Hospital caterers win food award

CATERING services at Warrington’s Hollins Park Hospital have won a prestigious award for its fresh food and good meals at its retail café.
The service, run by ISS Facilities Services (FS) Healthcare, was awarded the Soil Association Food for Life Bronze Catering Mark recognising its push for fresh meals and good food.
The team at Hollins Park, part of the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, took inspiration for its healthy food changes from the good old days and went “Back to the Future” in a quest for improvement.
Catering contract manager at the hospital, Paddy Costello, said: “Some years back, Hollins Park, then known as Winwick Hospital, was very proudly self-sufficient. We had our own farm on-site providing home-grown fruit and vegetables. We even had our own butchers and bakers.
“All the food was produced and cooked from scratch in the hospital kitchens and all ingredients were sourced locally. Things changed in the 1980s as convenience food took over in a bid to save time and achieve more efficient staffing levels.
“Working with the Soil Association Food for Life Catering Mark initiative, our catering staff have again been able to take the very best from the past and combine that with exciting new developments. We are extremely proud to be able to cook and serve freshly-prepared food once again, and customers have been full of praise for the outstanding quality, taste, texture and appearance of our food.”
Providing meals to hospital visitors and staff as well as the general public and out-patients, the cafe is part of an exciting nationwide initiative by catering providers ISS FS Healthcare to improve food at hospital retail outlets.
The initiative involves changing menus, working with suppliers, sourcing fresh produce, preparing meals on site and training staff. For the team at Hollins Park, the initiative grew out of a longstanding commitment by local staff to great food in retail outlets and a belief in the benefits of healthy eating for all customers.
Mr Costello added: “Our partnership with the Soil Association and the commitment of ISS and of the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s to making sure that the area’s residents get the best possible food is fantastic news for all of us. Winning this award is just the start.”