Halifax care home serves up award-winning meals to residents

The bronze Food for Life Served Here award recognises caterers who are serving of fresh, local and honest meals.

Read: New BBC trailer gives a look at Gentleman Jack series set and filmed at Shibden HallThe team at Summerfield House make over 300 meals each day for residents. By achieving the Food for Life Served Here bronze award, local chefs Dawn and Nicola have shown they go that extra mile to give residents a range of freshly prepared meals and cater for all diets and specialist requirements. The award is independently inspected and guarantees meals cooked from scratch that aim to benefit the local economy and environment by using locally sourced produce.

The team at Bond Care’s Summerfield House have worked in partnership with local suppliers, including Holdsworth’s Butchers, P and M Produce and Brakes to meet the Soil Association standards. Meat can be traced back to the farm, fish served are never from the Marine Stewardship Council’s ‘fish to avoid’ list and eggs are always free range. Food is free from additives and is better for animal welfare.

Recently Summerfield House Nursing Home adopted the Food for Life Better Care ‘whole setting approach’ to food. This recognises that good food improves health and nutrition and enriches daily life. Achieving the Food for Life Served Here award supports this approach. As well as making changes to the ingredient standards and practices in their kitchens and dining rooms, the team has introduced food-themed community events, including garden parties and neighbourhood days.

The team at Summerfield is leading the way in promoting good food in Calderdale, forging links between the care home and local schools through projects which bring young and old people together through cooking, growing and shared meal opportunities. Residents’ families, visitors and the local community are also encouraged to join in, as the care home harnesses the power of good food to improve the health and wellbeing of older people. This works by bringing their community together and reducing loneliness.

Read: Elland director tackling exploitation and modern slavery awarded OBECarl Stevenson, Bond Care Manager at Summerfield House in Halifax said: "Serving fresh, varied food for our 107 residents has always been important to us but this award has motivated and inspired our team and suppliers to go that extra mile. Achieving this endorsement of our food quality demonstrates to residents, their relatives and visitors that our care home is committed to serving food that can enrich an older person’s day and experience of care."

Jeanette Orrey MBE, Co-founder of Food for Life said: "My first visit to Summerfield House made me realise how important fresh, locally sourced and ethical food is to the older generation. Food for Life has worked for many years to support the youngest to the eldest in our society. I’m elated to see Summerfield House achieve the award. We hope the team’s achievement will inspire and motivate more care homes to apply for a Food for Life Served Here an award."

Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Inequalities, Cllr Faisal Shoukat, said:

“I’d like to offer huge congratulations to Summerfield House Nursing Home for championing the importance of good food and for incorporating fresh, locally sourced and ethical ingredients in their menus.

“Not only is the home providing good quality meals that are essential to the wellbeing of its residents, it’s also supporting Calderdale’s local food producers and suppliers, economy and environment.”

Summerfield House Nursing Home has achieved their Food for Life Served Here accreditation thanks to funding from the Better Care programme.

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