Cardiff care home chef shortlisted for national award

A care home in Cardiff is celebrating after being announced as a finalist for a prestigious award.

Care UK’s Llys Herbert, on Ty-Draw Road, has been shortlisted in the Wales Care Awards 2024. 

The awards recognise teams and individuals throughout Wales who have demonstrated excellence within the care sector. 

After wowing judges with his resident-centred and thoughtful approach to nutrition, Kyle Wilson, Head Chef at Llys Herbert, is in the running for the coveted ‘Excellence in Catering’ award.

Having opened its doors in July 2023, Llys Herbert is a brand-new care home showcasing a comprehensive range of high-quality care services for older people, all in a luxurious setting. 

With an impressive 20 years of experience in catering, Kyle has worked in a variety of positions, including in Michelin-starred restaurants and as part of Queen Elizabeth II’s catering team. For the past decade, Kyle has turned his culinary talents to the care sector, going above and beyond to deliver the highest quality for residents.

Keen to ensure meals are tailored to each resident, Kyle maintains strong relationships with residents – inviting every new resident and their relatives into the home before they move in for a bite to eat and a chat. Discussions range from whether they like milk and sugar in their tea, to their preferred dinners, as well as allergies and intolerances – not to mention their favourite cake, so the whole team is prepared for special occasions.

Residents’ input is sought out at the start of each season, and menus offer a variety of choice, with two options for starter, main and dessert, as well as vegetarian options. Keeping in mind backgrounds and cultures, Kyle and his team ensure to include a variety of cuisines and tastes, providing new experiences and promoting inclusivity with every bite.

For older people living with dementia, mealtimes can often be confusing, but at Llys Herbert Kyle has introduced ‘show plates’, so residents can visualise the meals being offered to them, helping make their choice stress-free. For residents who prefer not to eat at set mealtimes, a special grazing menu is available and even specialist crockery and cutlery to make food easier to see are on offer.

Keen to ensure residents can dine with dignity, Kyle has implemented special measures to ensure no one feels left out. For those who require modifications to their food, such as softer textures, the catering team are encouraged to be creative with ingredients and presentation in order to create a meal which looks as close to the unmodified dish as possible, supporting everyone to feel included.

Commenting on his success, Kyle said: “Food is a wonderful way to provide new experiences for those who have already experienced a huge amount throughout their lives and I feel incredibly honoured to have been nominated for this award – it’s so important to myself and my team that we have residents needs and preferences at the heart of everything we do!”

Therisa Galazka, Home Manager at Llys Herbert, added: “We’re all delighted that Kyle has been nominated in the Wales Care Awards – it’s incredibly well deserved and a true testament to his hard work and dedication.

“A lot of thought and care has gone in to making Llys Herbert a wonderful place to call home and Kyle and the catering team consistently go above and beyond. Not simply ensuring residents’ needs are met, but that their favourite foods are regularly on the menu and that residents and relatives have input into each new menu created.

“On behalf of the whole team, I’d like to extend a huge thanks to the talented catering team we have here at Llys Herbert and wish Kyle the best of luck in the finals!”

The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on 18^th October. 

Llys Herbert is a state-of-the-art care home which provides full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the home has its very own cinema, café and hair salon, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.