0:00:03 > 0:00:07Every year, the NHS spends around £500 million on hospital food
0:00:07 > 0:00:11but it's reckoned that almost half the patients refuse to eat it
0:00:11 > 0:00:13because they find it inedible.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17- Mashed potato, what's wrong with the mash?- You could hang wallpaper up with it.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20I believe that everybody deserves to eat good food.
0:00:20 > 0:00:25To me, there's nowhere where food is more important than in a hospital.
0:00:25 > 0:00:31It's estimated that the previous government spent more than £50 million on failed initiatives
0:00:31 > 0:00:33to change the food on our wards.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Scarborough General Hospital is up for change.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40For the next three months, I'm working alongside the kitchen staff
0:00:40 > 0:00:41to try and make a difference.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43Pat, I'm trying to help you.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47- I know you are.- Everything's out of a tin, everything's out of packet,
0:00:47 > 0:00:49everything. Everything. All the veg are frozen.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53But there's also a personal reason why I want to take this on.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I watched my grandmother pass away in hospital
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and, and she was a, a huge influence on me in terms of food and,
0:01:00 > 0:01:02and teaching me about food.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08To watch her suffer and to watch her eat the stuff that was served in the hospital,
0:01:08 > 0:01:09it wasn't fantastic.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12The only way to change it is to actually physically
0:01:12 > 0:01:15get off your backside and do something about it.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28I've been given exclusive access to Scarborough General Hospital
0:01:28 > 0:01:31which provides healthcare for the North East of Yorkshire.
0:01:31 > 0:01:37More than 40,000 people are admitted each year and they all need to be fed.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42I've never really sort of seen behind the scenes in
0:01:42 > 0:01:45a working hospital. I'm assuming it's like a,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48like a hotel kitchen...ish.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56The kitchens at Scarborough are run by catering manager, Pat Bell.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59I've worked here in Scarborough Hospital for nearly 21 years.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Previous to that I was deputy catering manager
0:02:02 > 0:02:05in Southampton General Hospital.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Good morning, it's Pat here from Scarborough Hospital.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10We have to cater for the whole spectrum.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Not everybody's going to like everything so the choices that
0:02:14 > 0:02:17we put on the menu we hope will appeal to a wide range of people.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'Pat is supported by a loyal and dedicated team, many of them have
0:02:21 > 0:02:28'also been there for over 20 years and include head chef, Sharon Ellis,
0:02:28 > 0:02:32'Alan "Big Al" Rosbottom
0:02:32 > 0:02:35'and budding young chef Darren Glover, known as "Big Bird"
0:02:35 > 0:02:37'to his colleagues.'
0:02:41 > 0:02:44James Martin, I mean he's familiar to most caterers.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48He's got a lot in common with the staff here that work at Scarborough Hospital.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50He went to Yorkshire Coast College
0:02:50 > 0:02:52where a lot of them have trained as well.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56We have such a rich environment round in Scarborough, you know,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58great fish, great producers.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00I know the people in the area.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I know particularly how good the local food is.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07I think we're very proud that a local person has done so well
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and wants to come and work with us.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13I've catered for thousands of people a day but this is
0:03:13 > 0:03:17definitely the hardest challenge that I've ever done.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20So I'm feeling nervous, apprehensive...
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Why did I ever say yes to this?
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'Before I go into the kitchens I want to hear from the people
0:03:34 > 0:03:36'that matter the most - the patients.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40'It's their opinion that really counts, so I head straight
0:03:40 > 0:03:43'to the Maple ward to talk to some of the long-term patients.'
0:03:43 > 0:03:48What, what do you think of the, of the food you've had cos you,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53- You've been here six months, you must have tasted everything. - Yeah, I have, yeah, it's not good.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57- I appreciate that it's difficult cooking for all these people.- Hmm.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00- I would just like it to be better and taste better.- Yeah.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05I mean yesterday we had roast pork and apple sauce, carrots and cabbage,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09but the cabbage, the carrots were cooked within an inch of their life.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- Yeah, right.- And the mash potatoes I don't really know what had happened to them.- Right.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17- You know.- The only criticism I could make is the size of it,
0:04:17 > 0:04:20they feel a bit like kids meals to me.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22As a package it's pretty poor
0:04:22 > 0:04:26vegetables wet and soggy.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Mashed potato, you could walk across it
0:04:30 > 0:04:36and custard the same, you know, it's lumpy and well, you could walk across that as well.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42'Independent surveys as far back as 1963
0:04:42 > 0:04:45'consistently conclude that the NHS hospital food is
0:04:45 > 0:04:49'neither appetising nor nutritious, which is hardly surprising when you
0:04:49 > 0:04:53'discover that as little as £1 a meal is being spent.'
0:05:01 > 0:05:04I've been given the opportunity to make a difference here at Scarborough.
0:05:04 > 0:05:09My first task is to win the hearts and minds of the hospital staff.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Feel like a bit like a new boy starting school,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15you know, for the first time.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Apprehensive, nervous.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22I do feel like I've just started a new job.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25But, well...
0:05:25 > 0:05:27I suppose we, we give it a go, don't we?
0:05:36 > 0:05:41- Is Pat around, or, you're Pat, are you? - Hiya James, nice to meet you.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Welcome to Scarborough Hospital, nice to see you.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- Let me introduce you to Sharon my head chef.- Hi, pleased to meet you.- Hello Sharon,
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- are you all right? - Fine thank you.- And how many meals come out of here a day?
0:05:52 > 0:05:55- Over a thousand. - A thousand meals a day.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- And who decides the menu, you?- Yes.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00And how much have we got to spend?
0:06:00 > 0:06:04We have a patient meal allowance of £3.49 per patient per day.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- And that includes... - It's a lot then, innit?
0:06:07 > 0:06:09- Yeah, all three meals.- Three meals.
0:06:09 > 0:06:14Three, three main meals, all their beverages and biscuits that we give them throughout the day.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- How many full time chefs have we got, in here?- 12.- 12?
0:06:16 > 0:06:1913 with me, yeah.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Right, OK.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'I'm beginning to understand the challenges they're facing.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28'They're producing a huge volume of meals here, with just over
0:06:28 > 0:06:32'£1 per patient, per meal and they have to do all this
0:06:32 > 0:06:36'in a kitchen that's not exactly state of the art.'
0:06:36 > 0:06:38And all this kit works then, does it?
0:06:38 > 0:06:39- Yeah, yeah.- Are you sure?
0:06:39 > 0:06:43- Yes, it all works.- Right, when, when was this machine made.
0:06:45 > 0:06:51Where's the... where's the coal go into it?! Bloody hell, look at that thing.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53Right, you don't use, do you still use this?
0:06:53 > 0:06:56Yes, yeah.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Like many other NHS hospitals, Scarborough rotates
0:07:03 > 0:07:05its menus on a three-week basis.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08This means that every day for 21 days the patients are offered
0:07:08 > 0:07:12a new menu to choose off for both lunch and dinner.
0:07:12 > 0:07:18This results in the kitchen staff cooking over 100 different dishes per menu cycle.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20That's today's patients' menu.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- This is it, yeah? - That's today's lunch menu.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Shepherd's pie,
0:07:25 > 0:07:30- so D is diabetic, R is reducing, what's that for, reducing what? - Weight.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35Give them a side salad, love. That's what.
0:07:35 > 0:07:37F, but F, you've got low fat as well.
0:07:37 > 0:07:39Yeah.
0:07:39 > 0:07:45OK. Already I can see some conflict brewing with Pat.
0:07:45 > 0:07:46- Margarine.- Yeah.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49- Polyunsaturated. - But that's bad for you.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52No. Polyunsaturated margarine which is better for you than butter, James.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Can't be.- Which we know that you like your butter.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57And it's better than butter.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Please tell me we'll have butter instead of margarine, because if not I'm going to
0:08:01 > 0:08:06- take you where it's made and prove to you that margarine's bad for you. - All right, then.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- Have I got my work cut out, then? - You sure have.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16He's taken the mick out of my equipment in the kitchen already
0:08:16 > 0:08:18and he'd only been here ten minutes
0:08:18 > 0:08:21and he wants to put butter on the menu,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25so I think we're going to have a bit of a fight on our hands.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34It may be only day one, but it's already occurred to me that the kitchen is cooking
0:08:34 > 0:08:39a staggering number of different dishes. I need to find a way to simplify things.
0:08:43 > 0:08:48But before I can change anything, I want to understand the whole process.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52The kitchen staff have been in since 6am preparing and cooking today's lunch.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55- It's now 10:30.- Yeah.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57When does this get eaten?
0:08:57 > 0:09:01It leaves the kitchen at 11:15 and it gets to the wards anytime round
0:09:01 > 0:09:06about 12 o'clock and after that, you know, the different wards get it different times, obviously.
0:09:06 > 0:09:12I'm amazed that you, you make food and it's made at 10.30,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15and then it gets boosted to temperature again,
0:09:15 > 0:09:19no wonder it's rotten when it gets to the... It's...
0:09:19 > 0:09:23It's difficult explaining to somebody that's just walked in how we actually work,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27and it sounds like we don't know what we're doing, but obviously we do.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32But you know, until he gets up on the ward and sees the meal being
0:09:32 > 0:09:37presented to the patient, then he might get some idea of how it works.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I'm still getting my head around how this kitchen functions,
0:09:40 > 0:09:45so I think the best thing to do is follow today's lunch as it heads up to the wards.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49This is the moment that the whole morning has been building up to.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52There are around 300 patients all waiting for their lunch.
0:09:52 > 0:09:57First the catering staff portion the food before placing it into a hot cabinet.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01The food is then held in here until it's time to be transferred
0:10:01 > 0:10:06into insulated boxes that go up to the wards, one box per ward.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18- They'll put the food into the trolley.- Yeah.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23They've put it on a cycle for 15 minutes so it's at 120 degrees.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28'Once the food has been superheated to the right temperature,
0:10:28 > 0:10:33'it's then put on to a trolley and plated up for the patients.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39'Every year, the NHS spends around £500 million on food.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42'Lunchtime should be one of the highlights of a patient's day,
0:10:42 > 0:10:46'but from what I've seen, this food may be fine when it's freshly cooked
0:10:46 > 0:10:52'in the kitchen, but by the time it gets to the ward a few hours later, it's pretty unappetising.'
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- And once you've done this?- Yeah. - What happens to all this?
0:10:55 > 0:10:57They're thrown away.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Any left gets disposed of, can't be reused cos it's been out on the ward.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05- So anything that's not eaten. - So gone,
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- thrown away. - No, yes, once it goes off the ward,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10it'll go down a waste disposal unit, anything that's left over.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16I was shocked to find, you know, and you saw, you know,
0:11:16 > 0:11:2140% of what we served today for lunch, just goes in the bin.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24- Yeah.- And this happens at every hospital, every ward,
0:11:24 > 0:11:25every hospital around Britain.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28It depends on the type of ward that you've got. I mean,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31we're in acute hospitals, you have more people coming in and out,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33there's more people going into theatre...
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- Yeah, it's difficult to cater obviously for numbers.- So, cos,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40a consultant come on the ward this morning and make five patients nil by mouth,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43- while we're portioning up the food downstairs.- And that's it.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- So you, you've got to have a certain cut-off time.- Absolutely.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50- Where can you say, well we can't. - But it's still, it's still 35% of it.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55There was a lot there, there was a lot there actually.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01The patients order a day in advance and although I understand the need for a cut-off time for the food to
0:12:01 > 0:12:07leave the kitchen, I'm horrified at the amount of taxpayers' money that's literally going into the bin.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16For me to be able to improve the food at Scarborough General Hospital
0:12:16 > 0:12:19I need to discover what ingredients have been used,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and where they're being sourced from.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27The hospital is surrounded by some of the finest and most fertile farming land in the UK,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30and the fresh produce from here is fantastic.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32But like most NHS Trusts,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35those with the purchasing power aren't looking
0:12:35 > 0:12:36on their own doorstep.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Pat's order books have all the evidence I need.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44270 pints of semi-skimmed in every day.
0:12:44 > 0:12:4860 pints of full cream in every day and the probably round about.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51I mean, it's a big five star hotel.
0:12:51 > 0:12:5370 dozen yoghurts a week.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Yeah, budget for, for, just for the dairy.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59- Yeah.- OK. Where does this come from?
0:12:59 > 0:13:01This comes from Normanton.
0:13:03 > 0:13:07Normanton is over 70 miles from the hospital.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10Surely there's somewhere closer in a rich farming area like this,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14but the dairy product supplier isn't the only surprise.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18And the fish, where does that come from, cos we're right by the coast? Where's that?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Some of it comes from Somerset.
0:13:21 > 0:13:23Some of it comes from Bradford.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Well-known place near the coast, Bradford.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34I can't accept that it's not cheaper to source products locally,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36'so what are they actually buying?'
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Lot of soup here.
0:13:38 > 0:13:43Well, we have to use 14 flavours of soup a week cos we
0:13:43 > 0:13:46have one on at a lunchtime and one on at supper time every single day.
0:13:46 > 0:13:54We've got a basic tin provisions, so tinned tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, plum tomatoes, beans, tin of tuna,
0:13:54 > 0:13:59- spaghetti hoops we use for the creche in the children's ward.- OK.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02And then we've got a canned fruits, this side, so.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07Is it, is it the reason why we have tinned fruit is,
0:14:07 > 0:14:09is it for any reason or, or not?
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Well, we have to have fruit on the menu every day but we use tinned fruit,
0:14:13 > 0:14:17we only use tinned fruit in natural juice, we don't use it in syrup.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19- Yeah.- Cos then it caters for the patients who are on special diets.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23So whips that we have, cold sweets,
0:14:23 > 0:14:26so they'll supplement our menus
0:14:26 > 0:14:29and they're suitable for diets as well.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31So are the dieticians happy with this?
0:14:31 > 0:14:32- Yes.- Really?!
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Yes.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36If they weren't it wouldn't be on the menu.
0:14:36 > 0:14:43Now, I reckon your buying power is probably ten times more than any chef I know.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48- Right. - How much are you spending a year, if you don't mind me asking, on food,
0:14:48 > 0:14:50- a year?- Nearly half a million.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52- Half a million quid?- Half a million,
0:14:52 > 0:14:53roughly, on provisions.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57That's a lot of money you get to spend, isn't it?
0:14:57 > 0:15:03'I don't think Pat realises just how strong her purchasing power is,
0:15:03 > 0:15:09'and what a difference to the local economy she could make by buying locally.'
0:15:09 > 0:15:14Right and out here, James, I've got my outside freezer.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Looks like an air raid shelter, look at it.
0:15:19 > 0:15:23Well, it works anyway, it's freezing in here. OK. What's up here?
0:15:23 > 0:15:25We've got omelettes up here.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26- Omelettes?- Omelettes.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- In a freezer?- In a freezer.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32- I've never seen...- You've never seen a frozen omelette, James?
0:15:36 > 0:15:38No. And how much are these?
0:15:38 > 0:15:39I think they're about 25 pence each.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- 25p?- Yeah.
0:15:42 > 0:15:49Most of the veg that goes on to the menu as a vegetable, stand-alone vegetable...is frozen.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Right, well I'm off, I know I'm a Yorkshireman but it's too cold in here.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55- You're a wimp, James.- Freezing.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Everything's out of a tin, everything's out of packet,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00everything. All the veg are frozen,
0:16:00 > 0:16:06all the soups ready-made, all out of a packet and apparently they put two packets in to make it taste better.
0:16:10 > 0:16:16I'm starting to formulate my plan to transform the food here at Scarborough Hospital.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20Already I can see the need to simplify the menus by reducing the amount of dishes they cook,
0:16:20 > 0:16:25and focus on quality rather than quantity.
0:16:25 > 0:16:30I need to look at how to reduce the incredible amount of wastage on the wards.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33And I want to win over the hearts and minds of the staff
0:16:33 > 0:16:36and get them to cook fresh ingredients from local suppliers.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40'But before I make any drastic changes,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44'I need to sort out some of the basics.'
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Frozen beans take a minute to cook.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50They've been in there about ten minutes.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53How you doing, you all right?
0:16:53 > 0:16:56'There's limited cooking from scratch going on,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00'which must be a frustration for a highly skilled kitchen team.'
0:17:00 > 0:17:06The old boy there cooking the beans, the, the hotels where he's worked is amazing, you know, he's spent
0:17:06 > 0:17:11most of his life making fresh soup and preparing fresh veg and...
0:17:11 > 0:17:12and cooking it.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16And then he gets here and he's just putting frozen beans in a boiler
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and cooking it for ten minutes.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25What's crazy to me is the perfect solution is right under our nose.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29They've got a piece of kit in there, it's worth about ten grand,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31that is the best bit of kit
0:17:31 > 0:17:33in the kitchen to cook anything in.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36And it's not worked for ten years. And it'll cook,
0:17:36 > 0:17:41literally a tray of raw carrots in about 45 seconds.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45It's brilliant and it's not a microwave, nothing.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48It's superheated steam, it'll keep all the nutrients in there.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It's a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant way of cooking.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55So we need that to work.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58The NHS doesn't throw money at catering departments
0:17:58 > 0:18:01like a lot of the big hotels and restaurants do.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04So I think it has actually been quite an eye opener for him this morning,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08- to see what equipment we have to work with.- Deal, I'll do you a deal.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11- Yeah, go on then.- Right?- Yeah.
0:18:11 > 0:18:16If we achieve what you want, what you want and what I want,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19and we all leave here with a smile on our face, I will buy you
0:18:19 > 0:18:21a brand new machine to replace that.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Ah James, ah, that's nice.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26And that's coming from a Yorkshireman, that.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36'I've only been here one day and there's been a huge amount to take on board.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38'The first thing I want to tackle
0:18:38 > 0:18:43'Pat about is simplifying their inefficient 21 day menu cycle.'
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I know that the menus last for three weeks, there's a three week cycle...
0:18:46 > 0:18:49but are people really staying here three weeks
0:18:49 > 0:18:53and do really people mind having a different choice every day for 21 days?
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Are you really bothered with that?
0:18:55 > 0:18:59In fact, the average length of stay is only four-and-a-half days
0:18:59 > 0:19:02so I want to reduce the menu cycle
0:19:02 > 0:19:07to just one week, but it can only happen if Pat gives me her full support.
0:19:09 > 0:19:15I really do genuinely believe a weekly menu works.
0:19:16 > 0:19:18I think a week is pushing it, James.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20I really, really... Trust me.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- OK.- Plus points is less ordering.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25- Yeah.- Less waste,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27- better value.- Yeah.
0:19:27 > 0:19:32Cos you'll get, you're buying in bigger, bigger quantities, better, you'll get a much better cost.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35You'll know exactly your food costs, much more regularly, and you
0:19:35 > 0:19:40can fluctuate that because of the, the seasons and everything else.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42And you can change the menu more often.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46I think the fresh vegetables that we make, we make our own soup.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50So all I'm asking is weekly, make our own soup and veg,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53that's it for the moment, nothing else.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Well, I'm going to put your argument over to the rest of the team.
0:19:57 > 0:20:02- We have got a reputation for our hospital food.- Yeah.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05And it's been good right, and I don't want them to feel...
0:20:08 > 0:20:11I know your reservations I, I realise that.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17I'm trying to help though. I'm not, I'm not trying to criticise.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20- No, I know that. - I'm not trying to criticise.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24I don't want them to feel that though, because I think what
0:20:24 > 0:20:26they will come back and say to me is,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30he's only been here a day and he's going to chop the menu in two.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34I'm not...I'm not on about, "I've been here a day", I'm not on about...
0:20:34 > 0:20:37- I'm trying to make it easier for you.- I know you are.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40- You've got...you've got hardly any equipment.- I know.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43All right, I will come here and I will work, and if I've got to make
0:20:43 > 0:20:45bloody omelettes, I will make omelettes.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47I will help you as much as I can.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49And I'm trying to make it easier for you.
0:20:49 > 0:20:54But what I don't want them to feel, cos after today you've been in today,
0:20:54 > 0:20:59is that he's come in, you've agreed Pat to chop two thirds off the menu.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03I need to break that to them gently to say this is what we want to do.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05- Right, OK. I'll... - Do, do you see where I'm coming from?
0:21:05 > 0:21:08I'll, let's, what about, offer them two weeks first, then?
0:21:08 > 0:21:11I think that might be easier to accept.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14OK, I agree with you.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16- Deal?- Deal.- Hug?
0:21:23 > 0:21:27I know I'm asking Pat to implement big changes to her kitchen.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30I want her to simplify the menus and start cooking
0:21:30 > 0:21:33with more fresh ingredients, so I need to demonstrate to her
0:21:33 > 0:21:36that it's still possible even on her limited budget.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41Here in London I'm hoping a visit to a centre of excellence
0:21:41 > 0:21:45will open her eyes to see what can be achieved.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48So I'm here, right here in the centre of London at Brompton Hospital.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51Now, this place has won countless awards for their food
0:21:51 > 0:21:56and I, for one, am intrigued about how they've done it because they still keep within their budget.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59They've only got one 1p a day more to spend than they have
0:21:59 > 0:22:02in Scarborough, but they've managed to do organic, local produce.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06They try and get at least a third of their produce from a 50-mile radius around London.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08When you think about London prices,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12in particular for food, it's going to be a lot more expensive
0:22:12 > 0:22:13than it is in Scarborough.
0:22:13 > 0:22:15So I can't wait to find out
0:22:15 > 0:22:20and hopefully Pat and Sharon will enjoy it too, so fingers crossed.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25The Royal Brompton is a rarity amongst hospital trusts.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29They believe that their patients deserve good nutritious food
0:22:29 > 0:22:32to make their stay more pleasant and aid recovery.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34A specialist heart and lung hospital,
0:22:34 > 0:22:37it treats up to 300 patients at any one time.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40'Pat's equivalent is Mike Duckett.
0:22:41 > 0:22:47'Although he's pretty much the same amount to spend per patient as Pat, he uses fresh local ingredients
0:22:47 > 0:22:50'and cooks everything from scratch on site.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53'He can afford to do this by supplementing his budget with
0:22:53 > 0:22:57'the profit he makes from his successful on-site public restaurant.'
0:22:57 > 0:22:58So you're looking forward to it?
0:22:58 > 0:23:04'I think Pat and Sharon can learn a lot from this model, so I'm hoping Mike will be able to inspire them.'
0:23:04 > 0:23:06- Right, welcome to the kitchen, ladies.- Thank you.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10And, and the kitchen is based on a hotel kitchen, so here we've got
0:23:10 > 0:23:17the pastry section, and Louis our pastry chef makes all the pastries, sponges that sort of thing.
0:23:17 > 0:23:25So today he made the apple flan, and he's at the moment making the scones for the afternoon tea.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Oh, they look nice, don't they? - They look good, don't they, girls?
0:23:28 > 0:23:32They do, yeah, very good. So how many staff have you got, chefs-wise?
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Chefs, we've got nine with the head chef.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38'I think Pat was expecting more than that.'
0:23:38 > 0:23:41And we have our own chiller unit.
0:23:41 > 0:23:4530% of what we purchase is either local, organic,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48or is local to the South East.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52- It would be nice to have our own veg fridge, wouldn't it? - Yeah, that size, yeah.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53'Rather than from a chiller,
0:23:53 > 0:23:58'most of Pat's vegetables come from a freezer.'
0:23:58 > 0:24:01This is the pasta boiler we use for our vegetables, so they're blanched then taken out.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- There's nothing worse that overcooked vegetables. - No, there isn't, no.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11We don't use any of the tinned or powder soups
0:24:11 > 0:24:14because they're just flavoured water really,
0:24:14 > 0:24:17there's no value in those at all, absolute waste of time, yeah.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- I haven't prompted him to say anything!- No!
0:24:21 > 0:24:25I know you're looking at the packet of margarine, but that's not...
0:24:25 > 0:24:28I was looking at sunflower spread portions at the top there, James.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32It's fine, but the ethos as it is, I think what we, what I, wanted you
0:24:32 > 0:24:35to come here and see, particularly with Mike,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38his whole ethos of fresh ingredients.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41- Ingredients, yeah.- We can still do it under budget, we can still do that.
0:24:41 > 0:24:46It's just how it works and how we generate other income from other things, to help you out really.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50The hospital kitchen also supplies food to the on-site restaurant
0:24:50 > 0:24:53which generates a very healthy income stream.
0:24:53 > 0:24:59It has more than doubled in the last ten years to a staggering £1.2 million,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03and any profit it generates goes straight back into the kitchens.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Something that's definitely worth looking at, at Scarborough.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11The food here looks amazing but does it really live up to its reputation?
0:25:11 > 0:25:15- That duck looks gorgeous.- And I'm going to dive into my Welsh lamb.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17And I'm going to put my butter on my bread.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21How many have you got?!
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Three! He's done that on purpose.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- I have paid for it. - He's done that on purpose.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29But you must get people come in here to eat, though.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32Yeah, we try and encourage as many people in Chelsea
0:25:32 > 0:25:34to come here because it's taxpayers money, you know.
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Yeah, and at the end of the day the more customers you get, the better profit you make.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40Asparagus soup.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Oh, that's gorgeous.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48Today's made me feel like we do need to change a few things,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50even though we do get positive feedback
0:25:50 > 0:25:54at the hospital, but we could make that even better, improve things more.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56So yeah, I'd like to turn the menus round a little bit.
0:25:56 > 0:26:04We both had the same patient meal cost, so it was interesting to see what he was using.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08There's things that we can change on our menu, virtually instantly.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11The staff menus were, were quite intriguing, really,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15and they have the show with the chef carving the meat and whatever.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17That, that was lovely to see
0:26:17 > 0:26:21and we'd love to do something spectacular like that at Scarborough.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Inspired by a trip to the Royal Brompton I think Scarborough
0:26:32 > 0:26:34is really missing a trick with its own restaurant.
0:26:34 > 0:26:40It caters for both staff and visitors but at the moment, it's not attracting many customers.
0:26:40 > 0:26:47Only around 25% of staff actually eat here and most visitors don't even know it's open to the public.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52There are no signs advertising anywhere to go,
0:26:52 > 0:26:55so I presumed there wasn't anywhere.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59A lot of us do tend to go over to the baguette shop because you get more of a selection,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02the baguettes are a lot nicer than normal plain sandwiches now and again.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06A high number of staff use a local baguette shop instead of
0:27:06 > 0:27:09spending their money here in the hospital restaurant.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13But I think with simple marketing and providing the staff and visitors with a better choice,
0:27:13 > 0:27:20by my calculations the hospital restaurant could potentially make £1,500 per day.
0:27:20 > 0:27:26I just need to persuade Pat and her boss Richard Vincent, to consider some changes.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29If I put a big blackboard there.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32With daily, put it with chalk on there,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36you can have a lovely tureen of soup in the background, homemade soup.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38And we address this salad bar.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- Yeah.- And let's go for stuff like couscous salads.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- Yeah.- You know, we'll spice up the couscous salads.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45And what I'd like to do on here,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48I'd like to do a roast every day. Are you happy with that?
0:27:48 > 0:27:51I like the idea of a carved roast cos I think it's a show piece, yes,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53I think that's really, really nice.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56This then becomes a restaurant,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00it doesn't become just a place for staff to eat.
0:28:00 > 0:28:02It becomes somewhere that,
0:28:02 > 0:28:06because I believe this is probably the only place that we've got to generate
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- a good income.- Yeah, yeah.
0:28:09 > 0:28:15'The food that's served here is the same as the patients' menu, but does it taste better?'
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Well, there we go, I've had my lunch and...
0:28:19 > 0:28:22yeah, it's what I expected really, I suppose.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26A simple baked potato with packet sauces is hardly a meal.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30The dessert, I was really looking forward to that cherry bakewell
0:28:30 > 0:28:35and then they smothered it with this sort of glow in the dark custard with the skin on it.
0:28:35 > 0:28:40This really is a shop window for everything that we do and progress forward, and it's the only place
0:28:40 > 0:28:45where we can generate income, to get the equipment fixed, to serve better food and everything else.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49So we've got to make this look a little bit more appetising than what it is here.
0:28:49 > 0:28:53And then, let's face it, to have a restaurant that's named after
0:28:53 > 0:28:57a hair-lipped Viking is not really a good start, is it, really?
0:28:57 > 0:29:01But before I can do anything, I want to win the hearts and the minds of the team.
0:29:01 > 0:29:06The first thing, I walked in here, you guys are doing an unbelievable job.
0:29:06 > 0:29:09The amount of people that you serve with the equipment that you've got, phenomenal.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12This is a three week menu cycle that you've had on.
0:29:12 > 0:29:18Now, I know Pat has her reservations over it and I'm pretty sure you probably might do.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Now what I'm trying to bring to the party
0:29:20 > 0:29:23is that if we reduce the menu cycle down,
0:29:23 > 0:29:24I want to go to a week.
0:29:24 > 0:29:28I don't think that's a good idea, maybe a fortnight,
0:29:28 > 0:29:30but when you've got patients in for several weeks at a time....
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Right, right, have you spoken to the patients?
0:29:33 > 0:29:36- No...- Hold on a second.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39You've been here 20 years and you've not spoken to a patient.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42They can't remember, can you remember what you had last Tuesday?
0:29:42 > 0:29:48- No, probably not.- So what the hell are we doing, putting dishes on and thinking about a three week cycle?
0:29:48 > 0:29:52The idea is we don't want people coming in here and living in here,
0:29:52 > 0:29:54- we want them to get better.- Yeah.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58So they only way we can get better is that medicine's improved, in the last 20 years
0:29:58 > 0:30:01that's the reason why people's stay has shortened.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06Now, I think the food has stayed back 30 years ago.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09How often do you change your three-week menus?
0:30:09 > 0:30:13We never do, they haven't been changed for about ten years.
0:30:13 > 0:30:14- Yeah, about nine, yeah.- Nine years?
0:30:14 > 0:30:21Right, if we keep a weekly menu cycle and change it three times a year, we can then get fresh veg.
0:30:21 > 0:30:23We can buy better deals on stuff,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26at a cheaper rate, so you're going to be doing fresh soup.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32- All packet soup's banned.- Yeah, I like the idea of that, actually. - Yeah, and we'll do fresh soup.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34So why don't we do it, why don't we try it?
0:30:34 > 0:30:38There are still a substantial amount of people that are in for fortnight, three weeks...
0:30:38 > 0:30:40These people, these people are ill,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44they don't... You're fit and healthy, you're stood upright,
0:30:44 > 0:30:46you might not be when I'm finished with you.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49But you're stood upright and you're telling me that,
0:30:49 > 0:30:54- that you can remember what you had for the last seven days.- No, probably not.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57So you're telling me that them lot in there have the same food?
0:30:57 > 0:31:00I probably am, I probably am stuck in ways.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03Cos you've been here 20 years, not once in 20 years have you gone out
0:31:03 > 0:31:06- there and spoken to the customers. - No, I don't get the opportunity.
0:31:10 > 0:31:12- Is that cooking?- No.
0:31:12 > 0:31:17- What do you want? - I want fresh, proper soup, I wouldn't mind doing that whatsoever.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20And if I'm saying to you the only way we can do it is seven days,
0:31:20 > 0:31:21do you want to go there?
0:31:21 > 0:31:25Now if we go two weeks you use that, what do you want to do?
0:31:25 > 0:31:29I'm all up for a bit of change cos I do think it needs it, when it comes to certain dishes on the menus.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32You were asking me earlier that
0:31:32 > 0:31:37compromise on two weeks. It's gone from that now, it's down to one.
0:31:37 > 0:31:38Cos I've slept on it.
0:31:39 > 0:31:40INAUDIBLE JOKE
0:31:44 > 0:31:46I've slept on it.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48It'll be great guys, honest to God, it'll be great.
0:31:48 > 0:31:52- Well, you've got my support, then. - It'll be great.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56- Convinced?- I'm convinced about the fresh thing and I'm willing to try the weekly thing.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Now I can go to sleep.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04I ain't said yes, yet.
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Another of my aims is for Pat to look at buying
0:32:10 > 0:32:14more of produce closer to home, especially as the hospital
0:32:14 > 0:32:18is located in the heart of some of the best farming land in the country.
0:32:18 > 0:32:23Pat has control of a £500,000 food budget
0:32:23 > 0:32:29and spends almost £80,000 on dairy produce alone, but rather than use a local dairy,
0:32:29 > 0:32:35her milk comes from a huge multinational company which has branches all across the UK.
0:32:35 > 0:32:40If she were to buy from farms on her doorstep, she may not only save precious pennies
0:32:40 > 0:32:43but also give a huge boost to the local economy.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47There's been a lot of talk about British dairy farming over recent years.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Not long ago there used to be 28,000 UK dairy farms,
0:32:50 > 0:32:55that's just dropped to just under 11,000, with nine every single week going out of business.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00If you don't support them, sights like this will be gone forever.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05One farmer who went out of business is Michael Ricketson.
0:33:05 > 0:33:12He took over his father's dairy farm 20 years ago and despite working seven days a week, all year long
0:33:12 > 0:33:15without ever taking a day off, he still couldn't make ends meet.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17About 18 months ago,
0:33:17 > 0:33:22we were forced into the position where we had to make a decision,
0:33:22 > 0:33:29and the decision was could we carry on producing milk at a loss?
0:33:29 > 0:33:36The amount we were getting for a litre of milk at one stage dropped down to 16 pence.
0:33:36 > 0:33:40Just latterly at the end it got to about 22 pence,
0:33:40 > 0:33:45but at that particular time it was probably costing 26 pence to produce,
0:33:45 > 0:33:51so it doesn't take a mathematician to work out that that's a no-brainer.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55But if hospitals like Scarborough were sourcing their produce locally,
0:33:55 > 0:33:59then Michael's dairy farm could potentially still be producing milk.
0:33:59 > 0:34:04It was probably the most emotional day of my life
0:34:04 > 0:34:08and there was certainly a tear in me eye at the end of the day
0:34:08 > 0:34:15when some of me nicest pets left the farm.
0:34:23 > 0:34:29The situation has become so dire that the average dairy farmer today makes just £20,000 a year
0:34:29 > 0:34:32while working a 60-hour week.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35Just one of the reasons why many have finally called it a day.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42Now, sadly, stories like Michael's are commonplace throughout the UK and the farming community.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46In a bid to stop that happening to producers right on Scarborough's doorstep,
0:34:46 > 0:34:50the best way is to get the guys out of the kitchen
0:34:50 > 0:34:55and to experience what it's like to produce and taste the produce right on their doorstep.
0:34:55 > 0:35:00And I think by bringing them to a farm, they'll really understand how good and how cheap
0:35:00 > 0:35:03and how local produce can really be.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Pat, her deputy catering manager Dawn, and chef Josie
0:35:09 > 0:35:11are stuck within the four walls of the hospital
0:35:11 > 0:35:17day in and day out, so I've brought them to the Acorn Dairy Farm in Darlington.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21The farm has been run by the Tweddle family since 1928
0:35:21 > 0:35:26and the only way they've survived this long is by adapting their farming methods.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30Unable to compete with larger mass-producing dairy farms,
0:35:30 > 0:35:36in the late 1990s, they decided to move away from intensive farming and go into the organic milk market.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41The family set up their own processing plant,
0:35:41 > 0:35:45and it's here that I want Pat and her team to have a look round first.
0:35:49 > 0:35:56At the moment, Pat's milk comes from a large consortium of dairies and travels around 120 miles.
0:35:56 > 0:36:01How long is it between, obviously, coming from the cow, from milking,
0:36:01 > 0:36:06to in the container, out to the customers?
0:36:06 > 0:36:11The milk that the guys are packing here today was in the cow last night.
0:36:11 > 0:36:12OK?
0:36:12 > 0:36:17What volume of milk do you process in a day?
0:36:17 > 0:36:22Here, we are a small-scale dairy, OK? There are dairies out there
0:36:22 > 0:36:28doing in an hour what we're doing in a week. A typical run in here would be about 20,000 litres.
0:36:28 > 0:36:31That's still an awful lot, isn't it, yeah?
0:36:31 > 0:36:35Now, one thing that I've found fascinating about this -
0:36:35 > 0:36:37I've learnt something, the girls have learnt something
0:36:37 > 0:36:41and I think it strikes a chord in Pat's mind that she's buying milk
0:36:41 > 0:36:47and it's from 120 miles away, and it's a consortium. It's that mixture of all these different farms.
0:36:47 > 0:36:53However, you've got somebody right on her doorstep who above all else is willing to cut their prices
0:36:53 > 0:36:59to support the NHS and we get a better product. A win-win for everybody.
0:37:05 > 0:37:09If we cut out the middle man, we're going to reduce the cost to a certain extent
0:37:09 > 0:37:14and by reducing the cost in that way, by knocking out the middle man,
0:37:14 > 0:37:19we might be able to improve the quality of what we're actually going to be using in the department.
0:37:19 > 0:37:23- And what we're putting on the menus. - Yeah, and that can only be good all the way round.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25And keeping these people in business as well.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29Yeah, I mean, why should they be importing milk in
0:37:29 > 0:37:31from other countries?
0:37:31 > 0:37:34When we've got farmers here who are going out of business,
0:37:34 > 0:37:36that's absolutely ridiculous.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42Having spent some time at Scarborough General Hospital,
0:37:42 > 0:37:45I've now come up with a five-point plan
0:37:45 > 0:37:47which I hope will lead to change.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03But for my campaign
0:38:03 > 0:38:07to be able to get off the ground, I need some investment from the Hospital Trust.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09I've waited three weeks for this meeting
0:38:09 > 0:38:13and I'm just about to meet the big boss of the Trust behind me,
0:38:13 > 0:38:17and he's in charge of all the purse strings in the whole hospital,
0:38:17 > 0:38:21so he dictates where all the money is spent and to be honest,
0:38:21 > 0:38:25over the last 20 years, not a lot has been spent in that kitchen.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28Hi there, Mike.
0:38:28 > 0:38:30- Good to see you. - Good to see you.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Now, Mike, you're the big boss here, would that be right?
0:38:37 > 0:38:39- Allegedly, yeah.- Allegedly.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42- You haven't been here very long. - No, about eight weeks.
0:38:42 > 0:38:47Now, in terms of food, I've been round several hospitals.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Some are very positive when it comes to food,
0:38:49 > 0:38:53some, dare I say, are last on the list when it comes to food.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58I get the feeling that the front services get the lion's share,
0:38:58 > 0:39:02the back services don't get any, to be honest.
0:39:02 > 0:39:04And I think that's often the case
0:39:04 > 0:39:06and one of the great things about you being here
0:39:06 > 0:39:09is making us focus on food.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12Cos it's very tempting as a chief executive of an organisation
0:39:12 > 0:39:15just to simply think about clinical services
0:39:15 > 0:39:19There's always something else you can spend your money on.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22- I've not got a massive list here, and I'm not going to...- OK.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23Pat wants a new kitchen.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26You can say yes or no. That'll be a no! OK...
0:39:26 > 0:39:30She was promised one 19 years ago and she's still here -
0:39:30 > 0:39:33I think she'll be here for another 19 years before it arrives.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36What I propose to do is have a look at the restaurant.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40I see that as a revenue stream that comes back into the catering budget.
0:39:40 > 0:39:41Absolutely, yeah.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44To help you, not go into your kitties, to help us fund
0:39:44 > 0:39:47- in terms of equipment and everything else, it benefits everybody.- Sure.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50So first of all, do I have any money,
0:39:50 > 0:39:53or am I fighting a losing battle in terms of blackboards, signage
0:39:53 > 0:39:56to draw people into the restaurant?
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Because at the moment, you walk round the hospital
0:39:59 > 0:40:01- and there's nothing to say you've got a restaurant.- OK.
0:40:01 > 0:40:05But in terms of that, I see the only way we're going to do that
0:40:05 > 0:40:08is to make it a bit more of an appealing place for people to go.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11I don't think... Part of the problem is,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13the financial problems in the organisation,
0:40:13 > 0:40:16there's been a stasis about decisions about things like that
0:40:16 > 0:40:18and I want to change that atmosphere.
0:40:18 > 0:40:21I want to treat it like a business and if I can justify
0:40:21 > 0:40:26- spending that money and bring you it in income, through feeding people... - I'll be happy.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28- Thank you very much. - You're welcome.- Deal done.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33Hopefully I've given the hospital's new chief executive
0:40:33 > 0:40:34plenty to think about.
0:40:34 > 0:40:37I understand that Pat can't have a new kitchen,
0:40:37 > 0:40:42but with the best will in the world, we won't able to improve the food here at Scarborough
0:40:42 > 0:40:44unless they do something about the equipment,
0:40:44 > 0:40:49which I reckon wouldn't look out of place on an Antiques Roadshow.
0:40:49 > 0:40:50It's a defrosting cabinet
0:40:50 > 0:40:54and instead of defrosting my fish, it actually cooked it.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- So we had to dispose of it. - It cooked it?!- It cooked it.
0:40:57 > 0:41:03So this 16 years old. This was replaced in 1995.
0:41:03 > 0:41:09When I came in this morning, the handle on the brack pan had come loose, so that they couldn't tilt it.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11They couldn't twist it to tilt it.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15- So, what happens if this thing breaks?- We have one of two options.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17You either take the dish off the menu,
0:41:17 > 0:41:22or we have to cook food sooner, so we can cook it all in the one brack pan.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24But then if we do that,
0:41:24 > 0:41:27we'll get criticised by the environmental health officer
0:41:27 > 0:41:29because we're cooking food too soon.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33'I can't believe what I'm hearing, and it doesn't end there.'
0:41:33 > 0:41:38So, the other thing, this is one of our large combination ovens
0:41:38 > 0:41:40and if we were cooking joints in here
0:41:40 > 0:41:42we would use an integral probe.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44And once the centre...
0:41:44 > 0:41:46How long has that been like that?
0:41:46 > 0:41:49Two or three months.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51- Months?- Months.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Scarborough has an internal maintenance department,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59but they look after the whole hospital, and, unfortunately,
0:41:59 > 0:42:01the kitchen is way down on their list of priorities.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05On my first visit, I discovered that the steamer hadn't worked for years.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07But rather than get it repaired,
0:42:07 > 0:42:11the maintenance team just condemned it and took it away.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16That's the thing that happens in the health service.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19You don't have, like, every five or ten years you have a refit.
0:42:19 > 0:42:20Our things get replaced,
0:42:20 > 0:42:24well, basically, when they come to the end of their working life.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27To me, it's kind of common sense
0:42:27 > 0:42:30- that the maintenance of it is the most crucial thing.- Mm-hmm.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Because if you don't maintain it...
0:42:32 > 0:42:34it's never going to work, is it?
0:42:34 > 0:42:38It does amaze me, to be honest.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40I mean, it is actually no wonder
0:42:40 > 0:42:45they had a report and the environmental health gave them a demand
0:42:45 > 0:42:47that they had to fix the floor.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50And that's why they're in the situation that they're in at the moment.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54Because otherwise, they were going to shut the hospital kitchen down.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57It's just...
0:43:03 > 0:43:07I'm astonished that head chef Sharon and her team of chefs
0:43:07 > 0:43:12are currently able to provide 1,000 meals every day from this kitchen.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16So, what changes have you seen over the years, Sharon?
0:43:16 > 0:43:19Erm...changes?
0:43:19 > 0:43:22The hospital's got bigger, but the kitchen's the same size, you know?
0:43:22 > 0:43:25This kitchen was built in 1930,
0:43:25 > 0:43:29when the hospital was doing 150 patients a day.
0:43:29 > 0:43:33But since then, the hospital has doubled in size
0:43:33 > 0:43:37and they now have to feed around 300 patients every day.
0:43:37 > 0:43:40I feel sorry for them. If this is all they've got to work with,
0:43:40 > 0:43:43then it's kind of fighting a losing battle, isn't it?
0:43:44 > 0:43:45How old is this?
0:43:45 > 0:43:49Again, that's been here before I arrived, which is, er...
0:43:49 > 0:43:52- Before you arrived?! - Yeah, a few years, yeah!
0:43:52 > 0:43:54It's my favourite piece of equipment.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56It's your favourite piece of equipment?
0:43:57 > 0:43:59It's like a poop scoop!
0:44:01 > 0:44:05Up to now, spending money on the hospital kitchen hasn't been seen as crucial,
0:44:05 > 0:44:08so I'm pleased that after my initial meeting,
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Mike Proctor is now due to meet the catering team
0:44:11 > 0:44:13for the very first time.
0:44:13 > 0:44:14Well, I think you'd need...
0:44:14 > 0:44:16To do what they want to do -
0:44:16 > 0:44:19particularly to do what the Trust want to do upstairs -
0:44:19 > 0:44:23you're probably looking at 20, 30 grand, I have to say.
0:44:26 > 0:44:29So, fingers crossed.
0:44:29 > 0:44:30How are you doing, matey?
0:44:30 > 0:44:33- Hi, nice to see you again.- Are you all right?- I'm good thanks. How are you?- Very good.- Good morning?
0:44:33 > 0:44:37Very good. Shall I get... Is this good news or is this bad news?
0:44:37 > 0:44:39Shall we gather people around?
0:44:39 > 0:44:41Do you want to gather the troops?
0:44:42 > 0:44:44Hi there. Hi there. Hi.
0:44:44 > 0:44:49Hi, everybody. Pleased to meet you. My name's Mike Proctor, I'm chief executive here.
0:44:49 > 0:44:55I've been involved in, and really interested in the work that James has been talking to you about.
0:44:55 > 0:44:57He came to see me last week
0:44:57 > 0:45:00and had lots of ideas about how to make things better.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04But one of the things he needed from us is for us to spend a little bit of money on that
0:45:04 > 0:45:06to actually improve that.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10So, myself and James Haywood, who's director of facilities,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12have been to see the director of finance.
0:45:12 > 0:45:17We've turned him upside down, picked his back pocket and we've been able to put together £5,000
0:45:17 > 0:45:22for you to actually use on this project, OK?
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Great stuff. Let's use it wisely, eh?
0:45:24 > 0:45:28- Yeah.- Let's see what we can do, OK? Thanks.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31- Thank you very much. - Cheers. No problem. Thank you.
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Thank you. Right, back to work, troops.
0:45:34 > 0:45:37Could have put another zero on the end of it!
0:45:37 > 0:45:40That's next... But, you never know, we'll do our best.
0:45:40 > 0:45:42We'll do our best. It's a start. It is a start.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47It's kind of made my job a whole lot harder, hasn't it, really?
0:45:49 > 0:45:50Five grand?
0:46:05 > 0:46:09I know you've only been here eight weeks, but I want you to understand what these guys go through.
0:46:09 > 0:46:15I'm gobsmacked that they do this for 26 years, day in, day out,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18constantly, and they've still got a smile on their face.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22It's just, any one of my guys would just go...
0:46:22 > 0:46:24"Get stuffed." And walk out.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26The five grand is a starter, right?
0:46:26 > 0:46:29I know it's a starter, but it ain't going to switch a switch in there.
0:46:29 > 0:46:33And it's to do the stuff that you came and asked me about doing.
0:46:33 > 0:46:37- Yeah.- Absolutely happy about that. - Well, what I'm proposing is,
0:46:37 > 0:46:39if we're going to spend that five-grand budget...
0:46:39 > 0:46:44This is what happens in a hospital down south that I think works.
0:46:44 > 0:46:47If we spend that five-grand budget upstairs,
0:46:47 > 0:46:51it's only fair for us, we're working out to make that work,
0:46:51 > 0:46:53that the money from that and the proceeds from it
0:46:53 > 0:46:56- go back into here to make this work.- Yes.
0:46:56 > 0:47:00I've got good reason to believe this funding model can work.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04Despite having a similar patient food budget, the Royal Brompton Hospital in London
0:47:04 > 0:47:07provides high-quality, nutritious food
0:47:07 > 0:47:12and pays for this by reinvesting profits from their restaurant into the kitchen.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15And I'm hoping Mike will let us use any of the profits we make in the same way.
0:47:17 > 0:47:21In principle, in terms of the profits that are made,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24the increased profits certainly that are made, but the overall...
0:47:24 > 0:47:28- No, not the increased profits. - Well...- The only way that this would work.- Yeah.
0:47:28 > 0:47:33And to make it beneficial for these guys and everything, and the whole project to work...
0:47:33 > 0:47:37That is how I envisaged it to work, because it works at Brompton Hospital.
0:47:37 > 0:47:44You get better. The whole ethos of the food at Scarborough General Hospital gets better - everything.
0:47:44 > 0:47:46But to be able to afford to do that,
0:47:46 > 0:47:48I have to have a revenue stream coming in elsewhere
0:47:48 > 0:47:52from the £3.49 we get at the moment.
0:47:52 > 0:47:53'Without proper investment,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56'this campaign could fall at the first hurdle.'
0:47:58 > 0:48:02What can you do with five grand in a commercial kitchen?
0:48:04 > 0:48:06Apart from buy a few ladles and...
0:48:08 > 0:48:12..and get one of the machines fixed? But it's...
0:48:14 > 0:48:17..certainly not made my life any easier.
0:48:24 > 0:48:26HOLDING BACK TEARS We'll get there
0:48:26 > 0:48:30and we'll implement those menus if it's the last thing that we do.
0:48:36 > 0:48:39With only limited funds available from the Hospital Trust,
0:48:39 > 0:48:43it becomes vital for us to crack on with the new menus.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47They don't only need to appeal to the patients on the wards,
0:48:47 > 0:48:49but also the paying public and the hospital staff
0:48:49 > 0:48:52as generating a profit from the restaurant
0:48:52 > 0:48:55is key to making my plan work.
0:48:55 > 0:49:00I've got lots of ideas, so I've gathered together Pat, head chef Sharon,
0:49:00 > 0:49:02dietician Rachael Bumby
0:49:02 > 0:49:06and Denis Smith, who's responsible for liaising with all the hospital's suppliers
0:49:06 > 0:49:10to work out exactly which dishes we should go for.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15I don't think veg chilli and an omelette is a good combination.
0:49:15 > 0:49:20- It would have to go down here. - Yeah, I think you ought to mix it. - Bolognese, we do that one.
0:49:20 > 0:49:25- We've got lasagne on Thursday. Where's the other one? We've got... - Bolognese here and then do a pasta.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27Pasta on Saturday.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29A vegetable penne pasta.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33- Cheese and mushroom quiche flies out.- We've got baked gammon, so that's relatively low-fat.
0:49:33 > 0:49:38- Yeah, that's what I was going to say. - I'd like to see creamed mash potato, I'd like to see carrots.
0:49:38 > 0:49:41I'd like to see beans, but I'd like to see fresh carrots and beans.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48We've had to come up with 14 soups and 35 main dishes
0:49:48 > 0:49:51that all meet the dietician's strict nutritional criteria.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54They have to appeal to a wide range of patients
0:49:54 > 0:49:58and contain the right blend of vitamins and minerals.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01It's been a challenge replacing all that packet soup,
0:50:01 > 0:50:04but we're managed to do it with fresh homemade ones like butternut squash and lime,
0:50:04 > 0:50:06and cauliflower and apple.
0:50:07 > 0:50:13For the main courses, I'm opting for dishes that will endure the journey from the kitchen to the ward
0:50:13 > 0:50:15and still be nutritious and palatable.
0:50:15 > 0:50:20They'll have to withstand sitting for hours in hot cabinets and being superheated.
0:50:20 > 0:50:23So I've replaced dishes like chicken pasta and lamb stew
0:50:23 > 0:50:30with my chicken and leek bake, and a healthy, tasty Mediterranean roasted vegetable couscous.
0:50:30 > 0:50:35I'm enhancing the dessert menu by adding more homemade comfort dishes,
0:50:35 > 0:50:37like my signature dish, sticky toffee pudding.
0:50:37 > 0:50:43Also on the list is treacle tart, and scones with jam and cream.
0:50:49 > 0:50:51Today's been a mixed day of highs and lows.
0:50:51 > 0:50:55The highs - I'm really pleased we've got the menu done. Thank God, to be honest!
0:50:55 > 0:50:56It's now seven days,
0:50:56 > 0:51:02because it took long enough just to get the seven days of dishes on the menu,
0:51:02 > 0:51:04let alone three weeks.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07I think they've finally come round to the fact that that's going well.
0:51:07 > 0:51:11The lows have been Mike. I was very, very surprised that all we got was five grand.
0:51:15 > 0:51:17It's a month into the project, and we've finally agreed
0:51:17 > 0:51:20which dishes to put on to the menus.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23But before we can we can get down to the serious business
0:51:23 > 0:51:26of cooking good, tasty, healthy and nutritious food,
0:51:26 > 0:51:29there's just one last hurdle to get over -
0:51:29 > 0:51:30the Hospital Trust.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34Without their support, it could still all come to nothing,
0:51:34 > 0:51:38so I've decided to invite the key players along to Scarborough Catering College
0:51:38 > 0:51:40so they can taste my new dishes alongside
0:51:40 > 0:51:42what is currently served to the patients.
0:51:45 > 0:51:49For starters, it's soup, a vital part of my plan
0:51:49 > 0:51:51for the new menus. Served up for lunch and dinner,
0:51:51 > 0:51:56it's one food that patients are likely to eat when they're not feeling well,
0:51:56 > 0:52:00so I think it needs to be as nutritious and tasty as possible.
0:52:05 > 0:52:09'From the current hospital menu, we have packet vegetable soup,
0:52:09 > 0:52:12'which is high in additives and salt,
0:52:12 > 0:52:13'but low in protein and vitamins.'
0:52:13 > 0:52:16OK, you can take that out, please?
0:52:16 > 0:52:19'I'm proposing we swap it for a homemade version.
0:52:19 > 0:52:22'Today, I've made butternut squash soup, which is low in fat,
0:52:22 > 0:52:26'high in fibre and packed full of antioxidants.'
0:52:28 > 0:52:30Up for the taste challenge are Mike Proctor,
0:52:30 > 0:52:33the hospital's chief executive,
0:52:33 > 0:52:35James Hayward, director of facilities,
0:52:35 > 0:52:38ultimately responsible for the catering department.
0:52:38 > 0:52:43Leo McGrory, who lobbies on behalf of the patients
0:52:43 > 0:52:46and hospital dietician Rachel Bumby.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55'First up is the packet soup.'
0:53:01 > 0:53:03What does it taste of?
0:53:03 > 0:53:06- It tastes floury. - It's very floury.
0:53:06 > 0:53:07It looks like porridge.
0:53:07 > 0:53:11'Next it's the turn of my butternut squash soup.'
0:53:18 > 0:53:21- It's really nice.- Very nice.
0:53:21 > 0:53:24How do the two dishes compare in costing?
0:53:24 > 0:53:26'My fresh soups are more expensive.'
0:53:26 > 0:53:30On average, 25p rather than 9p per person
0:53:30 > 0:53:34but by cutting down on menu options and buying in bulk,
0:53:34 > 0:53:37I think we'll be able to find the extra money.
0:53:37 > 0:53:40'Moving onto the main course, from the hospital menu,
0:53:40 > 0:53:42'we have chicken and tomato pasta,
0:53:42 > 0:53:45'which has a tendency to dry out after it's been held
0:53:45 > 0:53:48'in a hot cabinet for hours and then superheated.'
0:53:49 > 0:53:54'There's silence. I don't think it's a big hit with the panel.
0:53:54 > 0:53:58'Hopefully my roasted vegetable couscous with chicken
0:53:58 > 0:54:00'will fare better with the critics.'
0:54:05 > 0:54:08I think that main course is delicious.
0:54:08 > 0:54:12If you were eating out some evening and you had that,
0:54:12 > 0:54:15- you would say that was very, very nice.- If you could get that for £3
0:54:15 > 0:54:18- in the dining room...- You'd jump at it.- There'd be a queue.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21Absolutely. And I think that to a patient,
0:54:21 > 0:54:25there's no comparison to me between the two dishes.
0:54:25 > 0:54:29But quality does cost. My couscous with chicken is 90p
0:54:29 > 0:54:31whereas the chicken pasta
0:54:31 > 0:54:34works out at only 46p per portion.
0:54:34 > 0:54:39I mean, from a chef's point of view, I came to this college myself,
0:54:39 > 0:54:42so we've all got the skills and we'd love to cook
0:54:42 > 0:54:46with ingredients like this, but it's always been down to budget.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48'Someone had to bring it up.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51'It's time to tackle the real reason for this dinner.'
0:54:51 > 0:54:54James has got to pressurise the chief exec
0:54:54 > 0:54:57and the director of facilities
0:54:57 > 0:55:00for that extra funding, and we need to get a commitment out of them.
0:55:00 > 0:55:03Well, there's going to be some mileage in what they say
0:55:03 > 0:55:07- if we reduce the number of...- Yeah. - ..menus and we reduce the menu cycle,
0:55:07 > 0:55:10buy bigger in bulk, there's got to be some cost...
0:55:10 > 0:55:12There is, but the only way that this works
0:55:12 > 0:55:16and has worked anywhere else is this self-funding itself.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19And at the moment, I just feel
0:55:19 > 0:55:21for too long it's been left.
0:55:21 > 0:55:25If we don't get the commitment and they're not willing to put the money
0:55:25 > 0:55:27back into the department,
0:55:27 > 0:55:31then the whole project could just fall flat on its face.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33At the end of the day, this is why I came on board.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36The only way we'll change stuff is if you get off your backside
0:55:36 > 0:55:38and do something about it.
0:55:38 > 0:55:41The next step, the next level we want to get is great food, not good food.
0:55:41 > 0:55:44Yeah, and the only way that they can achieve it
0:55:44 > 0:55:46is by having a little bit more money in the kitty.
0:55:46 > 0:55:50- I mean, with...- Yeah, well that needs a discussion between you two.
0:55:50 > 0:55:52It does, actually.
0:55:52 > 0:55:57I feel I've really put everything I possibly can... No, don't start now.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03I get upset because
0:56:03 > 0:56:07we've all put our heart and souls into this project,
0:56:07 > 0:56:09but I know deep down if we all pull together,
0:56:09 > 0:56:12we can do this.
0:56:12 > 0:56:15All of it, all comes back into the kitty.
0:56:15 > 0:56:19- Well, what we've got to be careful of...- I've put you on the spot here.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23What you've got to remember is the disagreement between me and you
0:56:23 > 0:56:27is not whether this is a good idea, it's how much we can plough back in.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30- I understand that. - And that's where I'm with you on it.
0:56:30 > 0:56:32I want to plough as much of it back,
0:56:32 > 0:56:33but I don't want to do it on the basis
0:56:33 > 0:56:37that then, looking at the books, I've got to go and find
0:56:37 > 0:56:38somebody else to sack to do it.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40But I do agree that,
0:56:40 > 0:56:45certainly in the next 12 months for starters,
0:56:45 > 0:56:48any underspend that you've got in the budget ought to be retained with you
0:56:48 > 0:56:51- to plough back into this. - And the restaurant.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53I'm leaving!
0:56:53 > 0:56:55I never, ever thought,
0:56:55 > 0:56:59ever in my life, I would sit here and hear a chief exec say to me
0:56:59 > 0:57:02that any underspend I make on my budget
0:57:02 > 0:57:03will stay within my department.
0:57:03 > 0:57:05Well, I think at the moment...
0:57:05 > 0:57:09I'd come over and kiss you if I wasn't so far away, Mike.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13We can't afford to ignore this stuff and I'm really keen to do something.
0:57:15 > 0:57:20I think today was a positive step and a massive step forward.
0:57:21 > 0:57:25To get the chief exec to actually commit to bring some money
0:57:25 > 0:57:28back into the catering department, rather than put it
0:57:28 > 0:57:31in the central pot, I think is just absolutely amazing.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33I just can't believe that he's managed that.
0:57:33 > 0:57:35I've said from the start, he's got an amazing way
0:57:35 > 0:57:38of persuading people to do what he wants,
0:57:38 > 0:57:40even though we don't always agree with it.
0:57:40 > 0:57:43Don't tell him I said that, will you?
0:57:47 > 0:57:50'Next time, as we fine tune the recipes,
0:57:50 > 0:57:53'Pat keeps putting obstacles in my way.'
0:57:53 > 0:57:56Pork tenderloin, that's way over.
0:57:56 > 0:57:58I'm not even putting it on.
0:57:58 > 0:58:02'And she finds my dishes are not up to her exacting standards.'
0:58:02 > 0:58:05I think that's a bit wet for moussaka?
0:58:05 > 0:58:06Well, isn't it too thin, though?
0:58:06 > 0:58:11'As the big day finally arrives, stress levels hit their peak.'
0:58:11 > 0:58:14What we're doing is for the benefit of the patients,
0:58:14 > 0:58:16and that's what I set my heart to do
0:58:16 > 0:58:19when I started with this job 30 years ago.
0:58:19 > 0:58:20So I hope we succeed.
0:58:37 > 0:58:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd