Last year saw the first Nellsar Chef Masterclass, held at Hengist Field Care Home. Cooks from our 13 Homes came to the workshop which gave them the opportunity to spend time together and share ideas. We also gave demonstrations on puréed meal presentation.
This year we held the first of our 2019 masterclasses at Hengist Field on Thursday 24th October. Once again, we came together to meet and support one another. The job of a Care Caterer is highly skilled and demands expert knowledge in their field. Our masterclasses are designed to support and coach our cooks to help develop their knowledge.
In this workshop, I discussed in detail the complex needs of the people we are catering for and how to structure and menu plan around these. I covered topics including:
Type 1 & 2 Diabetes – What the differences are and how the kitchen can best cater for and menu plan to the needs of someone who is diabetic.
Dementia – Looking at the impact living with Dementia can have on a person and how we can best support them.
High fibre diets – What foods can be included into a meal to ensure enough fibre is present.
High calorie needs – When a person seems to be losing weight, how we can begin to fortify their meals. We looked at the best way of doing this and how to make it work on an individual basis.
Vegetarian & vegan diets – Looking at menu options and how to ensure balance and variety when menu planning.
We also looked at allergies, as well as macro and micronutrients.
During the second half of the masterclass Head of Care Catering, Adrian Silaghi spoke about the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation and texture modified diets from a chef’s perspective. We also looked at flavours and presentation during his session.
We had great feedback from the masterclass and everybody agreed that they would like the opportunity to get together more often to share knowledge and new techniques.
It is also an opportunity for us to say a BIG thank you to the Nellsar catering teams – keep up your great work!
