Food at Elm Bank 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 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:
Sharntelle Hall
Hello, my name is Sharntelle and I am the Senior Head Chef at Elm Bank care home.
I ensure we offer a choice of delicious meals, three times a day, to meet residents' food preferences and dietary needs. I love cooking and I take the time to speak to residents about what food they enjoyed or weren't so keen on. We include special requests and residents' favourites in our menus, and we provide cakes and biscuits to go with morning and afternoon refreshments. We also cater for special events, food-related activities and all the birthdays and other celebrations here at Elm Bank. I manage the great kitchen team here which includes a Second Chef, Kitchen Assistants and Dining Hosts.
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'.
