Lifespan Catering Service joins national calls to ‘eat seasonably’

Oct. 26, 2009 - PRLog -- IMAGINE the huge volume of fresh vegetables needed to prepare and produce around 24,000 portions of hospital food every single day.

Each month, Lifepsan Catering Services http://www.lifespancatering.co.uk uses around 11 tonnes of potatoes, carrots, cabbages and courgettes as part of the many ingredients that go into the ‘cook chill’ meals for hospital patients – all prepared and cooked at its premises in Fulbourn, Cambridge.

A further four tonnes of apples are also used within the same timescale.

But while the meals themselves sometime travel up to an hour and a half each day to reach their destination, where they are reheated and served, the source of the seasonal food is a lot close to home.

“Local fruit and vegetable farmers and growers are preferred where possible,” said Michael Davey, Lifespan Catering Services production manager.

“We have successful and long-standing partnerships with several growers, producers and suppliers which enables us to fulfil our commitment to be locally sustainable wherever we can, as well as offering the hospital patients fresh, seasonal ingredients.”

Based in and around the Cambridge area, these include Cambridge Produce Brokers, Histon Produce and A&B Produce.

With over 40 years’ experience, family-run business Cambridge Produce Brokers has been supplying Lifespan Catering Services for the past five years.

Based in Fen Drayton, the firm has a portfolio of fruit and vegetables including local apples, pears, carrots, parsnips, onions, swedes and cabbages as well as salad plants.

Proprietor Mervyn Meneely said: “We live in the Cambridge area and our farming neighbours and suppliers are important to us.

“We like to be the link between ‘field and fork’ and work hard to ensure our goods arrive with customers in as good a condition as when they arrive with us.

“We understand the demands on Lifespan Catering Services – if it is needed, we recognise the urgency to supply and will whenever necessary. Our food is part of the patient journey, and we   like to think we are supplying them with the most wholesome and seasonal food that has travelled from the local countryside and has been handled with great care.”  

Lifespan Catering Services also delivers its ‘cook –chill’ meals to hospital patients in Leicester, Norfolk and London.


The months of October and November are a great time for seasonal ingredients such as carrots, main crop potatoes, spinach and cabbage – all of which are supplied to Lifespan Catering Services locally.

Check the official Eat Seasonably website to see what is at its best this month,
http://eatseasonably.co.uk/what-to-eat-now/calendar/