Freshly prepared meals now on the menu for children treated at St Mary's Hospital
Children being treated at St Mary’s Hospital are now benefiting from meals freshly prepared onsite, in a brand new kitchen.
The introduction of the new kitchen, which specifically prepares meals for the Trust’s paediatric department, means that children will be able to choose from a wider range of dishes, freshly prepared on site each day by a new team of chefs.
As well as preparing main meals from scratch in the new kitchen, children who arrive late on the ward or who are attending an appointment elsewhere in the hospital can access hot nutritious meals out of hours. Previously the Trust would have been only able to offer sandwiches or toast to late arrivals.
Andrew Murray, head of facilities at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust said:
“Our new, fully equipped kitchen for paediatrics means we are able to prepare children’s meals from scratch, using fresh, unprocessed ingredients.
“Not only that, but children who arrive late on the ward or who miss a meal while attending another part of the hospital can access hot nutritious meals out of hours.
“The new kitchen means that parents can rest assured that while their child is in hospital they are well fed, using fresh ingredients, just like they would at home.”
As well as being freshly prepared onsite all of the Trust’s new paediatric meals also:
- Only use meat from animals reared on farms which meet UK legal welfare standards as a minimum, such as Red Tractor, and is that Farm Assured
- Are free from controversial or undesirable additives, genetically modified ingredients and artificial trans-fats
- Only use eggs from free range hens
- Do not use any endangered fish as recognised by the Marine Conservation Society ‘fish to avoid’ list
- Make the best use of seasonal ingredients. In season, UK grown fruit & vegetables, will always be used when readily available
David Gleadell at Sodexo said:
“We are pleased to have been able to work with the Trust to develop an on-site kitchen facility and new menus for the children’s wards. Being able to provide children with freshly prepared, nutritious foods will enhance the service and hopefully aid their recovery.”
The on-site paediatrics kitchen is part of the Trust’s partnership with Sodexo who provides the Trust’s catering services.
