The team behind the meals served in Glasgow’s hospitals have been declared the best in Britain at a glittering catering awards ceremony.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) was declared the winner of the Catering Service of the Year at the Hospital Caterers Association awards at the Celtic Manor in Newport yesterday this week.

The catering team was honoured for its work in devising a variety of nutritious meals, working with dieticians and patients, meeting the needs of a large number of patients who often have a range of differing dietary requirements.

The service was also recognised on the night for effectively introducing more choice as well as cutting down on levels of food waste. Staff now have more accurate food preparation plans based on actual, rather than projected, meal uptakes.

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NHSGGC is the only health board in Scotland to employ a full time dietitian as part of the catering strategy team. As a result, a rotating fortnightly menu is now offered following two rounds of consultation with patients and staff to ensure patients’ nutritional needs are met.

In total, around 3.6 million meals are served each year across the health board’s 12 hospitals.

Kate Murray, head of catering, said: “To win this award is a wonderful testament to all the hard work the catering service has carried out to ensure patients have a wide choice of nutritious and appealing meals.

“As a service, we’re determined to give our patients meal choices that suit their needs. We continually speak with patients to ensure we receive ongoing feedback on what we’re doing right and take on board any potential new ideas we can introduce to the service.

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“We’re very proud to win this award as it recognises our commitment to developing and creating meals that are nutritious and play a part in helping patients recover more quickly and also gave patients a range of options to suit their tastes and requirements.”

Meals, with the exception of a small number of specialist dishes, are nutritionally analysed and freshly prepared in Cook Freeze Production Units (CFPU).

This work is carried out at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital and the Inverclyde Royal Hospital in Greenock by health board staff.

What are your experiences of the food at Glasgow's hospitals? Get in touch and let us know your thoughts by emailing news@eveningtimes.co.uk.