NHS caterers prepare to dish up 20th anniversary celebrations

Jan. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- HAPPY birthday to NHS caterers, Lifespan Catering Services, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this month.

For the past two decades the Cambridge-based business has been preparing and providing meals for NHS and private hospital and nursing home patients around Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Essex, Suffolk and parts of London.

The unit works around the clock, seven days a week to produce a staggering 32,000 portions of food each day.

And now customers have the chance to go behind the scenes at the business in Fulbourn, to see just how the food is prepared – as well as sample it for themselves!

The invitation has been sent out by Lifespan Catering Services in the run up to its 20th anniversary, which officially takes place on 29 January.

During the week leading up to the birthday, visitors will receive a tour of the premises before tucking into a typical Lifespan Catering Services’ lunch.

The tasty, appetising and nutritious ‘cook chill’ meals - which range from shepherd’s pie and beef hot pot to chicken tikka masala, fresh tuna pasta bake and a selection of hot puddings – have gone great lengths to change public perception about hospital food.

Customer support manager Rose Kelleway is overseeing the celebrations, which culminate in a social evening on the Friday for all staff.

The anniversary of the business also marks a personal milestone for Rose, who joined Lifespan Catering Services just six months after it opened.

Rose said: “The growth of the business and the volume of work have changed dramatically since I joined in 1991, when I worked as a part-time technician helping to weigh out and pick ingredients.

“We are delighted with the uptake of the tours so far, which will give our customers the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at the whole operation – from preparing the menus to cooking and presenting the food to how it is delivered to patients.”

Visitors will also get an insight into how the many tonnes of carefully selected, seasonal fresh ingredients are used.

Head of catering Trevor Colcomb said: “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.

“Appealing hospital food is paramount in a patient’s recovery. Often after an illness or surgery a patient’s appetite is affected, but we hope our meals go some way to restoring their normal eating habits.”

Lifespan Catering Services is the catering arm of NHS shared services provider Anglia Support Partnership.

FACT FILE

-   A team of around 50 are employed at Lifespan Catering Services.
-   A staggering 10 million portions of food are produced and prepared every year.
-   Favourite meals with patients include; steak and kidney pie with puff pastry, sausages and gravy with mash potatoes, stewed steak and dumplings and fruit sponge and custard.
-   Lifespan Catering Services holds the ISO9001 quality standard and ISO14001 environmental standard for its waste management.
-   Lifespan Catering Service’s first customers were Fulbourn Hospital, Ida Darwin Hospital and Brookfields Hospital in Cambridge, and they are still being supplied after 20 years.


Pic cap
Birthday celebrations for Lifespan Catering Services – notching up its 20th anniversary. From left to right; production manager Michael Davey, catering supervisor Amelia Yall, assistant catering manager Peter Pearson, kitchen assistant Raivis Priede and customer support manager Rose Kelleway.



Note to editors

If you would like to join in the celebrations at Lifespan Catering Services and arrange to look around the unit or sample the food at the Ida Darwin, Fulbourn on Thursday 27 January 2011 please contact Cetti Long at Media Matters on (01733) 371363 or email: cetti@mediamatters-pr.co.uk.
For more press information contact Cetti Long at Media Matters on (01733) or Lifespan Catering Services head of catering Trevor Colcomb on 01223 8841111 or Anglia Support Partnership communications manager Sadie Moden on 01480 398649.