Bon appetite – Edgbaston care home named finalists for top catering award

A care home in Edgbaston is celebrating after becoming a finalist at a national award ceremony.

Care UK’s Edgbaston Manor, on Speedwell Road, is a finalist in the National Association of Care Catering Awards 2023 after being shortlisted in the ‘Catering Team of the Year’ category.

Leading the nomination is Carl Cooper, the home’s Head Chef, who has been praised by residents, relatives, and fellow team members for his attention to detail and dedication to providing a fine dining experience.

Judges praised how Carl promotes teamwork during his day-to-day practice and draws on the passions and skills of individuals in the catering team. For example, Kitchen Assistant, Alan, makes curries every evening for a resident whose preference is a different homemade curry. This allows Alan to pursue his interest in Indian cuisine, while also catering to a resident’s preferences.

Judges highlighted how Carl advocates for a balanced and structured menu that offers alternative food choices. This regularly involves going above and beyond to adapt the menu to each resident’s cultural preferences. Recently this has included offering a Caribbean breakfast as an alternative to an English breakfast and recreating old recipes that residents enjoyed cooking themselves.

The catering team also work closely with the clinical team to support residents who require special diets or temporary modifications using a person-centred approach. For instance, if a resident is losing weight or needs texture-modified foods, they’ll be given a snack box designed to meet their nutritional needs in their preferred foods and flavours.

Commenting on being finalists, Carl said: “I’m incredibly proud of the catering team and all their hard work. Whether we’re creating appetising dishes or baking cakes for residents to enjoy with a cup of tea, we strive to make a positive impact on residents’ health and wellbeing through nutrition and hydration.  

“I’m over the moon to be a finalist for this award – I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a win so we can bring home the bacon for Edgbaston Manor!” 

Zoe Steventon, General Manager at Edgbaston Manor said: “We’re delighted to be finalists in the Catering Team of the Year category. Carl and the catering team go above and beyond to ensure mealtimes are enjoyable and that there is a variety of dishes on offer for the residents.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Carl and the whole catering team at Edgbaston Manor. We are truly grateful for what you do and I’m so proud of what we achieve every day. I’m so pleased that their hard work has been recognised nationally. We have our fingers crossed for a win!”

Edgbaston Manor has been designed to deliver the very best standards of care and to enable residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The home has been configured into a series of neighbourhoods to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities and encourage social interaction among the residents. There is also plenty of space, both indoors and out, for relaxation and recreation.