A Taste of victory: Cardiff care home wins national award

A care home in Cardiff is celebrating after winning in the Care Home Catering Awards.

Care UK’s Llys Cyncoed, on Cyncoed Road, won the award for ‘Care Home Catering Team of the Year’, which recognises the team’s efforts to create an enjoyable and creative dining experience for residents. 

The Care Home Catering Awards recognise talent, creativity and drive in care catering and celebrates some of the sector's brightest stars. 

Llys Cyncoed was recognised for not only broadening residents’ culinary horizons but also creating a fun dining experience for everyone including family members.

The Head Chef and Dining Services Co-Ordinator, Stuart Pelham, was commended for creating the ‘Monthly Chef’s Forum’, which is an informal meeting and can be attended by residents and relatives alike. During the forum, those present can have their say on dishes that they’d like on the menu – recent additions from residents’ suggestions include sweet and sour chicken and crème brûlée. 

Stuart and his team respond quickly to any feedback received and, just recently, this has led to the introduction of ‘round the world’ days, which now take place each week. So far, the catering team have created an African-inspired menu, which included a traditional fish curry, and an Italian menu, where residents were able to sample homemade ragu, ravioli and tiramisu. On both occasions, the dining room was decorated with flags and balloons to add to the ambience. 

In January 2023, both the kitchen and ground floor dining room at Llys Cyncoed were refurbished. The catering team were keen for residents to be involved in how the dining room looked. When the team received samples of wallpaper, carpets, and other soft furnishing materials, the residents’ favourites were chosen, and they are now a permanent part of the décor.

The judges also praised the catering team for always going above and beyond for special occasions. For example, for birthdays, the chefs will consult with residents and their families to deliver a bespoke menu.

The catering team also impressed with their dedication to residents’ physical and mental wellbeing. Food-specific initiatives include Care UK’s ‘Dining with Dignity’, where residents with special dietary requirements are fully catered for in a discreet and respectful manner. The chefs create modified food, for example a softer version of carbonara, which they make sure are presented beautifully, ensuring that residents have an enjoyable dining experience. 

Llys Cyncoed is also launching a chef’s masterclass, where residents’ relatives and people from the local community will be invited into the home twice a year to watch cooking demonstrations, learn about modified diets, and how to cook healthy food at home on a budget. 

Virgil Frincu, General Manager at Llys Cyncoed, said: “We are thrilled to be named Care Home Catering Team of the Year at this year’s Care Home Catering Awards.

“Here at Llys Cyncoed, the catering team really put the 'care' in cuisine and winning this award is testament to the catering team’s hard work and innovative thinking to ensure every resident leads a happy and fulfilling life. From the ‘Monthly Chef’s Forum’ and modified dishes and refurbishment of the dining room, the team go above and beyond to ensure residents receive the best possible dining experience.

“We’d like to thank the catering team for all their hard work – they thoroughly deserve this award. Well done team!” 

Designed to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence, Llys Cyncoed incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities. The building has been configured into a series of neighbourhoods to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents.

To find out more information about Llys Cyncoed, contact Director of Community Relations at Llys Cyncoed, Elisabeth May, on elisabeth.may@careuk.com, call 02920 001689 or visit careuk.com/llys-cyncoed