Food at Ashchurch View Care Home
It is essential that the people we support have access to healthy food at all times, so our fantastic catering team are always on hand to prepare tasty and nutritious cuisine. Our food is always cooked to highest standard and with residents’ preferences always in mind. The importance of a balanced diet is never forgotten here, so we offer a varied menu that has something for everyone to enjoy, which you can sample below:
John Fesel
Hello, my name is John and I'm delighted to be Head Chef here at Ashchurch View.
Life before food was all about horses where I lived and breathed everything to do with the racing world. This came to an abrupt end when my horse and the upcoming jump had a 'disagreement'.
Post my accident I decided to study food and have been fortunate to take my skills to locations all around the world adding vibrance and flavour to my knowledge pot.
I joined the Barchester team in 2017 and really enjoy working within the elderly care sector as it's not just about tasty food but also about nutrition and planning a balanced diet for our residents.
It is great getting to know the residents individually and it's a pleasure to work for them as I get to try out new recipes and of course, old favourites. Diet is so important and I thrive at producing nutritious, seasonal, fresh and delicious recipes for our residents and believe this translates into the food I and the kitchen team, serve.
Please feel free to drop into Ashchurch View anytime and have a coffee and one of our tasty patries, I look forward to the feedback.
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'.
