Do you like hospital food?
This article is outside of Cookipedia's normal scope, however following an accident abroad I required an extended stay in Kings College Hospital for a craniectomy I was so impressed with the quality of the catering provided by the hospital that I to used some of my spare time there to pen this article.
First impressions
My first impressions were that the food was well presented and always served hot. I felt that the quality of the ingredients was always excellent. The macaroni cheese for instance was obviously made with plenty of strong cheddar and a good sprinkling of fresh parsley. Little touches like make a huge difference.
You can't please everyone, all the time
Plenty of my fellow patients were not impressed with the food on offer, however, most of the complainants thought a good square meal consisted of a Big Mac, large fries and a giant shake. Nothing else would have been acceptable.
Good condiments
Meals were always served with salt & pepper, tomato sauce if required. Where butter would be expected, jacket potatoes, for instance, 2 pats of real butter were provided. Much nicer than 'spreads'. I never asked but I would be surprised if they could not provide different condiments if required.
What could be improved
Sometimes the meal ordered would not be available, but due to the very comprehensive menu, an acceptable substitute was always provided.
The staff taking the food orders did not show me a menu until day 5 and only then was it clear that a starters, pudding (or even cheese and biscuits) were available.
Sometimes the starter or pudding that arrived would bear no resemblance to that which was ordered, however that may not be the fault of the caterers.
I was told by one of the Staff Nurses that the current catering company Medirest also provided the catering for The Guildhall (City of London), though I couldn't find proof of this from the company's confusing marketing material.
The food in Harley Street was also good
The Harley Street Clinic, 35 Weymouth Street W1 also fared well of the food front, an interesting menu which included a rich selection of ethnic dishes reflecting the local cultures of this area. Baba ghanoush is one recipe that I will have to make again once I am home.
See also
To make downloading easier, the menu has been split into two parts (pdf documents)
- Menus front and rear covers, special diet keys & other details
- Menu available meals and full descriptions
Find recipes that contain 'Do you like hospital food?'
#doyoulikehospitalfood #suppliers #blackpepper #parsley #babaghanoush #cheddar #butter