Enhancing Care Catering: Prioritising Nutrition, Social Well-Being and Sustainability

By Adrian Silaghi, Head of Catering Services at Nellsar Care Homes (www.nellsar.com)

As the care sector continues to evolve, catering services have become an important pillar— not just in meeting nutritional needs, but in supporting dignity, independence and social well-being. At the heart of person-centred care, catering now emphasises personalisation, safety, sustainability and smart technology.

There is growing recognition that catering should be fully integrated with care and clinical services. Close collaboration between catering, care and nursing teams ensures residents remain central to all decisions, with nutritional care given equal priority to physical care.

Tailored nutrition is key to enhancing health, autonomy and daily enjoyment. Meanwhile, environmentally and socially sustainable practices – such as reducing waste, sourcing locally and embracing greener technologies – allow care homes to nourish both people and the planet.

Here are some thoughtful and effective ways that catering can enrich care delivery – and how providers can tap into its full potential to inspire change, connection and pride across their homes.

Specialist care catering: The importance of individualised nutrition
Within every care home setting, food must cater for a broad spectrum of requirements – dietary, cultural, clinical and emotional. For residents with certain conditions like dementia or dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), dining has to be sensitive and responsive. For instance, at Nellsar this has meant developing texture-modified meals that maintain nutritional value and are visually appealing even when puréed. The chefs shape puréed food to resemble its original form using moulds and piping techniques – puréed meat or poultry to look like a chop or thigh and puréed broccoli and cauliflower to look like florets – stimulating memory and increasing comfort at mealtimes.

This is a skill of care catering where clinical accuracy meets culinary creativity. Good nutrition in care homes promotes physical health, limits the risk of chronic disease and frailty and enhances mental health through maintaining mood and cognitive function. Additionally, food is tailored not only to meet physical requirements but to create pleasure and appreciation – an approach that facilitates respect and self-determination for residents, empowering them to make nutritional choices about what they eat and enjoy.

Embedding sustainability in daily catering
Sustainability is becoming popular in care catering as care homes are adopting locally sourced and organic ingredients, forming partnerships with local farms. These practices aim to reduce environmental impact and improve meal quality.
It’s alarming that three in four care homes are concerned about food waste and its associated costs. But there are ways to tackle this issue. For instance, Princess Christian Care Home has started a composting initiative as part of its Cooking Club. This program brings families and residents together to cook, and any food scraps are composted to help grow vegetables in the home’s vegetable patch – creating a meaningful cycle of growing, cooking and eating.

Social sustainability is also embedded within this activity. Cooking together encourages enjoyment, confidence and fosters a sense of shared purpose. Residents, team members and visiting family members engage in a familiar and inclusive activity that balances fun with environmental consideration – supporting well-being through connection and routine as much as through nutrition.

Supporting catering teams through training and collaboration
A strong catering operation is underpinned by a confident, well-trained team. Many care homes are creating opportunities for catering professionals to connect and share knowledge. For example, Nellsar is forming a Chef Committee to encourage peer-to-peer learning among Head Chefs. This not only encourages innovation but promotes a culture of mutual support and social sustainability.

Horizontal learning models are another effective strategy – offering team members the chance to share skills in areas like menu design, food presentation and specialist diets. These approaches create lasting professional development opportunities that can be scaled across homes through online platforms.

Crucially, these models elevate the status of care catering, positioning it as integral to clinical and emotional support.

Leveraging technology to improve care catering offerings
Technology continues to revolutionise how care homes manage food service. From menu planning tools to dietary tracking apps, digital solutions streamline operations and promote safety. For instance, the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) app helps to ensure diet textures are correctly managed for residents with swallowing difficulties.

In addition, admin systems like Care Vision allow nursing and catering teams to share dietary and care updates and reports in real-time. This holistic coordination supports safe, personalised dining experiences.

Technology can also contribute to sustainability. For example, Nellsar’s in-house yoghurt production using stainless-steel pots, electric mixers and biologic cultures has significantly reduced single-use plastic.

Enhancing dining experiences for residents
Mealtimes should be moments of enjoyment, calm and connection. Care homes benefit greatly from dedicated roles focused on resident experience. Social interaction during mealtimes facilitates community and engagement, further supporting residents’ emotional well-being. One-way Nellsar’s Residents’ Dining Experience Lead exemplifies this is by working alongside catering and care teams to promote person-centred dining environments.

The emphasis of this role is to support a whole-team approach across Nellsar’s homes, in providing individualised experiences while simultaneously meeting the nutritional needs of the residents — ensuring mealtimes are a calm and enjoyable experience for all.

The dynamic, hands-on support includes mentoring team members, offering strategies for managing behavioural changes sensitively and creating action plans to be implemented collaboratively. Continued involvement through follow-up visits and audits ensures improvements are maintained, with a focus on positive reinforcement and practical problem-solving.

Care catering thrives as a whole-home responsibility. When chefs, care teams and clinical colleagues work together, residents are nourished physically and emotionally. Positive dining experiences built on sustainability, innovation and compassion help residents feel valued, supported and truly at home.