Care UK has been shortlisted for two awards at this year’s Public Sector Catering Awards which recognise and celebrate the very special teams and chefs working in various catering establishments around the country.
The Food and Hotel Services team at Care UK are finalists in the Care Catering category. The award recognises those that have transformed all aspects of catering for residents and recognises Care UK in particular for its ‘Dining with Dignity’ initiative.
Food and Hotel Services Director, Jon Bicknell said, “At Care UK we have revolutionised all aspects of catering for residents with one key factor in mind – choice. No matter what type of diet a resident has, we strive to provide plenty of options for them to make sure they get all the enjoyment and nutrition they need.
“We firmly believe that care home catering should rival that of high-class hotels and restaurants so our highly skilled kitchen teams receive specialist training to create attractive, tasty, safe meal options for each and every resident.'
Bicknell continued, “We are also passionate about the wellbeing of our colleagues which is why we are ambassadors for the global #Fair Kitchens movement, which supports a more inclusive, healthy culture in hospitality.
'We believe our kitchens are supportive and innovative places to work, and we know happy, skilled colleagues deliver the very best for residents. Being a chef in one of our care homes is an incredibly fulfilling experience and we are proud to have so many highly qualified people cooking for residents.”
Further recognition comes in the form of Care UK’s second shortlisting for Regional Roving Chef Andrew Mussett (pictured), who is a finalist for the Catering Manager Award.
From co-authoring a selection of Care UK recipe books for colleagues and relatives to use, to helping teams make continued improvements to ensure the food for residents is the best that it can be, Andrew’s excellent leadership skills and flexible, creative approach make him a very worthy finalist.
Mussett said, “I am thrilled to have been shortlisted for this award. I have been involved with many new ideas to improve catering for residents, including my recent project on supporting equality, diversity and inclusivity.
'I am particularly proud of the progress made here in bringing more understanding about ethnic and cultural events and festivals in our homes so that residents from different backgrounds and cultures can enjoy more authentic meals.
“I am proud of all our chefs and will happily turn my hand to support and coach them in any way I can. I feel honoured to have been recognised in this way and I am keeping my fingers crossed for the final.”
Winners of the Public Sector Catering Awards will be announced at the evening awards ceremony on Thursday 9 September 2021.
Care UK is the first care provider to work with Lifetime Training to create a national Chef Academy- a designated training package for its chefs of all levels to achieve NVQ 2 and 3. It is an excellent opportunity for team members to develop themselves and for Care UK to invest in the care chefs of the future.
Bicknell added, “We are getting an enviable reputation as a great employer for chefs to develop their career so demand is usually high for any vacancies we have.”