Chef of the month

“I treat all my residents as individuals with different tastes and dietary needs and also know exactly what foods they have a passion or particular fondness for.” within the company and by meeting with the clinical lead on a monthly basis regarding the residents’ nutritional health status.

How do you cater for residents with dementia?

We speak with our residents’ relatives upon arrival to discuss dishes they enjoy. We also offer visual choices on brightly coloured crockery and ensure the food is vibrant in appearance.

What’s your most popular dish?

Tell us about your background and how you joined Colten Care

My journey started with Colten Care in 1998 when I was 14 years old. I was employed to wash up and gained experience by making sandwiches and supporting the chef. This helped to inspire my passion for food and I was offered the opportunity to enrol in the local catering college. Here I gained my NVQ level 2/3 in professional cookery. I am always eager to learn more, so I enhanced my skills and experience by attending cake decorating courses and also by undertaking a patisserie and confectionery course at Brockenhurst College. This has helped me to create delicious treats for the residents in our café.

What is special about working at Colten Care?

The most special part of my job is being able to make a difference to the residents’ lives by using my food to keep them healthy and happy. I treat all my residents as individuals with different tastes and dietary needs and also know exactly what foods they have a passion or particular fondness for.

How do you vary your menu to provide choice for residents?

I enjoy being able to interact with the residents on a daily basis to find out more about their meal preferences and to gain feedback from them, which helps shape future menus.

What does your typical weekly menu look like?

Our menus are well balanced and full of nutritional choices. We also cater for vegetarian options and other religious diets, and allergen-specific diets.

How do you meet residents’ nutritional and health needs?

I ensure this is achieved by keeping up to date with my nutritional training

Our residents are very traditional in the choices that they make, with fish and chips and roast dinners big favourites.

What’s your own favourite dish?

My own personal favourite dish would have to be sushi and sashimi. Whenever this is on a menu while I am out, it’s always a go to.

How do you make the dining experience special for residents and their families?

I take time to introduce myself to each new resident and their relatives when they first arrive at Bourne View. We greet residents and their families with a warm welcome when entering the dining room. Greeting residents on a first name basis and getting to know them helps me to understand their individual needs and give them the best quality dining experience. They also receive first-class service from our front of house team and a delightful general ambience in our beautiful dining room.