The perfect blend of nutritional support and a passion for food and caring for our residents
Today we are extremely proud to launch the Nellsar Care and Cookery Book. Created by our Head Chef Cosmin Cristea, Head of Nutrition and Wellness Leni Wood, and Head of Catering Services Adrian Silaghi, Nellsar Care and Cookery is a wonderful celebration of our person-centred care catering and nutritional expertise.
In the Nellsar Care and Cookery Book foreword, Nellsar’s Managing Director, Martin Barrett, touches on our holistic approach to food and dining and how we cater to each resident’s individual needs:
“Each of our residents is unique, with their own tastes, dietary and cultural needs and family traditions. Our dedicated Care Catering teams create dishes to suit a wide range of nutritional needs and personal preferences, using person-centred meal plans as well as seasonal menus based on residents’ likes and dislikes. They truly take pride in crafting great meals which delight our residents daily, with flavours and textures to suit all palates.”
This eye-catching book also tells us a little about Cosmin’s journey to Head Chef, his passions and and his future aspirations:
“What I most enjoy about my job as Head Chef is having the opportunity to cook for our residents and guests; seeing the satisfaction on everyone’s faces really makes me happy. Cooking and baking has become my number one passion which encourages me to continuously develop new recipes and work with new flavours.”
“As one of the longest serving Chefs among our group of Homes, I wish to inspire with my work and shine a light on how fulfilling a Chef career in adult social care can be. My future aspirations include finishing my Management NVQ, developing my team and elevating our catering provision to a whole new level with new menus.”
Nellsar Care and Cookery showcases some of our residents’ favourite seasonal recipes as selected by Head Chef Cosmin Cristea at Princess Christian Care Home. Featuring sweet and savoury dishes from high-protein salads and hearty fish and chips, to fresh fruit tarts and indulgent hot chocolate – there’s something to tempt everyone’s tastebuds.
Pumpkin soup is one of Head Chef Cosmin’s personal favourites and it’s a very popular ‘Cooking with Cosmin’ class activity to prepare a pumpkin soup for supper!
When Chef Cosmin isn’t busy preparing fine foods, stunning birthday cakes or delicious treats for his residents at Princess Christian, he leads a weekly cooking club with the help of the Recreation and Well-Being Team. Together, these sessions bring residents together for food-themed fun and a chance to socialise. Cooking and baking not only promotes dexterity and sensory stimulation, it creates an engaging activity where our residents can relive happy memories learn new skills:
“From pan-frying fish, to flipping pancakes or frying the perfect egg, residents at the Home are bustling with excitement at the opportunity to get cooking! Residents are rewarded with a certificate after each class and thanked for taking part.”
Residents crushing biscuits ahead of making a delicious chocolate biscuit roll.
Nellsar Care and Cookery highlights the skilled nutritional support we provide; we hear from Head of Nutrition and Wellness, Leni Wood, on the nuances of catering for our residents and her tips for tailored nutritional care. Leni also talks about the importance of hydration and how to best support our digestive health, including the key food groups when catering for people in later life stages. Leni also brings to light the importance of Dementia Supportive Dining and how we support the sensory needs of our residents throughout mealtimes.
“When a resident moves in to one of our Homes, we ask them in detail about their tastes and food preferences and establish their nutritional and clinical needs. Menu planning then follows to make sure we cover all aspects of safe nutrition and serve what our resident enjoys. Within this, we cater for a range of special and sometimes complex diets, including diabetic, coeliac and texture modified for example (or combinations of these) all the while ensuring all our food looks and tastes delicious!”
Leni goes into detail about Nutrition Therapy and what it means when catering to our residents.
Our Head of Catering Services, Adrian Silaghi, talks about our expert provision of texture modified meals in Nellsar Care and Cookery. He goes into detail about how we maintain the visual appeal of our texture modified foods, the secrets to nutritionally balanced purée and how to boost flavours:
“Our team of Chefs pay special attention to making sure the meals retain their visual appeal and tempting flavours in a variety of ways. Using special food moulds and piping techniques to retain the original shape of a softened food really enhances the presentation and appeal of the dish. For those transitioning from a ‘regular’ to a ‘puréed’ diet, this makes the change feel much more dignified and visually acceptable, sending the right message to the digestive system.”
Puréed piped blackcurrant cheesecake.
Puréed moulded shepherd’s pie with moulded and piped vegetables.
Care Catering for our 600 Nellsar residents is a labour of love and encompasses many teams throughout our Homes from the Kitchen Team, Dining Support, Recreation and Well-Being and Senior Managers. Our Managing Director Martin Barret encapsulated the essence of Nellsar Care and Cookery well in saying:
“And so to this book, Nellsar Care and Cookery; a place for us to showcase our ongoing commitment to understanding and delivering quality catering, nutrition and dining services for our residents. Our aim is to celebrate our dedication to creating great food and great times – recognising all those involved in making our residents happy with wonderful meals and food-related activities throughout the year. And we know it’ll get your tastebuds tingling!”
