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HomeLifestyleHead Chef At Ashford Care Home Wins Top Catering Award

Head Chef At Ashford Care Home Wins Top Catering Award

A care home in Ashford is celebrating after its Head Chef won a national award.

Anna Sudak, Head Chef at Montfort Manor, on Kennington Road, competed against the culinary talents of chefs from across the UK in the National Association of Care Catering (NACC) Awards. She was crowned the winner in the ‘Our Care Catering Hero’ category.

The NACC is a trade association for catering in the British care sector, and their awards serve as a platform to showcase the exceptional talent of chefs working in the industry. The awards are split over six categories, with each one recognising a team or individual who has made an outstanding contribution to care catering, such as devising innovative and exciting recipes that adhere to varying nutritional needs.

Anna is passionate about spending time with residents and their families to get to know them and understand their dietary requirements, choosing a collaborative approach to Montfort Manor’s catering that gives all residents a say in menus, so that their delicious wishes can be fulfilled.

Anna’s commitment to providing residents with choices, particularly those on modified diets due to health conditions, impressed the judges. Wanting to expand her knowledge, especially about those living with dysphagia (a condition that makes it difficult to swallow), Anna tried a modified diet for three days, stating: “By the end, I was emotionally drained, but it gave me the insight to be creative and encourage my colleagues to be the same.”

While on the modified diet, Anna found she suffered from headaches caused by dehydration. Determined to ensure residents would not experience the same, Anna makes options for hydration readily available, from mineral-enriched water to mouth-watering jellies; and for one resident who missed salad, cucumber water.

Residents living with dysphagia are also offered the same meals as other residents and they’re made to resemble the unmodified dish, from full English breakfasts to quiche Lorraine. As a result, this has increased dietary intake and elevated residents’ dining experience and ensures that everyone can eat together, and no resident feels left out.

Anna’s creativity also extends to snacks, and when a resident with dysphagia said that they really missed Jaffa Cakes, she produced a modified version using pureed sponge, chocolate, orange mousse and thickened orange juice.

In addition to supporting residents living with dysphagia, Anna has also transformed the dining experience for those living with dementia. She has trained her team to utilise show plates with residents living with dementia, to help them choose their meals, as well as to provide grazing options for those who prefer to eat little and often. She has also trained the team to ensure that residents living with dementia dine in dignity, by using modified cutlery and crockery as well as respectful and appropriate language.

During special occasions, Anna pulls out all the stops, including residents’ birthdays where she’ll create a showstopping birthday cake of their choice and no menu request is too much – including for one resident who loves lobster thermidor and who has it on a regular basis.

A resident at the Montfort Manor said: “Anna always produces delicious and varied meals, every day, perfectly cooked and attractively presented. Even with my restricted diet, I always find the meals a delight.”

Commenting on her win, Anna said: “It was an honour to represent Montfort Manor at the NACC Awards in the ‘Our Care Catering Hero’ category. The residents deserve to have food that they enjoy regardless of whether they’re on a modified diet or not. It is important to me that residents have varied choices and a say in what they eat, and I am passionate about creating dishes that bring them genuine joy.”

Joanne Eaton, Home Manager at Montfort Manor, said: “We couldn’t be prouder of Anna and her achievement at the NACC Awards. Along with her catering team, she goes above and beyond for the residents to ensure that all mealtimes are enjoyable and there is a variety of dishes for the residents. She’s been our care catering hero for some time, so it’s brilliant that this has been recognised nationally now!”

“I’d like to thank Anna and the catering team for everything they do here at Montfort Manor. We are truly grateful for what they do and I’m so proud of what we achieve every day. I’m so pleased that your hard work has been recognised nationally.”

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