As the country prepares for the 80-year milestone of Victory in Europe Day, Bidfood, one of the UK’s leading wholesalers, has revealed how care homes can include all of their residents in the celebrations by hosting a VE Day party at Anchor’s Moore Place Care Home.
Taking inspiration from the ingenuity and perseverance of wartime rationing and economic constraints, Bidfood’s Healthcare Culinary Development Chefs brought a series of recipes to life from their guide, ‘Swinging it back to the 40s’.
Approximately half a million people live in care homes in the UK[1], each living with specialised dietary requirements and health conditions such as diabetes and dysphagia. As well as this, many care homes are still having to operate on small budgets while facing high costs.
Hosting an afternoon tea, Bidfood presented nostalgic and cost-effective dishes for the residents of Moore Place, with cutlery-free and fortified options to provide a more inclusive and enjoyable dining experience for those with swallowing difficulties or a reduced appetite. The spread included a selection of afternoon cakes, war time loaf cake, fresh fruit and a favourite of the residents, cherry and chocolate scones.
The recipes in Bidfood’s ‘Swinging it back to the 40s’ guide also take into consideration chef skill set and can be prepared by staff of all skill levels, aiding budget management and waste reduction, while also using affordable and readily available ingredients that can be changed seasonally.
Commenting on the VE Day party, Wayne Wright, Healthcare Culinary Development Chef at Bidfood said:
“VE Day holds a very special place in the hearts of many of our UK residents, who all deserve to celebrate this significant landmark, whether they follow a specific diet or suffer from a medical condition that hinders their ability to eat and drink.
“Our guide includes cocktail inspiration, an activity pack and a nostalgic playlist to really help get the party going! We hope that care home chefs and caterers will be inspired by our ‘Swinging it back to the 40s’ guide, just as I was inspired by my father-in-law’s cookbook, to host the perfect VE Day celebration.
“Food has an amazing ability to recreate cherished memories and bring people together in a meaningful way and our VE Day afternoon tea menu reflected the spirit and resilience of that time, bringing a smile to the residents and staff of Moore Place who could see just how easy it was put on a simple, yet delicious, cost-effective feast!”
‘Swinging it back to the 40s’ is just one of the multiple support tools created by Bidfood to help their care customers. This guide, along with many others, is available through Bidfood’s Interactive Care Home. With over 75 interactive elements to discover, users are able to access tools on specialist diets, product guides and increase their knowledge via Bidfood’s free e-learning site, Caterers Campus.
For more guidance, inspiration, and support on catering for the care sector, please visit: https://www.bidfood.co.uk/care-homes/
And click here to watch Bidfood’s 80th VE Day pop up party: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2f9XpYW8hc
