Food at Hollyfields Care Home
Our catering team at Hollyfields Care Home consists of experienced chefs who offer only the best in nutritional and delicious food, which reflects the individual tastes and dietary needs of people living at the home. We consult with residents before creating our menus to ensure that the food we provide is up to their standards, and they are invited to attend meetings with our chefs to discuss what they would like to see on their seasonal menus. Our team also loves making cakes for birthdays and other treats for special occasions to make those events that little bit sweeter. Please see below for a sample of the food we offer:
Sarah Finch
My name is Sarah Finch and I am the Head Chef here at Hollyfields. I started my career with Barchester as a Care Assistant and worked my way up to Head Chef eventually. I have my NVQ Level 2 in Professional Cookery.
I cater to the needs of residents, adhering to all dietary requirements, and compile nutritious menus based on their likes and dislikes.
I have a good team that work alongside me, including my Second Chef, and a team of trained Kitchen Assistants who have helped maintain the highest score (5) for our food hygiene inspections over the past few years.
Dietary requirements
For residents who have difficulties swallowing, we modify the menu of the day so that the dishes are more palatable for them. To support our chefs in producing these dishes, our hospitality team and our Chef Academy organise theory and practical workshops. The chefs work with the chef trainer to prepare tasty, modified meals safely and according to IDDSI frame work. This encourages residents to eat and enjoy their food. All our chefs have been trained in IDDSI food descriptors.
Attracting top chefs
Our chefs are recruited on the basis of an interview with the regional hospitality support team and the manager of the home. Selection also involves a practical element, where potential chefs are asked to cook for and meet a panel of people living in the home. Chefs take their job extremely seriously and the annual Barchester Chef Competition sees our chefs battle it out in regional heats and then at a national final for the accolade of 'Barchester's Chef of the Year'.
