Food and dining at Nellsar
We understand the importance of a healthy, nutritionally balanced diet. Food and nutrition play an integral part in our overall health – particularly in our later years.
All of our Care Homes offer a healthy and plentiful menu that is very popular with our residents. As well as breakfast, lunch and dinner, snacks and refreshments are available throughout the day, including morning coffee and afternoon tea with freshly baked cakes and fruit options.
Enjoying your dining experience
Our Chefs work hard at developing tasty, varied meals and regularly consult with our residents to find out about their favourite dishes.
Our Catering Teams are committed to preparing fresh, home-cooked food using local ingredients, and we are very happy to cater for special dietary requirements including coeliac, diabetic, vegan, vegetarian and soft foods.
We believe that although it is very important to eat a balanced diet, so is enjoying what you eat. It is said that the first bite of a meal is with the eye and we couldn’t agree more! Our dishes are presented beautifully, to entice and delight our residents every day.
Mealtimes within Nellsar Care Homes are an important event and offer a regular opportunity for socialising; our Homes provide pleasant and spacious dining rooms and residents are able to vary their seating arrangements and dine with different people as they choose. If preferred, room service can be provided and assistance is always available for those who are less able.
Soft puréed foods for special diets
Soft or puréed food diets may be necessary for people who have difficulty in chewing or swallowing. Although it is still possible to get all the nourishment you need from puréed foods and drinks, it’s important that all our meals still look enticing and taste delicious.
To ensure all our residents on soft food diets receive a range of well-balanced and tasty meals, our Head of Catering Services, Adrian Silaghi, constantly strives for new ways to fortify the puréed foods we serve our residents. This often includes opting for high calorie ingredients, stronger flavours and natural colourings.
We always cook our foods using the best possible method to bring out the optimum flavour and texture. For example, poaching and simmering will soften ingredients, but browning and roasting will develop better flavour.
Adrian and our team of Chefs also pay special attention to making sure the meals retain their visual appeal and tempting flavours in a variety of ways. Using special food moulds and piping techniques to retain the original shape of a softened food really enhances the presentation of the dish.
Nellsar Care and Cookery Book
Pioneers in the Care Catering industry, the Nellsar Care and Cookery Book celebrates our person-centred care catering and nutritional support. We also share some of our residents’ favourite seasonal recipes and an insight into the wonderful cooking clubs in our Care Homes.
Nutrition and wellness at Nellsar video
This video talks about the benefits of Nutritional Therapy at Nellsar and how we maintain our superior catering provision across our 13 Care Homes.
Hear how we adapted during the Coronavirus pandemic, including how we approached food, dining and nutrition. Health and immunity are our greatest defence against viruses, including Coronavirus, so we looked at ways of including additional immune boosting foods into our menus without compromising on our residents’ preferences.
A shared Nellsar culture
We are extremely proud of the caring, supportive culture in our Care Homes which embodies empathy, equity, professionalism and continuous improvement. Our values focus on the individual – from residents to team members – creating an inclusive environment with both residents and staff teams at the heart of what we do every day.
