Enhancing Care Home Catering: A Comprehensive Solution

Care providers are constantly under financial pressure due to increasing costs; national insurance, utilities and three years of rising food and beverage costs amounting to a 35% increase on food and beverages. In response to this, food service partners Creed, apetito and Oak house Kitchen are supporting Care England to ensure care homes receive affordable nutritious, enjoyable meals which safely meet residents dietary needs and preferences within the financial environment of rising costs.

Creed offers a range of services developed specifically for the care sector looking at:
• Care Recipe Cards: A bank of recipe cards and theme day posters to help keep mealtimes exciting.
• Care 3-Week Menu: Developed recipes that are popular amongst residents but fit in with budgets, quality, nutrition and allergens.
• Seasonality Calendar: Fruit and vegetable seasonality calendar.
• Roast Guide: A classic, nostalgic dish balancing protein and vegetables for residents.
• Care Cost Management Guide: Collated expertise and advice across the sector to help optimise your care home kitchen procedures.

The resources, including 28 specially curated recipes, offer a complete catering solution for care homes, helping staff to maintain high standards of nutrition and presentation while balancing operational costs to help streamline the dining experience and simplify catering for providers.

Collectively the Creed support empowers care home catering professionals with a go-to resource to enhance meal variety in acknowledgment of financial constraints while ensuring exceptional quality for residents.

Cost Analysis
Creed also offers a free cost analysis to ensure expenditure is maximised on product range and price.

Catering Audit
In order to benchmark food and beverages expenditure and establish cost reduction opportunities, Creed will arrange a 30-minute consultation with care experts to discuss the top 25 products and outline pricing competitiveness. Care England members will also receive a Cost Management eGuide to help manage costs across the catering operations.

Both services provide care homes with the chance to assess catering operations, identify areas for improvement, and optimise meal service. Whether seeking to improve kitchen efficiency, reduce food waste, or enhance the overall quality of meals, these audits are an essential tool for identifying actionable insights.

Care England has also worked with partner Oak House Kitchen to develop a white paper on dysphagia, a condition which affects swallowing to help raise awareness and offer practical support to ensure those with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties remain hydrated and avoid malnutrition.

apetito, building on their extensive specialist range of care home meals launched an improved range of puree meals, designed to help those with the condition

These solutions are designed to empower care settings to streamline catering operations, enhance meal variety while meeting cost-effective standards, while promoting high-quality care.

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