0:00:02 > 0:00:06Over the last decade, £50 million has been spent trying
0:00:06 > 0:00:09to improve the quality of our hospital food.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13What is that? You don't know.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15So far though, there's been little sign that change,
0:00:15 > 0:00:17on a national level, has been achieved.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23That's the reality of the food that's served in the NHS.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27In fact, a recent study revealed that over a third of hospital food
0:00:27 > 0:00:30is still considered unacceptable by patients.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Just horrible.
0:00:34 > 0:00:35It's not appetising.
0:00:35 > 0:00:39It was inedible, cold. It was vile.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42That's why, for the last four years, I've been working with NHS
0:00:42 > 0:00:46kitchens to prove that serving good food is possible.
0:00:47 > 0:00:5030 seconds. Come on, come on, come on!
0:00:50 > 0:00:52- You've guys have made it. - Thank you!
0:00:52 > 0:00:55Together, we've demonstrated patients can have tasty,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59nutritious food, without it costing any more money.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03What motivates me more now is the public's perception
0:01:03 > 0:01:05of the good that we've done.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06That means a lot.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10But it won't be feasible to bring about real change by tackling
0:01:10 > 0:01:13just one hospital at a time.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16People deserve decent food in the NHS. It's not a big ask.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21So now, my aim is to introduce a lasting improvement to
0:01:21 > 0:01:25hospital food for every patient throughout the UK.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29- Mmm - yummy!- Yeah. It's lovely!
0:01:29 > 0:01:32I'm massively passionate about food in hospitals.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Change can be achieved.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Over the course of my campaign to improve patient meals in the NHS,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48I've worked in a number of individual hospitals around the UK.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51But I want to affect change on a much larger scale -
0:01:51 > 0:01:55and my challenge now is to work out how to do it.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58James, we can bring you in now.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02To kick-start my plans, I've been on a media blitz to find a way to
0:02:02 > 0:02:07give patients a voice, asking you to share your stories of the food
0:02:07 > 0:02:10you've been served in hospitals.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13People can e-mail their experiences but also pictures.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16Why are you on this programme this morning?
0:02:16 > 0:02:18What I'm asking people to do is either e-mail or send
0:02:18 > 0:02:21via my Twitter a selection of photographs and information
0:02:21 > 0:02:24on meals that you're currently having in hospitals at the moment.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29It wasn't long before the responses came flooding into my inbox.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31What is that?
0:02:31 > 0:02:33It confirmed my belief that it's not just me
0:02:33 > 0:02:36who thinks things have got to change.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Why do we have to put up with this rubbish?
0:02:39 > 0:02:43I've also come to work with another hospital kitchen team.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47This time it's the Princess Alexandra at Harlow, in Essex.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Good to see you, Andy.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54To my surprise, catering manager Andy revealed he has the smallest
0:02:54 > 0:02:57daily patient food budget that I've ever come across.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00We're working off £2.72 a day.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03The kitchen staff are struggling to stay within budget
0:03:03 > 0:03:08and the overspend means their jobs could be in peril.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09It's like a cloud hanging over you.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12It's a real worry and morale does get hit by it.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16But helping the team in Harlow to turn things round is just the start.
0:03:16 > 0:03:21My ultimate goal is to bring about widespread and sustainable change.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24What I'm hoping to achieve, this time, is a bigger voice.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27I'm hoping to progress this forward.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30As the first step in getting my ideas to as many hospitals
0:03:30 > 0:03:34as possible, I've come up with a plan that I hope will allow me to
0:03:34 > 0:03:38implement real change by enlisting some people on the front line.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I've invited the chefs of the NHS down to my house.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Now I'm either expecting four or 4,000.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I want to, basically, tell them what we've been up to
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and hopefully transform a few more hospitals in the process.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53If I can get all the people talking to each other
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and get their backing, more than anything else,
0:03:55 > 0:03:58we can hopefully change things for the good.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06It's the day of my hospital chefs' cookery class -
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and 20 caterers have answered my call to try
0:04:09 > 0:04:13and make a real difference to the food we serve to NHS patients.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- Nice to meet you. - How you doing, buddy? You all right?
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Gathering at my home are catering managers, chefs,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22and industry professionals from all across the UK.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24I'm Andy Bickle. I'm from Barrow-in-Furness.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27I work for University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Andy Jones, Hospital Caterers Association.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Denise Clifford, Milton Keynes Hospital.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Along with familiar faces from a hospital I'm working with right now.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Andy Slade from the Princess Alexandra Hospital
0:04:40 > 0:04:42at Harlow in Essex.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46With the help of my old friend Mike Duckett - himself a former catering
0:04:46 > 0:04:50manager of an award-winning London hospital kitchen - my plan today is
0:04:50 > 0:04:54to share the ideas, and the tried and trusted recipes, that I've
0:04:54 > 0:04:59already demonstrated can improve the food we serve to patients.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It's not like school. You can actually sit at the front.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Nice to see you.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08I'm hoping that the people who've gathered here today will be able
0:05:08 > 0:05:12to take this template for change and roll it out to their own hospitals.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16First of all, I want to say thank you very much for you all coming.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19The whole point of today is an informal
0:05:19 > 0:05:22conversation about the issues you guys face.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27My main emphasis about this is to help - help the NHS.
0:05:27 > 0:05:28It's so easy to throw mud at it.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32I decide to begin by talking about
0:05:32 > 0:05:35one of the biggest issues facing these chefs.
0:05:35 > 0:05:3960% of hospitals now buy in factory-made meals.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43Many of them use a system known as Cook Chill - and it soon becomes
0:05:43 > 0:05:47clear that not everybody really feels the same about it as me.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51There is a big black cloud over the NHS at the moment - Cook Chill.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52I disagree with that.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55I've done traditional and Cook Chill and don't disrespect,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59because what we serve to the patients, Cook Chill, is
0:05:59 > 0:06:02actually, I think, better quality than what I've worked on in other
0:06:02 > 0:06:04hospitals that have done traditional.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06I'm going to disagree with you on a national level.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- You may do.- Cook Chill is not a money saving exercise - it can't be.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13For your restaurant where does the food come from? Is that Cook Chill?
0:06:13 > 0:06:15No, we make it fresh. We have two different systems.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17- There we are. - You see, I don't understand that.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21That, to me, is absolutely false economy madness.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24That is way costing you more money.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25Cook Chill is one thing,
0:06:25 > 0:06:27then you have a kitchen with chefs in it providing...
0:06:27 > 0:06:28It's a little tiny kitchen.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31But you're still providing stuff for the restaurant!
0:06:31 > 0:06:33From my point of view I'm a head chef.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37There's no comparison between Cook Serve and Cook Chill.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40You would not serve Cook Chill food to paying customers
0:06:40 > 0:06:42because they wouldn't buy it.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Whatever system each chef's hospital uses,
0:06:44 > 0:06:48they all agree on one thing - the daunting prospect of slashed
0:06:48 > 0:06:52budgets now that the NHS has been told to find efficiency
0:06:52 > 0:06:58savings amounting to £20 billion by 2015.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01You guys obviously know your budgets per-patient, per-day. What's yours?
0:07:01 > 0:07:03- Mine's £3.75 a day.- £3.75?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- £2.90.- Oh, my God.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09There's worse to come.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11- £3.75.- £3.75?
0:07:11 > 0:07:13- £3.62.- £3.62?
0:07:13 > 0:07:15- £2.72.- £2.72?!
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I've experienced first-hand how tight the budgets are in many
0:07:20 > 0:07:24NHS hospitals but Andy and his team are particularly pressed.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30I've already proved though, that it's possible to work within budget
0:07:30 > 0:07:32and improve quality by using simple
0:07:32 > 0:07:37and economical recipes such as nutritious soups.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I think if you've got fresh soup on the menu patients would rather
0:07:40 > 0:07:45have that for lunch than a protein menu that's cost you 65, 70 pence.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48So you'll sell less of those, more of this.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It's better for your budget at the end of the day.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56A more streamlined menu is also vital in keeping costs down.
0:07:56 > 0:08:01The key to it working is not by putting this on as a one-off.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The whole way you can afford to do this is by doing this
0:08:04 > 0:08:06weekly menu cycle and streamlining everything.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09That way you'll get a much better deal on this.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Working off the same menu every week,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16unlike the two or three-week cycles most hospitals run,
0:08:16 > 0:08:19means a kitchen can bulk buy ingredients and cut costs.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22And one of the chefs here has already got his own
0:08:22 > 0:08:24twist on the same idea.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28When you said about the one-week menu, we do the two-week menu.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30We've just got off the one-week menu and onto a two-week menu
0:08:30 > 0:08:35but we use the same ingredients to do a different dish each week.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Say, for example, one week you could do a beef lasagne.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Using the same ingredients, apart from the pasta,
0:08:39 > 0:08:42you could do a pasta bolognaise the next week.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45There's so many people doing some amazing stuff in the NHS.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48I think if you are, in terms of your menu,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51flexible and you're willing and you can adapt more in-house
0:08:51 > 0:08:55and be flexible I think it's going to help the NHS.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58This is a rare opportunity for these
0:08:58 > 0:09:02hospital chefs to get together, swapping ideas,
0:09:02 > 0:09:04and it's been really motivational.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08How do you feel we could progress this forward and do it better?
0:09:08 > 0:09:11James, one of the things that's missing in the NHS is the "N".
0:09:11 > 0:09:13There's no "national" in the NHS.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17We're all independent. We all do our own thing.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Prisons and schools have set regulations...
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- And specifications. - There's no standards.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- There's nothing in the NHS. - Do you know why?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I've written to all the ministers and the reply I've got is that
0:09:27 > 0:09:29if they put standards in it will increase costs.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32- It will reduce costs, surely? - It's got to reduce costs.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35If we all had the same recipes surely we're going to save money.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37We need to stand up
0:09:37 > 0:09:40and be professionals rather than being dictated to by other people.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45Until we join together as one I don't think there's much
0:09:45 > 0:09:46room for moving forward really.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49The message from the room is that the views of hospital
0:09:49 > 0:09:52caterers as a group will only be heard with more co-operation.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57But they need the tools to help them work closer together,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01and I'm starting to realise that's something I can help with.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04To me, there must be a system in place where we could go to
0:10:04 > 0:10:08somewhere and find the information that we need or a forum to
0:10:08 > 0:10:11discuss that information to make it easier.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15If I was to go away and think of some way that we could get
0:10:15 > 0:10:17everyone that was here talking,
0:10:17 > 0:10:21plus anyone that wasn't here, interested...
0:10:21 > 0:10:23It's not going to be an easy fix. Don't get me wrong.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25This is a huge, huge step forward.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It's reassuring for me to see the passion in the room for good
0:10:29 > 0:10:33hospital food - and the appetite of some of those here to
0:10:33 > 0:10:36introduce my proven recipes onto their own patient menus.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41I think we do need to come back together and work as one
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and if James can actually champion that and take us
0:10:44 > 0:10:48forward then I think it will be a great success.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52It's all about getting together and making sure we learn from each other
0:10:52 > 0:10:56and we take this forward and improve the food to the patients.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I think passion's back, James has sparked it and
0:10:59 > 0:11:01we need to build upon that.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05It's great to get this sort of positive feedback from the 20
0:11:05 > 0:11:08hospital caterers here.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It's a real breakthrough knowing that so
0:11:10 > 0:11:14many of them are ready to roll out my ideas in their own NHS kitchens.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18If we can change it in regions to start with
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and then nationally it will make it much better.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24With over 2,000 hospitals in the UK though,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27the bigger challenge is how to get through to the rest of them.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30It's impossible to visit every kitchen in person.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32But there is one way I can get my thoughts
0:11:32 > 0:11:35and recipes out to a wider audience.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38My plan is to publish a template
0:11:38 > 0:11:41that serves as a resource tool for all of the NHS.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45I think people have learnt a lot today. I've learnt a lot.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47I've learnt it involves a website.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50So I need to speak to someone on how to develop a website,
0:11:50 > 0:11:52but today was a good day.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58I believe creating a database of ideas for all hospital caterers
0:11:58 > 0:12:04will be a huge step forward for my mission to improve patient food.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05And after asking you to contact me
0:12:05 > 0:12:08with your own experiences of patient meals,
0:12:08 > 0:12:13I'm discovering I'm not the only one who thinks change is long overdue.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18The response from what we've had has been incredible really.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Just goes on and on and on.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23This is exactly what's happening right now.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Chilli-con-carne with a mound of rice.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28You shouldn't be serving food like that.
0:12:28 > 0:12:29There's another one here.
0:12:29 > 0:12:34A lady who's seen her sick husband in hospital get given that.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I mean, can you imagine getting served that?
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Just this packet of mush.
0:12:41 > 0:12:46One of the worst ones I think of all the messages I've got is toast -
0:12:46 > 0:12:47and it was mouldy.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Literally you could see the green mould on it.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52Which is inexcusable really. It's disgusting.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55And somebody has taken that toast out of the toaster
0:12:55 > 0:12:57and buttered it and served it.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00That's the thing. They've seen it. It's just horrendous.
0:13:00 > 0:13:05If this is an insight, in terms of the bigger picture,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07then you don't want to be ill.
0:13:07 > 0:13:08Put it that way.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12The shocking pictures that some of you have sent me are all the
0:13:12 > 0:13:16encouragement I need to continue on this journey to make things better.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21And one hospital definitely up for embracing my ideas for change
0:13:21 > 0:13:23is the Princess Alexandra in Harlow, Essex.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28The last time I was here I met the kitchen team -
0:13:28 > 0:13:31catering manager Andy, second-in-command Jonathan
0:13:31 > 0:13:32and head chef John.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36I learnt that the team are overspending
0:13:36 > 0:13:38on their patient food budget
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and also losing money in the hospital restaurant.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49As a result, they already have a total debt of around £19,000,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52just six months into the financial year.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Unless they can turn this situation around
0:13:55 > 0:13:58there's a very real chance of job losses.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01I don't want that to happen - so it's time to roll my sleeves up.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Well, it's the second day back in Harlow
0:14:05 > 0:14:07and we're going to put the soup on the menu really.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09We've got the butternut squash soup.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12We're going to give that a go for lunch and also try
0:14:12 > 0:14:14and do a little compound salad.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18So the idea is to put a bulgur wheat tabbouleh, something like that,
0:14:18 > 0:14:22on that's full of flavour, full of spice and tastes really good.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I think the key to saving the kitchen staff's jobs is to
0:14:27 > 0:14:29get the restaurant making a profit.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32If that happens, the money it generates will not only put
0:14:32 > 0:14:36it back in the black, but hopefully provide extra cash to
0:14:36 > 0:14:39pay for the overspend on patient food.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42We're going to do the soup, which I'm going to do in a second.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44The soup and salad that I'm introducing
0:14:44 > 0:14:46to the kitchen staff today are two quick
0:14:46 > 0:14:51and easy recipes that I think will drive up restaurant takings.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Both of these dishes will appeal to the customers,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57mainly hospital staff, who last time I was here,
0:14:57 > 0:15:00told me they want fast, fresh and healthy food to go.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04The compound salads. Use this as a base. This is bulgur wheat.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07It's different to couscous when you're making large volumes of it.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It stops it from being sticky and heavy.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12What we're going to do is flavour this with quite strong flavours.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16This is ras el hanout.
0:15:16 > 0:15:17It's like a spice blend.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20The great thing about this salad is that it's very inexpensive to
0:15:20 > 0:15:25make and the spices in it really fire the flavour.
0:15:25 > 0:15:26It's also so versatile,
0:15:26 > 0:15:31giving chefs plenty of opportunity for experimenting with the recipe.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36You can bulk this out even more. You've got almonds in there.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38You've got sultanas in there.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Lime juice or lemon juice it's up to you.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44You want to put protein in it too you can do.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46They can go in as well.
0:15:46 > 0:15:51The whole idea of this is to pick stuff that's non-expensive
0:15:51 > 0:15:53but crammed full of flavour.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57So herbs like mint, coriander.
0:15:59 > 0:16:00You try this now.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02There you go, chefs.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09That seasoning just brings it out, doesn't it?
0:16:09 > 0:16:13When you ask the staff what they want, they want healthy.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18It don't get any healthier than that. Is that a winner then?
0:16:18 > 0:16:22- That is a winner!- Very good.- Cheers, buddy.- That's really nice.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25We offer couscous in the restaurant, which is
0:16:25 > 0:16:27different to bulgur wheat but it's not as nice as that,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29I have to be honest with you. That's a lot nicer.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I think that will go down very well in the restaurant.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34It's so versatile, you can add all sorts of things to it.
0:16:34 > 0:16:35You can change it,
0:16:35 > 0:16:38you can do a different one every other day.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Add mint to it, coriander, parsley.
0:16:41 > 0:16:42You can just do anything with it really.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44It's going to be an extremely popular product
0:16:44 > 0:16:48and at the same time it's actually going to save us money...
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and actually make our profit a lot better for the restaurant.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56As well as the salad, I'm introducing an old favourite of mine
0:16:56 > 0:17:01to the menu here at the hospital - freshly-made butternut squash soup.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03So how many portions are we looking for today?
0:17:03 > 0:17:07Well, I reckon you got to be looking towards 400 portions of soup.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09At the moment, the hospital relies
0:17:09 > 0:17:12on packet-made soups to give to the patients.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15But the beauty of making soup in the kitchen is that it's fresh,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19economical and time effective.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Putting the soup on the menu for the patients, I think you'll get
0:17:21 > 0:17:26a bigger uptake on soup and you'll get less on your main meals.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30Because of that you're becoming this cost-effective scenario.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33So you're not having to spend so much money on your proteins
0:17:33 > 0:17:34and everything else.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38Generally, if people just want a bowl of soup it's cost you ten pence.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42The other benefit of the soup being low in cost to produce is that it
0:17:42 > 0:17:45can be sold in the restaurant for a considerable profit.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49But Andy is concerned about the price of the ingredients.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52I think we'll sort of have to look around for the suppliers
0:17:52 > 0:17:56because I had quite a difficulty getting prepared butternut squash.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01- Yeah?- Yeah. A lot of people won't touch it. It was extremely expensive.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Andy might be worried, but if the soup proves a hit
0:18:04 > 0:18:07and becomes a menu staple then the cost of the butternut squash
0:18:07 > 0:18:12will come right down as the team begin to bulk-buy their ingredients.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14One further advantage about this soup
0:18:14 > 0:18:16is that it's very quick to make.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Does anyone want to taste this?
0:18:19 > 0:18:22It's very nice. It just needs cheaper butternut squash.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Yes, chef. I'll leave that one to you. Yes, chef!
0:18:26 > 0:18:30James is going to help us with the suppliers as we just need to
0:18:30 > 0:18:32bring the costs down a wee bit of that but there again
0:18:32 > 0:18:36an extremely nice product, a really nice soup which will actually
0:18:36 > 0:18:42add something to the patient menu and the restaurant menu.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45As well as the potential boost to cash flow in the restaurant,
0:18:45 > 0:18:48the addition of fresh soup to the patient menu should improve
0:18:48 > 0:18:51the food being served on the wards too.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57So it's time to find out what the people who really matter make of it.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59It's nice.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I really enjoyed it and I could eat some more of it honestly.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03- It's very good.- It's very nice.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06It was nice because obviously it's cooked on site.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09It's not brought in. It wasn't runny. It wasn't too thick.
0:19:09 > 0:19:10It was nice.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12Yeah, it's lovely.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15I'm not used to having two cooked meals a day so I probably
0:19:15 > 0:19:19prefer a soup at dinner time and then at supper I'd have my main meal.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22The consistency of that soup is lovely. It's like proper soup.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It sort of oozes ingredients,
0:19:26 > 0:19:31whereas the soup yesterday just oozed water, basically.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34The soup may be proving a hit with patients
0:19:34 > 0:19:38but there's a long way to go before the kitchen staff's jobs are saved.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41- Enjoy that.- It looks lovely.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Their fear, that many of them will be out of work
0:19:44 > 0:19:48if the hospital moves to cheaper off-site catering alternatives,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50is one that's shared by many NHS kitchens.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Last year, when I worked at
0:19:54 > 0:19:56Birmingham's Royal Orthopaedic Hospital,
0:19:56 > 0:20:01I walked into a catering department facing a very similar crisis.
0:20:01 > 0:20:02Well, here goes.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04I don't know what to expect, to be honest.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07When I first arrived in the kitchen, just as at Harlow,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10I discovered the staff's jobs were under serious threat.
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Fundamentally, some of you are out of work. Is that right?
0:20:15 > 0:20:19But here in Birmingham, the problems had been caused
0:20:19 > 0:20:22by an enormous overspend and a shocking issue with waste.
0:20:22 > 0:20:23Another one.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Bear in mind, this is a small hospital,
0:20:27 > 0:20:29we're not talking about a massive hospital.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34I reckon this is more than half the food that was sent up there.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38If I told you this was just the waste I could salvage.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40There was more than this.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42Now this was going to go in the swill.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44- Wow.- Things weren't helped by the lack of
0:20:44 > 0:20:47efficient working practices in the kitchen.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50- I've just seen you make that - how much have you got?- Portion wise?
0:20:50 > 0:20:54You have no idea. You've not measured it.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55There is no way of measuring it.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Course there is. The fundamental thing is about costings.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02That's 11 grand I've saved and I've been here two minutes.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Worst of all though, was the feedback from patients.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10- We thought it was a joke to start with.- Mushy and tasteless.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13It was all hard and the pastry wasn't cooked enough.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15Atrocious would be a good word.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19That's the one thing that lets the whole hospital down is the food.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22And away from the wards, the restaurant just wasn't
0:21:22 > 0:21:24bringing in enough money.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26But by adapting their working practices,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30we soon brought about a total transformation.
0:21:30 > 0:21:3230 seconds. Come on, come on, come on!
0:21:34 > 0:21:38And the difference in staff morale was massive.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40Gaz, I suppose, has changed more than anybody.
0:21:40 > 0:21:44And that fire in his mouth has turned to fire in his belly.
0:21:44 > 0:21:45He's got a passion for work
0:21:45 > 0:21:48that I've not seen in any young kid for a long, long time.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51A new ordering system that I introduced cut the mammoth
0:21:51 > 0:21:53waste problem right back.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58It's probably about a fifth compared to what was there before.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02And best of all, the fresh recipes we worked up in the kitchen made
0:22:02 > 0:22:05the restaurant a success and were a hit on the wards.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10I know they're home-made soups and they've been absolutely delicious.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12- It was gorgeous.- Absolutely lovely.
0:22:12 > 0:22:13- Can't fault any of it.- Right.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16In actual fact I said to the physiotherapist,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19"Any chance of staying another week?"
0:22:19 > 0:22:22There's been a whole lift in this place in terms of,
0:22:22 > 0:22:24not just producing the food,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27but serving it and an appreciation that it is an essential part
0:22:27 > 0:22:29of getting better, really.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Because you are what you eat,
0:22:31 > 0:22:35and on the basis of what I've seen, it's positive.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38In fact, so positive were the changes at Birmingham
0:22:38 > 0:22:40that they resuscitated a catering department
0:22:40 > 0:22:42with a future that had looked terminal.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45Excuse me, please.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49And now, a year on, there's been even greater progress.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53We've really taken some of the basic foundations that James set us
0:22:53 > 0:22:56and the tools he gave us and it's fantastic.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59From a financial point of view, we're coming in on budget.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01The waste has continued to reduce.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04On a bad day, it's ten per cent,
0:23:04 > 0:23:07On a good day we can get it as low as six or seven per cent.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10The restaurant is doing really, really well.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12On average, we're taking an extra £1,000 per month,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14on top of our targets.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17We're now reinvesting that back into our catering department.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21And the patient feedback has been absolutely amazing.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22Loads of compliments.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26I can't remember the last time I heard anything negative, as such...
0:23:26 > 0:23:28and the patients are happy.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31I like it. I'd come again. I've put weight on.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35Everything that I've had in here has been first class.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39I was hoping for seconds. That's the only fault I've got.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41I'd stop in a bit longer if they'd let me.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I'm chuffed with everyone.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48We're all a team and I think we've done great.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52The sort of lasting change I've helped to bring about in Birmingham,
0:23:52 > 0:23:55is exactly what I'm hoping to achieve here in Harlow.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00So far, my freshly-made soup has already proved a hit on the wards.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01It was really nice.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I don't generally have soup but I enjoyed that.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05Now it's time to see
0:24:05 > 0:24:09if the restaurant's customers will take to the new menu.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11If my fresh, healthy options appeal to them,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15it will give Andy's team a much-needed boost in cash flow.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18- This is a bulgur wheat salad. - Bulgur wheat salad.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Moroccan bulgur wheat salad with harissa, ras el hanout.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- Very nice actually. - Delicious with the soup.
0:24:23 > 0:24:24We do it in bulk as well.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27If you want a gallon of it we can help you out.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Chickpeas, almonds, full of flavour, coriander.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33It's a lovely colour, isn't it? Would you like some?
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Yeah, they just gave me some up on the...
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Ward? And it's lovely, isn't it?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40It's great news - the new menu is a hit.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43I had the butternut squash soup today.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Definitely something that I'd have every day.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Absolutely fantastic, really nice.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49The Moroccan salad - it's just something different.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52It makes a change from the usual salads we'd have.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54It's nice to have something that's home-made.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57I had the soup and I thought it was absolutely yummy.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58Really scrummy.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02We'll sell out the soup today I should think, won't we?
0:25:02 > 0:25:04Andy is due to retire in a few months' time,
0:25:04 > 0:25:07and he's determined to leave knowing that the kitchen
0:25:07 > 0:25:11is financially sound and that the jobs of his team members are secure.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Just all fresh. Just fresh butternut squash, milk, vegetable stock, onion,
0:25:16 > 0:25:20bit of lemon juice, lime juice through it. Super.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Changing the NHS is very, very difficult but without the help of
0:25:24 > 0:25:28somebody like Andy, who's so focused, who's made this catering department his own...
0:25:28 > 0:25:30And it's going to be such a sad loss when he goes,
0:25:30 > 0:25:35I cannot tell you, because without him this never would've happened.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38And his enthusiasm for the job is second to none.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44Selling out on the soup and salad means Andy and the team
0:25:44 > 0:25:47have made more than £100 in profit.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50If those sort of figures are repeated every day, it will
0:25:50 > 0:25:53cancel out the restaurant's debt in less than three months,
0:25:53 > 0:25:57and any extra revenue they continue to make after that
0:25:57 > 0:26:00can be used to clear their overspend on patient food.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05I think the sales went up by threefold of soup today,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08which is absolutely brilliant. And that will obviously help us
0:26:08 > 0:26:12make the profit that the Trust are looking for for the future.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15But there's more work to be done to be sure I can save
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Andy's kitchen staff from the threat of job losses.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22It will mean big changes, though, and I'll be challenging the team
0:26:22 > 0:26:26to radically rethink how they run their entire operation.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32In the meantime, I've been invited to help yet another hospital.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35And this one in Oldham, Lancashire, is home to some of the most
0:26:35 > 0:26:39important patients I could ever hope to meet.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42Well, in all the years of doing hospital food,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45there's one area I've never really looked at, and that's the kids' menu.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47And it's probably going to be my toughest task yet,
0:26:47 > 0:26:50because I've been invited to the Royal Oldham hospital
0:26:50 > 0:26:54to have a look at their menu and have a look at a way of improving it.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57But I've got a feeling it's going to be a pretty difficult one today.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02The kids here at the Royal Oldham are on the wards
0:27:02 > 0:27:04for a variety of different illnesses.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Most of them stay for an average of just one day.
0:27:09 > 0:27:12But before I find out what their idea of good hospital food is,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15it's off to meet Associate Director of Facilities Pam,
0:27:15 > 0:27:18and Catering Services Manager Stephen, to learn a bit more
0:27:18 > 0:27:22about the challenges of feeding children in hospital.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Tell me about kids' menus, then,
0:27:25 > 0:27:29cos I don't really get that in the restaurant,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32and it's a first for me here in a hospital.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36Even though we say it's a children's ward, we're feeding children from...
0:27:36 > 0:27:42Well, we're feeding breastfeeding mums on the same ward cos they're maybe in with a baby.
0:27:42 > 0:27:47So we can be feeding breastfeeding mums right up to teenagers of 16.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- So...- A big cross-section, then. - Massive, massive.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54- So pleasing everyone is not easy. - Yeah.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58What issues do you face with that? I'm presuming taste.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Yeah, we've done surveys with children.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04We've asked them what they like to eat.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08The usual things like fish fingers, beans, pizzas, stuff like that.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10- Can I go? - THEY LAUGH
0:28:11 > 0:28:15An overnight stay in hospital is an anxious time for any patient,
0:28:15 > 0:28:18and even more so for a child.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21So I've been asked to come up with some recipes for comfort food
0:28:21 > 0:28:24that's nutritious too, in order to make the kids' time here
0:28:24 > 0:28:27pass a little bit more pleasurably.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30This is our children's unit.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Mealtimes here currently involve Stephen's team preparing
0:28:33 > 0:28:37trolleys with a range of options for the kids to choose from.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40Though there are guaranteed winners like fish fingers and sausages,
0:28:40 > 0:28:43there are also options from the adult menu
0:28:43 > 0:28:48in case anybody queuing for their lunch is feeling a little bit more adventurous.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53Fish fingers, southern fried chicken...
0:28:53 > 0:28:56- Chicken.- Would you like a potato? - No, chicken.
0:28:56 > 0:28:57The choice is a good thing.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00They're already deciding what they want as they walk up to it.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Oh, yeah, yeah. Well, they've already got the menu,
0:29:03 > 0:29:06so they can see beforehand, if they can read the menu.
0:29:06 > 0:29:12- And then, yeah. Most of them are quite vocal about what they want. - JAMES LAUGHS
0:29:12 > 0:29:14As you can see.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17- Gravy?- Yes, please.
0:29:17 > 0:29:20This is one of the good things about this.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24When you give them the choice, they're actually trying a variety of different foods
0:29:24 > 0:29:27that they wouldn't normally go for if you just gave them a menu.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30It's actually a good point. The disadvantage with this,
0:29:30 > 0:29:33you're going to end up with a little bit of waste, but you can forgive that
0:29:33 > 0:29:36if the kids have something at least to eat.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40- He's enjoying it. - Oh, no! I forgot my drink.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- Oh, dear, what would you like? - Blackcurrant, please. - Blackcurrant?- Yep.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50In some hospitals, getting children to eat anything at all can be a battle.
0:29:50 > 0:29:52So it's encouraging to see that the patients are
0:29:52 > 0:29:55tucking into the food served to them.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58But my task is to give the kids a treat to help them through
0:29:58 > 0:30:00what can be an unsettling time,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04so I want to know what they'd choose for their perfect menu.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09- So, Harry, can I grab a seat near you?- Yeah.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12- Why do you get that one and I get this one? - HARRY LAUGHS
0:30:12 > 0:30:16What would you like to see, if I could do you anything?
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- Hot!- It's hot that is it?
0:30:19 > 0:30:22- If I could cook you anything right now.- Anything?
0:30:22 > 0:30:25- Well, I've got my chef's jacket on. - Pizza.
0:30:25 > 0:30:27- What type of pizza? - Cheese pizza.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30A cheese pizza. There's a lot of cheeses in the world, though.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33- What cheese do you want on your pizza?- The sprinkly one.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35- The sprinkly one?- Yeah.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Anya, nice to see you.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41- Nice to see you. - How are you?- OK.
0:30:41 > 0:30:46Now, if I could make you anything you wanted, what would it be?
0:30:46 > 0:30:47Um...pizza.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50A pizza? Have you been talking to Harry?
0:30:50 > 0:30:54- No. What would you like on your pizza?- Cheese.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57Cheese pizza? Would that be grated cheese?
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Yeah.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03- How you doing, Matthew? - Good, thanks.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05You all right? You're diving into that. What have you had?
0:31:05 > 0:31:08- Turkey dinner.- Turkey dinner?
0:31:08 > 0:31:11- Yeah. So what do you want to be when you get older?- Footballer.
0:31:11 > 0:31:12- Is that because of this?- Yep.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Would you want to play for Man United or Man City?
0:31:15 > 0:31:19- Man United. I'm allergic to City. - You're allergic to City?
0:31:19 > 0:31:22But until he signs for Man United, Matthew still has school to
0:31:22 > 0:31:26worry about, and he wastes no time calling on my professional
0:31:26 > 0:31:29expertise to help out with his homework.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Studying France, you've got to design a French recipe, haven't you?
0:31:32 > 0:31:36- Yeah.- Cook it, and then do the recipe.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39I've got to make it, then take pictures.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41OK, I'll give you a recipe.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Pate a choux with a creme chiboust filling.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47- Sorry?- Right?
0:31:47 > 0:31:49What?
0:31:49 > 0:31:51I've not heard of that recipe ever.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54Don't worry. It's profiteroles filled with cream.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Put that on there, you'll get an A star. Sorted.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00- Do you mind if I sit here, Cory? - Yeah.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02- So what's your favourite food? - Chicken.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06- Chicken? It's not a chicken pizza, is it?- No!
0:32:06 > 0:32:08What do you want me to do with the chicken?
0:32:08 > 0:32:10- Do you want me to just bring it in? - Yeah.
0:32:10 > 0:32:14- With the feathers on? - No! Chicken nuggets.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17- Chicken nuggets? So, fresh chicken nuggets?- Yeah.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19The message from the children is clear -
0:32:19 > 0:32:24if they could choose what to eat, it would be a diet of kids' classics -
0:32:24 > 0:32:26burgers, chicken nuggets and pizza.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Not what I'm usually asked to cook, but it seems what's required here
0:32:31 > 0:32:34is tried and tested dishes that reassure younger patients,
0:32:34 > 0:32:39rather than unfamiliar meals that might add to their anxiety.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41You've got a lot of variety on there.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44Is there anything that you'd like to see?
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Based on what children say, pizza. Based on what children say.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Pizza. But is pizza nutritious for them?
0:32:51 > 0:32:54It's not necessarily about nutrition.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57It's about giving... Getting kids to eat something.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01- Pizza again. - Pizza. I know.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04I have to go with what the kids keep saying.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05Despite the demand,
0:33:05 > 0:33:09pizzas and nuggets haven't featured on the menu up to now.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13Pizza's proved tricky to serve with existing equipment,
0:33:13 > 0:33:18and the team hasn't been impressed with the quality of the frozen nuggets available.
0:33:18 > 0:33:22But done properly, using fresh ingredients,
0:33:22 > 0:33:26there's no reason why kids' favourites such as these can't also be nutritious.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29Sponge and custard.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32So, the challenge is for me to come up with recipes
0:33:32 > 0:33:36that are healthy to eat but also keep the kids happy.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38To be sure I'm on the right lines,
0:33:38 > 0:33:43I'm keen to hear what the children's dietician in the hospital thinks.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47What do chefs like me need to be looking at when they're devising a menu for kids?
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Well, we need to be promoting healthy eating, but also you need to
0:33:50 > 0:33:53think that these children are poorly, and we need to be giving them
0:33:53 > 0:33:56- food that they are familiar with and they will eat.- Yeah.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59So, it needs to be nutritious, but also
0:33:59 > 0:34:02if you try to impose a healthy diet on a child who is poorly, you won't.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04- It's never going to happen, is it, really?- No.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06You need to get as many calories in as possible.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09Right. It's a difficult one, this, isn't it?
0:34:09 > 0:34:11It is. BOTH LAUGH
0:34:13 > 0:34:19So the key to a child's diet here at Oldham is combining sound nutrition with familiar flavours.
0:34:20 > 0:34:24With chicken nuggets and burgers getting the green light from the dietician,
0:34:24 > 0:34:27the next step is to figure out how to deliver the menu that the kids want.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32And there are technical reasons why pizza remains a worry.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35To see what I'm up against,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38I've come to the main kitchen to meet head chef Chris.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41With the pizzas, I'm presuming you've still got to cook them
0:34:41 > 0:34:44in these ovens and then you've still got to trolley them.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46- By the time they go to the ward... - That's the problem. They dry up.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48They're going to be rock solid, aren't they?
0:34:48 > 0:34:53I've got to think up, somehow... How to make them last in these hot cabinets.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55Yeah. That's going to be the problem, isn't it?
0:34:55 > 0:34:58Do you have to keep them covered or do you just leave them open?
0:34:58 > 0:35:01- No, leave them open. - So, we'll try the pizzas.
0:35:01 > 0:35:05Do them a burger, I think, and then I'll have a work on this chicken thing for them, as well.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Maybe do something like that.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Even though I'm worried about the heat from these serving trolleys
0:35:11 > 0:35:15drying out my pizzas, I'm determined to give the kids what they want.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18So I need to come up with a solution that means the food reaches the wards
0:35:18 > 0:35:23tasting just as good as it did when it left the kitchen.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26For now, though, the news that pizza may be on the menu
0:35:26 > 0:35:30has gone down well with Harry, the ward's chattiest patient.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32- Would you like a pizza?- Tomorrow?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34- Possibly.- Yay!
0:35:34 > 0:35:38And if I could do you something else the following day, what would it be?
0:35:38 > 0:35:42- Cottage pie.- Cottage pie?- Yeah. - Now we're talking.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Cos I like Cottage pie, and I like fish pie, and I like...
0:35:44 > 0:35:48Here we go. The list is... Here we go, you see? Shepherd's pie?
0:35:48 > 0:35:54- Yeah. Cheese and onion pie. Meat and potato...- Pie?
0:35:54 > 0:35:56What other pies do I like?
0:35:56 > 0:36:00What do you want to be when you get older? I've got a good job for you.
0:36:00 > 0:36:04- I've got three things.- What? - A football commentator,
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- a Lego designer and a footballer. - A Lego designer?
0:36:07 > 0:36:11No. I've got another thing for you.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15- Restaurant critic. - What's that? What?!
0:36:16 > 0:36:19Today's gone about as well as I thought it was going to do.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22Now I know how to create a kid's menu.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25Pizzas and burgers. Chicken nuggets.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Nobody wants to see kids in hospital,
0:36:28 > 0:36:31and for the unfortunate few that are in hospital,
0:36:31 > 0:36:34what we can do is to give them something that they enjoy.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38And that's, I think, what the dieticians are on about
0:36:38 > 0:36:40when they say "Just get them to eat something".
0:36:40 > 0:36:44And I think that's what we're going to try and achieve tomorrow.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Slightly apprehensive, to be honest, as it's probably the most
0:36:47 > 0:36:52honest group of customers you're ever going to cater for, isn't it, really?
0:36:53 > 0:36:58I'll be returning to roll out the kids' new mealtime menu at the Royal Oldham tomorrow.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04At least that will buy me some thinking time before I put my cooking to the test
0:37:04 > 0:37:08with the fiercest critics I'm ever likely to face.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Unfortunately for the grown ups in hospital, pizza and burgers
0:37:11 > 0:37:15aren't really an option - although given some of the food served to them,
0:37:15 > 0:37:19I'd be forgiven for thinking it might be better if it were.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Ugh!
0:37:21 > 0:37:25Part of the problem with quality, I believe, is that there is
0:37:25 > 0:37:29no consistent approach to standards throughout the industry.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33And that's an issue I'm hoping to tackle by setting up my own website,
0:37:33 > 0:37:35where one of the things I can do is make the same
0:37:35 > 0:37:39set of recipes available for every hospital to use.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42For that to work, I've arranged a meeting with Maxine Cartz
0:37:42 > 0:37:46and Sian Porter from the British Dietetic Association,
0:37:46 > 0:37:51the professional organisation for food experts across the UK.
0:37:51 > 0:37:54The rules and regulations in this game confuse the hell out of me.
0:37:54 > 0:37:58Tell me how England differs to Scotland and Wales?
0:37:58 > 0:38:02Scotland and Wales have got mandatory standards,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04but in England we haven't.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06So, take, for instance, a dish in Wales.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10It would be the same in the North as it is in the South, nutritionally wise?
0:38:10 > 0:38:12Yes, it would, it'd be a standard recipe.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14That sounds pretty sensible to me. Is it?
0:38:14 > 0:38:17It is. It makes it much easier for dieticians
0:38:17 > 0:38:21because you've got a known recipe, known nutritional value.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23Why aren't we doing it in England?
0:38:23 > 0:38:26Well, we do have guidelines but they're...
0:38:26 > 0:38:28Quite flexible, aren't they, guidelines?
0:38:28 > 0:38:32And they're self-assessed, so that's the big difference.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35I think the standardisation is important because it gives you
0:38:35 > 0:38:40better consistency and it also saves reinventing the wheel.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43If you've got 100 catering managers up and down the country
0:38:43 > 0:38:48all doing their own thing, then theoretically you're going to have...
0:38:48 > 0:38:50A lot of different cottage pies, aren't you?
0:38:52 > 0:38:55My aim is to challenge this inconsistency by using
0:38:55 > 0:39:02the website I'm developing to offer NHS kitchens some set weekly menu plans they can all follow.
0:39:02 > 0:39:05But to have real credibility within the industry,
0:39:05 > 0:39:10I need an organisation like the BDA to approve my recipes as nutritionally balanced.
0:39:10 > 0:39:15Doing a thing like this, I've learnt that when you're trying to implement change in a menu,
0:39:15 > 0:39:19it's really the dietician that has the final say. Am I right saying that?
0:39:19 > 0:39:25We try as dieticians in a lot of cases to work with the caterers
0:39:25 > 0:39:28because it's in everybody's interests to work together
0:39:28 > 0:39:31to get the best food for the patient, to get it into patient.
0:39:31 > 0:39:36- You're a big hurdle for us lot to get across as caterers and chefs. - THEY LAUGH
0:39:36 > 0:39:39All right, from the past experience that we've had, I've put together
0:39:39 > 0:39:41almost like a food bank of recipes, all right?
0:39:41 > 0:39:46What I would like your help on is really your stamp of approval on those recipes.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50If you could have a look at it from your point of view.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52So when I go out into the wider world,
0:39:52 > 0:39:56I don't then have any negativity saying, "Oh, well, I've got issues with this and this".
0:39:56 > 0:40:00Without that logo on top of those recipes, I'm kind of stuck, really.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04- We're happy to help, aren't we? - Yeah. Definitely.- Yeah?
0:40:04 > 0:40:08The willingness of the British Dietetic Association to help out
0:40:08 > 0:40:12on a weekly menu plan for my website is a major breakthrough.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16I think that working hand-in-hand with food industry professionals
0:40:16 > 0:40:19like dieticians is part of the united approach needed
0:40:19 > 0:40:24to genuinely make meals better for UK hospital patients.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27And while I've only taken the first steps in setting that up,
0:40:27 > 0:40:31there's no reason why a one week menu cycle can't make a difference
0:40:31 > 0:40:38in a hospital like the Princess Alexandra in Harlow right now.
0:40:38 > 0:40:44In fact, the instant difference it can make could even help the staff there to save their jobs.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48You're a rarity in the NHS, and you're becoming more rare.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52I don't want to come back in two years' time and it's all full of chiller cabinets, all right?
0:40:52 > 0:40:56And the way that we're going to do that, I think,
0:40:56 > 0:40:58is we need to streamline everything, because
0:40:58 > 0:41:02that's your current menu cycle at the moment, that's what we've got.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05- I presume this is week one?- Yeah. - Week two? All right.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08I want to get rid of one week.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14The look on your face! I want to get rid of one week,
0:41:14 > 0:41:17so we just go down to a one-week menu cycle.
0:41:20 > 0:41:21All right?
0:41:22 > 0:41:26The advantage of this change is that the team can bulk buy ingredients
0:41:26 > 0:41:32to keep the prices low - yet another way of reducing their £19,000 deficit.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35It's a big change from how they usually work, though,
0:41:35 > 0:41:40so they'll need to adapt quickly to give themselves a chance of survival.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42I don't want to put any more pressure on you,
0:41:42 > 0:41:46but the key to it is to make it continue to work, all right?
0:41:46 > 0:41:51And get rid of this black cloud of this cook chill thing once and for all.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54If we're doing exactly on budget in terms of the patients,
0:41:54 > 0:41:57then we're all going to be here in a year's time, all right?
0:41:57 > 0:41:59And the patients are going to be all happy.
0:41:59 > 0:42:02This is the best NHS kitchen I've ever worked in, all right?
0:42:02 > 0:42:05And I'm saying that because I mean it.
0:42:06 > 0:42:07All credit to you.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12Switching to just a one-week menu may not sound much,
0:42:12 > 0:42:15but it means transforming everything about how they work,
0:42:15 > 0:42:20and after years of doing things a particular way, that won't be easy.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23Well, I've told them how good they are compared with other
0:42:23 > 0:42:25hospitals I've been working with in the NHS.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28And let's face it, if the Trust is faced with a decision with
0:42:28 > 0:42:31a loss-making business, then they've got no option other than to close it down.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35And this is the story of so many different establishments
0:42:35 > 0:42:37and different catering outlets in the NHS.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40With me on board... I don't know whether there's hope.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43I think it's a monumental task, to be honest.
0:42:43 > 0:42:49And trying to do this on a national scale is going to be harder than even I anticipated.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57The team at Harlow come out fighting as they bid to save their jobs.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01As a local guy that's lived here for 44 years, you do want it to be the best.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03We're here. We're dedicated.
0:43:03 > 0:43:04We'll feed them up today.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08In Lancashire, it's up to me to deliver
0:43:08 > 0:43:11for the most outspoken patient I've ever cooked for.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14I've got to say - it's burnt I'm not having it!
0:43:14 > 0:43:19And the pressure to publish my template for change begins to grow.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21This website actually seemed like a good idea at the time,
0:43:21 > 0:43:25and I still think it is. But it's a logistical nightmare.