Food at Laurel Bank Care Home
Our chefs at Laurel Bank offer both delicious and nutricious food. They can cater for any diet or preference. On a daily basis they visit the residents, checking what they would like to eat or offering alternatives to the menu.
All our meals are home-made, from thick warming soups, to cakes and pastries. The chefs enjoy catering for that special event or themed meal that occur on a regular basis. Nothing is ever too much trouble.
Their aim is to make the whole dining experience a pleasure. To get a flavour of our menus please see the examples below.
Grant Pritchard
Hi, my name is Grant, and I am the Head Chef, here at Laurel Bank.
I joined the team here at Laurel Bank in 2020 as a second chef but got promoted to Head Chef!
I love cooking for the residents, and tailoring my plans for each individual resident. I especially enjoy putting on spreads for the many parties and gatherings we have. Every day is different at Laurel Bank, and I really love the challenge!
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'.
