Food at Flowerdown Care Home
We understand that food is vital to the health and well-being of those we support. Our trained chefs are passionate about creating food that is delicious, nutritious, nourishes the body and soul, and tailored to personal tastes.
Our irresistible cuisine is prepared with only the very best fresh, seasonal produce, and based on the individual tastes of the people we support. Our menu will satisfy even those with the smallest of appetites; from breakfast through to dinner, residents can discover something different with fresh flavour and lovely presentation. Our fantastic chefs are always keeping themselves busy in the kitchen creating new and exciting dishes for everyone to enjoy. Please see below for a sample of what we offer:
Jander De Sousa
Hello, I am Jander and I am the newly appointed Head Chef at Flowerdown Care Home. I was born in Brazil and came to England in 2004. My love for cooking started at a young age and I have been working in the hospitality industry at various restaurants and in other care homes for over 20 years.
I am very passionate about creating 5 Star quality food that meets the nutritional and dietary requirements. I have a NVQ in Professional Cooking and I have recently qualified from the 2024 Barchester Chef Academy which I am exceptionally proud of and intend to use what I have learnt and apply this at Flowerdown. In my spare time I love gardening and also creating new dishes and recipes.
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'.
