chopping board, check out this article.
Truly Rustic Range
Our beautiful Truly Rustic Bats and boards are made in HMP Aylesbury and HMP Huntercombe.
Each one is individual, entirely handmade.
We have a few boards on our website but the majority are sold at our upcoming Markets and Fairs.
Upcoming Fairs and Markets
June 6,7th South Downs Food Festival
June 13th Taste of East Anglia Kentwell Hall
June 14th Whiteley (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
June 21st Alresford (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
July 4th SouthSea (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
July 5th Stowmarket Food Festival
July 5th Bovingdon - Car Rally
July 5th Petersfield (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
July 11th Tendring Show
July 12th Culford Classic car show
July 12th Whiteley (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
July 18th Saffron Walden market
July 18th Emsworth (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
July 19th Alresford (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
July 21st Saffron Walden market
August 2nd Petersfield (Hampshire Farmers Markets)
August 15,16th New Forest Food Festival
August 27th - Bucks County show
August 30, 3st Bury st Edmund’s food festival
September 6,7th Hitchin Food Festival
September 26,27th Aldeburgh Food Festival
September 27th Farnham Food Festival
November 6, 7, 8th Cressing Temple Barns Xmas fair
November 13,14,15th Norfolk Xmas Fair ( Norfolk Showground)
November 19,20,21st Ely Cathedral Xmas Fair
December 13th Farnham Christmas Market
More dates will be uploaded as soon as they have been confirmed.
HACRO
We take the social enterprise of RoughStuff very seriously. Our founder, Matt, is Chairman of a charity called HACRO, which helps people who have been on the wrong side of the law turn their lives around. They help deliver family support and ex-offender employment programmes – both proven to reduce re-offending.
The Boss
Matt had a number of grown up jobs with a couple of FTSE 250 companies before setting up and subsequently selling his own.
Some 16 years ago he and his then business partner stumbled across the restaurant business and identified an opportunity for Rustic food service products.
With an excellent brand and a concerted sales effort, we quickly took more orders than they could handle. It was at this point they thought about trying to use HMP The Mount Prison and with their help we set up an industrial workshop and produced beautiful products.
We now not only supply some of the country’s best hotels and restaurants but can be found at County shows and food festivals all over the south of England.
This success has culminated in us opening up with other Prisons and currently we are working with 5 establishments.
We work very closely with HACRO where Matt is currently Chair of Trustees.
Contact us at
boards@roughstuffoak.co.uk
01923 267077