“Revolutionising Catering Services” to care homes & extra care market

Ensuring high nutrition and hydration standards for care home residents goes without saying, with good food and hydration a vital part of a person’s wellbeing.  A residents culture and needs have a bearing on the daily menus and the Chefs and catering teams at Signature Dining go above and beyond in order to ensure high quality meals are provided on a daily basis with the individual’s preferences at the heart of the contract catering service.  Working with the carers alongside the residents ensures a joined up dietary care plan.

Paul Robottom, Founder of Signature Dining, commenting at the Royal Star & Garter setting said “Everything that we do centres around the happiness and dignity of the residents.”

As part of the contract catering service each resident’s nutritional and hydration needs are assessed which will include a review of their dietary preferences, any allergies or food intolerances alongside any medical and health conditions that impact their nutritional requirements.

For many residents the food service will be the highlight of the day, not only for the nutritional needs but for additional company and interaction, whether in a dining room setting or in their own rooms.  Being aware of a resident’s food likes and dislikes and changing preferences is all part of the continued assessments that a contract caterer will adhere to in order to ensure a truly person-centred service.

Part of a contract catering service is to provide a balanced and varied menu that meets nutritional needs of care home residents.  Menu planning is an important part of the service and one which Signature Dining prides itself with.

Indeed, Signature Dining’s catering teams often sit with individual residents to talk through the menus and get feedback to continuously improve them and make changes as people’s tastes and needs change.  This includes contract catering across the generations.  One such scenario, and showing the lengths the teams go to, was at an acquired brain injury facility.  The younger generation requested beef burgers and the team presented them in a format that they thoroughly enjoyed.  Enabling care home residents to make their own choices is all part of the catering service.

Other recipe favourites come from care home resident’s themselves as they reminisce the ‘good old days,’ including favourite fruit pies.  Special occasions allow the catering team to go that extra mile and bringing that special smile to people’s faces always makes the chef’s day alongside the team.