Care home group crowns it’s chef of the year

Care home chefs from Runwood Homes and their sister company, Sanders Senior Living, have competed to be crowned Care Chef of the Year.

Due to circumstances beyond our control, this year’s live finals have unfortunately been postponed until December. However, the Runwood Homes group have crowned a winner from this year’s selection of contestants to acknowledge the hard work and effort that the chefs had put into their entries.

Following a tabletop exercise, this year’s winner is James Swann from Low Furlong in Warwickshire. He was awarded a £100 voucher for winning the competition.

James created a two-course meal featuring, ‘Toad out of the hole’ and a Mint Aero Cheesecake.



The entries were judged based on creativity and presentation and the judges were delighted to award James ‘Care Chef of the Year’ for creating two dishes that were very personal to him and the home.

Residents at Low Furlong told James that they loved toad in the hole but sometimes found it difficult to eat, inspiring James to create his very own ‘Toad out of the hole’. The dish was created with pork and apple sausages served on a beef dripping Yorkshire pudding, a sprinkle of caramelized onion on sweet potato mash, lemon and thyme tender-stem broccoli, and honey roasted carrots.

The Mint Aero Cheesecake was inspired by Low Furlong resident, Irene. James discovered that Irene had a soft spot for mint aero. Conscious that she requires a fortified diet, he created a cheesecake. The bourbon biscuit base, peppermint infused cheesecake mix, and the mint aero bubble as the metaphorical ‘cherry on top’ is Irene’s perfect pudding.

Chris Williams, Group Hospitality and Catering Manager, said:

“James has shown us a brilliant example of how to cater for our residents, by listening, involving, and creating meals specifically for them. His ongoing dedication to providing good quality meals for the residents at Low furlong is commendable.”

Leanne Braham, Home Manager at Low Furlong, said:

“We are so pleased that James entered this competition and are over the moon that he has won. James spends a lot of time with residents and really understands the impact that eating good food can have on people’s mood and well-being. We look forward to him being back in our kitchen soon.”

The Care Chef of the Year live finals will commence in December with a fresh new batch of entries.

For more information on Runwood Homes, please visit: www.runwoodhomes.co.uk