Care home chefs enjoyed a fine dining masterclass from top restaurateur Mark Sargeant after winning a NAPA competition. The top 20 entrants were rewarded for their efforts in the Fine Dining Challenge run by NAPA (National Activity Providers Association) and spent the day at Unilever Food Solutions in Leatherhead.
To enter, care homes had to put on a special menu to create a unique and memorable dining experience for their residents between 13 and 20 July last year. The challenge gave care home chefs an opportunity to showcase their culinary expertise and the residents a real reason to look forward to and enjoy their food.
Paul Wright, development chef for elderly care at UFS, explains: “It’s so important for those in care to socialise over food and experience stimulating mealtimes. The care settings did a great job with their fine dining experiences and who better to help them take it to the next level than a Michelin-starred chef like Mark.”
In the masterclass Mark demonstrated some of his most spectacular dishes, including crab and salmon rolls and poached monkfish curry. He also gave the chefs tips on how to take their fine dining cooking to the next level in their care home, from using different cuts of meats to adding extra flavour to the dishes.
Annie Sinnott MBE, owner of the winning care home, The Old Vicarage in Dorset, said: “Mark gave us so many great ideas. He really knows his stuff and all the dishes were delicious, especially the crab and salmon roll.” For 2016 the NAPA challenge will be ‘a right royal street party’, an activity focused around the Queen’s 90th birthday. For more information visit www.ufs.com/elderlycare.
