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From Perthshire berries to hydration jellies – Meallmore makes summer food count
For the latest update in Meallmore’s seasonal sourcing story, Love British Food caught up with group catering and hospitality manager, Jody Marshall, to hear how the team has navigated a mixed Scottish summer.
The season has brought standout local produce, practical sourcing challenges and a continued focus on keeping nutrition, quality and resident enjoyment at the heart of menus.
Putting hydration into something residents enjoy
Hydration has been a major focus throughout the summer, building on the smoothies and hydrating foods Jody discussed in spring.
At Kynnaird House Care Home in Aberdeenshire, the catering team developed a range of brightly coloured jellies after identifying that some new residents with higher dependency levels needed encouragement to take in more fluids.
Five flavours were developed, ranging from sweet to sour and including melon and lemon, before guidance was shared more widely across Meallmore’s network of homes.
“The colours and vibrancy are very appealing – these bright reds and yellows make the jellies really tempting to residents,” says Jody.
The initiative reflects Meallmore’s wider approach to nutrition and hydration, where clinical governance and quality assurance data allow teams to identify small changes and act early to safeguard residents’ health.
Summer produce brings colour to menus
Seasonal Scottish produce has provided particular highlights over the summer.
“Berries have been exceptional this year. We source them locally from a Perthshire grower who we know very well,” adds Jody.
Strawberries and blackberries have featured heavily on the menu, while seasonal mackerel has also performed particularly well.
Fresh vegetables have presented more of a challenge during prolonged warm periods, requiring homes to adapt how they order.
“To ensure all our fresh produce is in peak condition, we’ve been ordering less but more often,” explains Jody.
The business has also experimented on a small scale with fermenting vegetables such as carrots and cabbage, adding another dimension to its work around gut health.
Potatoes have proved more challenging in terms of quality and price, but Jody says lowering ingredient standards is not an option.
“We’re not prepared to compromise on quality,” he says.
From garden to kitchen
Some residents have continued to play an active role in growing food at many of the homes.
“Growing herbs is popular in many homes and that can stimulate interest in food,” says Jody.
“Some chefs have transformed home-grown mint into ice cream, while an abundance of tomatoes at one home led to a batch of homemade tomato chutney. Other homes have also grown onions and new potatoes.”
Jody stresses that the value is not simply in producing ingredients.
For some residents, the opportunity to get outdoors, put their hands into the soil and take part is every bit as important as what eventually reaches the plate.
Barbecues bring people together
Summer has also provided plenty of opportunities for outdoor dining.
Every Meallmore home holds a barbecue at least twice a month during the season, with some making their own burgers that incorporate ingredients such as haggis.
At Kincaid House overlooking the River Clyde, barbecues proved such a success that the home would happily have held one every evening.
Summer fairs have also provided opportunities to bring residents and their families together around food, with a focus on making meals an occasion to be enjoyed.
Challenging perceptions of care home food
Meallmore has won a prestigious Catey Award for its approach to health and nutrition, as well as Scottish Hospitality Award for its training and development programme, including recognition of Meallmore’s Academy of Kitchen Excellence.
For Jody, the success is particularly significant because Meallmore is competing alongside leading hospitality businesses rather than solely against other care providers.
He says external judges are often surprised by the quality of food being produced.
“There’s a perception that care home cooking is just mince and tatties, but our food is prepared to an amazing high standard.”
Suppliers as an extension of the homes
Close supplier relationships continue to underpin Meallmore’s ability to deliver that quality.
Jody describes suppliers as an extension of the care homes themselves, rather than simply businesses delivering ingredients.
“We have great relationships with all our suppliers,” he says. “They’re welcomed into our homes like employees.
“We feed them, we look after them and, if we have a problem, they help us where they can.”
Those relationships are particularly important as the business grows.
Meallmore is preparing to open three purpose-built homes: the first in Aberdeen city in November, another near Dundee in January and a third near Glasgow in April.
Kitchen specifications, workflow, energy use and resilience are all being considered from the design stage, with chefs given ownership of their kitchens from the point the completed building is handed over.
Preparing for autumn – and celebrating British food
The arrival of autumn is already changing the sourcing picture.
Scottish girolle mushrooms will provide a seasonal source of vitamin D, while game including partridge, pheasant and venison will feature as availability increases.
Residents will shape what appears on individual home menus through Meallmore’s regular Come Dine With Me sessions.
Each new seasonal menu is sent to homes for residents to trial, allowing local teams to adapt dishes around preferences while retaining the required nutritional balance.
British Food Fortnight will provide another opportunity to celebrate familiar food.
Plans will vary from home to home, but Jody expects traditional favourites to play an important role, including scones, Victoria sponge and a Friday fish and chip night.
For Meallmore, celebrating British food ultimately comes back to the same principle that has run throughout its sourcing story – quality regional ingredients, cooked with care and used to create experiences residents genuinely enjoy.
Take a look at the other Inside Britain's Sourcing Story blogs:
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