Catering staff at the West Suffolk Hospital are gearing up for another busy Christmas Day as they look to provide Christmas dinner for the hospital’s patients as well as staff working on the festive day.
While many will be waking up in their homes alongside family to get ready to open presents and enjoy festive lunches and dinners together, the dedicated catering team at the Bury St Edmunds hospital will be providing all the trimmings for colleagues and patients alike.
Roast potatoes, turkey, stuffing, carrots and everyone’s favourite, Brussels sprouts, will be on the menu, with the award-winning team starting up their ovens in the early hours to ensure all get a delicious, warm meal.
The team will get through a hugely impressive amount of food when creating their festive feast, including:
- 25 turkeys
- 480 pigs in blankets
- 450 portions of stuffing
- 100kg of roast potatoes
- 80kg of carrots
- 60kg of sprouts
- 400 Christmas puddings.
The team will also be providing vegetarian options.
West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust head chef Luke Nobbs said: “Being in hospital is a very stressful time for any patient but especially at Christmas. We want to make people’s time here as nice as possible throughout the festive period; serving a delicious Christmas dinner can go a long way in doing that.
“While Christmas is a special time of year for many people, for our staff who are working and caring for patients, it’s business as usual in terms of providing expert care to those who need it most.
“I’m really proud of the catering service we provide and like to think we make any hospital stay, not just at Christmas, that bit easier for patients by providing them good, high-quality, tasty food, alongside ensuring our staff have sufficient sustenance to support them through their busy shifts.”
This is not the catering team’s first foray into festive food this year – Luke and his colleagues provided Christmas dinner to approximately 300 staff members based at the West Suffolk Hospital earlier in December, as well as handmaking more than 5,000 mince pies.
Nick Macdonald, executive director of resources at the Trust, said: “We know that the festive season can be a difficult time for many people, especially those who are away from home and unable to celebrate with their loved ones.
“That’s why we wanted to do something special for our staff and patients this year and provide them with a festive meal to help spread some cheer. The work our catering team are doing to make this happen is incredible and I want to extend a huge thanks to every single one of them.”