The Dining Experience at Harcourt Gardens

Across our Springfield homes, the dining experience is one of the highlights of the day for our residents. This is exactly how it should be. Mealtimes are special and provide residents with the opportunity to interact with others on their community.

We recently spoke with Harcourt Gardens‘ Head Chef, Stephen Harper, about mealtimes and how we are catering for our residents and their individual tastes / preferences.

WHAT DREW YOU TO WORK AT HARCOURT GARDENS CARE HOME?

I have 25 years experience in the catering and hospitality industry and was looking for a new challenge when I saw an advert for Harcourt Gardens. Springfield Healthcare as a whole sounded really appealing to me. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to give something back to the community and to enrich the lives of others through food. 

I want to use my experience and skills to create high-quality, nutritious meals and a 5 star dining experience for our residents, every single day.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING TO COOK?

I would have to go with a risotto. I find the process really therapeutic and although it takes a while to make, I’m not opposed to a glass of wine whilst it cooks.

There’s a small period of time at the end of the cooking process which is a critical point. It could be undercooked, perfect or you could be eating something that resembles rice pudding – and no-one wants that!

HOW ARE THE CATERING TEAM GOING TO DELIVER PERSON CENTRED CARE?

At Harcourt Gardens, each resident has their very own care plan which has been designed for and with the individual. Within this, we discuss dietary requirements, preferences and dislikes. We also want to know what family recipes they loved, what food brings back good memories etc.. This allows us to ensure residents’ needs are met and that they enjoy the dining experience at Harcourt Gardens.

We use a web-based catering management software that allows us to create our own bespoke recipes, control allergen and nutritional information and manage our weekly menus! This makes it easier for us to follow individuals care plans so that we can deliver person-centred care throughout the home and provide consistency for our residents. Once we know which meals they love, we can make sure that meal is on the menu more frequently.

“I am really excited to share my gift with others and make a real difference. I can’t wait to create more dishes for our residents, with their input, and receive their feedback so that we can continually meet their preferences!”