Wednesday 28 October 2009

The chef can cook

This is the second day that I've ordered something from the Chef's Special menu. This is often available in the hospital restaurant or the private patients' wing. The taste, quality and seasoning is superb. What a shame all NHS patients can't get to choose this food.


Pasta Bolognese with a crispy side salad


Fresh bread roll and real butter!


Crispy cheese topping with fresh basil. NHS chefs can cook if given a
proper budget and freed from silly Government nutritional diktats.

15 comments:

  1. TM, I completely agree with you. This is the standard of food which should be available to ALL NHS patients. Do you know the daily budget per person on your current menu?

    This looks really yummy.

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  2. Cripes, what an improvement!

    As you say, it's appalling that all patients aren't also served such good food. Obviously your bog standard NHS patient is a second hand citizen when it comes to palatable, nutritious food.

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  3. I'm extremely disappointed now. I was really looking forward to the curry photos :-(

    Fairly safe to say you made the right choice though - that pasta pie doesn't look at all bad to me.

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  4. The amount that NHS hospitals spend on food varies from £2.80 per patient per day all the way up to £19 per day. Most are at the lower level, as you can probably imagine. I want to do something to make sure all patients get the food they need and deserve. It should keep me out of trouble when I get out of here and might end up doing some good.

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  5. Just wondering what trouble you'd otherwise get into TM - probably best not to mention it!

    Definitely a worthwhile mission and one that thanks to you has already received widespread publicity.

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  6. Hi TM! Good for you you had this for lunch, it looks very nice - I agree, all patients should if medically possible be able to get this!! How is your leg today, have the pains dimibished yet. I so hope for you that it isn't another infection!
    Greetings from Styria - today the woods were in gorgeous colours ranging from green through yellow, orange and red to brown (but the brown leaves are still quite few). Barbara

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  7. Hi Barbara

    I'm on antibiotics again. The leg is painful but morphine helps. I'm just hoping I can make it to November 4th when the surgery will be done and I may come off traction.

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  8. TM, I'm outof the country for the whole of November. By the time I get back I hope you'll be out of hospital. I'd like to support you in what you are planning to do so please keep blogging and I'll get in contact then to help in whatever way I can.

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  9. Just a thought - just like MPs, patients need to eat anyway - why can't they choose a from a menu that represents a range meals they'd pay for if these were made at home?

    The NHS must be able to get massive economies of scale without serving up the swill you photograph most days.

    *scratches head as it seems so obvious*

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  10. This isn't an expensive meal - especially when buying ingredients in bulk, as the hospital must be doing. I really can't see why this isn't available to other patients. A great deal of the success is in makng the food look appetising. It's surprising how much we eat with our eyes - though taste and quality are obviously important. I'm up for a campaign to do something about improving NHS patients' diets.

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  11. I second Nicky. Totally behind you when you are out there on the GMTV sofa. Has Max Clifford been in touch yet?! If something good comes out of this horrendous experience of yours there may seem a point to it all. Perhaps you could become the Minister of the Bleedin' Obvious.

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  12. And you thought your situation was desperate...

    "Murderer wants Death Row 'because food is better'"

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/6454315/Murderer-wants-Death-Row-because-food-is-better.html

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  13. Hi TM,

    I'm sorry you are on antibiotics again . Keep your spirits up !

    Do you have to pay extra for the better food ? Is it available if you want it ?

    Moira from Canada

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  14. Apparently long-term patients or those with special needs or who are loosing too much weight get consideration. The policy is to feed the patient what they need to get themselves better. In practice it doesn't always work out like that. I'm convinced I'm getting better food as a result of the criticisms made on my blog. This is perhaps more about reputation than nutrition.

    As far as I know, you cannot pay extra for better food as the NHS doesn't like co-payments or top up payments as it goes against the egalitarian and socialist principles on which the NHS was founded.

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  15. HI TM,
    I must say the pasta look great. But going from what I pay here in Tenerife it must have only cost about 3 pounds to make your entire dinner so why is the rest of food so bad?. The company who makes it off site must be buying in vast amounts food that in the end is going in the bin. Why is it not being cooked on site ?. If an amry chef can turn out a good meal on the front line (I speake from experience) I am sure a chef in a fully fitted kitchen can do better than what we've seen over the last few weeks.

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