Food at Bedewell Grange 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:
Andie Glendinning
Hi, my name is Andie, I have been the Head Chef at Bedewell Grange since the beginning of 2022. I learned to cook from a very young age, when I was 5 I would stand on top of a milk crate next to the cooker to see how to cook and always had an interest in cuisines from around the world. Hence, when I left school I gained my City and Guilds in Hotel and Catering. I worked for around 10 years until I took time out to raise my 4 children as a single parent. Once they were old enough, I returned to work as a Head Chef 12 years ago after completing my Advanced Diploma in hospitality, supervision, and leadership.
I have recently been selected to participate in Barchesters Chefs Acadamy, where I am futher honing my skills to help produce new and exciting dishes for our residents to enjoy.
I have enjoyed my time at Bedewell, getting to know our residents and their families. I feel totally supported by our staff, management, and Barchester themselves, which pushes me and the kitchen team to try and deliver the best quality food, something our residents totally deserve.
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'.
