BURSARS
Natalie Arestis talks to the ‘incredible Bella Henry’, the manager of Notting Hill & Ealing High School’s highly regarded Catering Department.
F
ood is incredibly important at Notting Hill & Ealing High School, GDST (NHEHS). When I asked what we missed about school during lockdown, students and staff mentioned the amazing food produced by the incredible Bella Henry (pictured right), our Catering Manager. Bella runs an extremely imaginative and efficient food enterprise and leads a itchen that fills many with pride as well as nutrition! With over 1,000 meals daily to produce, the NHEHS menu is huge and stocked full with all the variety required for a healthy
The impact of COVID-19 has been huge
palette – as well as some legendary recipes which have stood the test of time. The result is a blend of the adventurous and the traditional with a level of choice second to none. Each day brings a colourful display of healthy food. A daily menu includes choices designed to tantalise and introduce exciting new avours, encouraging our girls from age four all the way to 18 to develop a positive and adventurous relationship with food. The menu rotates every three weeks which keeps it exciting. Unlike many independent schools, NHEHS runs its own kitchen, employing its own staff. Meanwhile, Bella works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that those girls with dietary requirements (e.g. vegan or
Photos by NHEHS
THE HEART OF THE SCHOOL
gluten free) and those with allergies are able to enjoy as much variety as their peers. And with every themed School event, such as Science Week, the kitchen gets creative dishing up surprise after surprise. Creativity, choice and collaboration are the key ingredients of a healthy palette at NHEHS making lunchtime one of the most exciting times of the school day. een to find out more behind the workings of this enormous operation, I asked Bella to share some of her secrets with me. Tell us a bit about yourself and your career and what led you to become Catering Manager at NHEHS. I started working in a bar and then was poached by Esporta Health and Leisure Club to run their food and beverage department where I gained my catering – and crucially – management experience. I joined NHEHS in 2004. At the time, NHEHS was looking to completely redesign and remodel the kitchen and securing that change needed direction and inspiration. It was half its size back then – and, if you can imagine this, there were carpets in the dining room! If kitchens are the heart of a home, hen you ha e defini ely c ea ed something equivalent at NHEHS. How do you work with SLT to deliver an e ficien and e ec i e se ice We have an operations meeting every Monday which is made up of SLT members from both our Junior and Winter 2021 | schoolmanagementplus.com | 39
