This month, as part of Nutrition and Hydration Week, Manchester-based charity, Vegetarian for Life, was delighted to host a vegan supper club for residents at Reinbek Care Home in Stockport.

Reinbek is part of Borough Care, and one of Vegetarian for Life’s Premium UK List members. As premium members, Borough Care has pledged to go above and beyond for its vegan and vegetarian residents.

VfL wanted to host a fun, inclusive event for residents – and it also gave them the opportunity to get feedback on some of the dishes they might enter for this year’s National Association of Care Catering ‘Care Chef of the Year’ competition.

VfL Chef Alex cooked a tasty two-course meal of savoury mushroom pudding with fondant potatoes, seasonal vegetables and gravy, accompanied by a Black Forest gateau.

Alex wanted to serve familiar, traditional dishes created with only vegan ingredients. The staff at Reinbek decorated the table beautifully, and the meal was served with some accompanying fizz making it a really special occasion.

He cooked for a small group of residents and received some great feedback. They rated the food with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down image. Luckily, he got a thumbs up rating from everyone!

Here’s what some of the residents had to say:

“Elena couldn’t believe that there was no meat in the pie. She thought that the supper club was lovely.”

“Jeannette was really impressed with the mushroom pudding and said she was surprised by how light and tasty the suet pudding was.”

Tony Gent, Catering and Hospitality manager at Borough care said:

“We were delighted to be visited by Vegetarian for Life. They provided a great, nutritious meal. Great taste and an overall great experience for our residents”.

Chef Alex concluded:

“It was a real pleasure to be able to cook for Reinbek residents and I enjoyed meeting and chatting with them. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to deliver events at care homes. A special thanks to the staff, who were so welcoming, and of course invited us to run the session. They made a fantastic effort with the table settings, making it a real special occasion for the residents”.