Aberdeen Royal Infirmary’s catering manager, Stuart Donald, points to what he affectionately calls his ‘Wall of Ego’ – a display showcasing awards his kitchen has won.
Yet despite these accolades – and an impressive 97% approval rating from ARI patients – he is constantly battling lingering perceptions about hospital food.
“I’m often asked what the hardest thing I’ve had to contend with in the last 10 years is, and people assume that it’s going to be our budget and not having enough money,” Stuart says. “But the hardest thing I think we’ve got is battling our reputation and people’s assumptions.”
It’s a challenge Stuart clearly relishes. As ARI’s catering chief for the past 10 years, he oversees daily meals for hundreds of patients, staff, and visitors around the hospital.
Everything comes from the hospital’s bustling kitchen, tucked deep in ARI’s Orange Zone, a hive of stainless steel and sizzling pans.
Each month, hundreds of kilograms of chicken, steak, vegetables, and other fresh ingredients are prepared here for the main hospital, as well as the adjacent children’s, and maternity hospitals, and the nearby Royal Cornhill psychiatric hospital.
With such a vast operation, shortcuts might be expected – but not under Stuart’s watch.
“We don’t do frozen ready meals,” Stuart emphasises. “Everything here is cooked fresh every single day.”
Gruel for patients and a glass of wine for consultants?
So why the stubborn reputation problem?
Stuart points to the hospital kitchens of the past, recalling menus from the 1940s that featured gruel and a hierarchical system of food quality.
“You actually got patients getting the lower-level food, nurses would get a bit better and consultants would be getting the nice stuff, with a glass of wine,” he laughs.
Today’s standards are higher. During the P&J visit, kitchen staff swiftly prepare lunch trays featuring chilli con carne, chicken casserole and ham salad.
Meals are freshly cooked and rapidly plated via a slick conveyor-belt system, then efficiently whisked up to the wards.
Portions are notably generous, underscoring Stuart’s commitment to nutrition and patient recovery. All of the food is cooked in consultation with NHS dieticians.
“There’s a lot of talk about obesity, but malnutrition is more of a worry. It’s proven if you feed people well in hospital, someone who might only need to be in for two days can recover quicker and get home sooner,” Stuart explains.
‘You could build the hospital out of macaroni cheese’
Comfort foods are a noticeable theme throughout the ARI menu – particularly macaroni cheese.
“It’s comforting food. You’re not well, so you don’t want à la carte food like steak and caviar. It’s not what you want when you’re ill. What you want is your mum’s cooking, macaroni cheese,” Stuart says.
“I used to joke that you could build the hospital out of macaroni cheese. You could put it on every day for patients, staff and visitors and it would just go like that.”
His assistant, Karen Henderson, agrees: “The patients aren’t looking forward to their operations, but they are looking forward to their food.”
This approach to ‘food as medicine’ drives Stuart and his team to innovate. Recently introduced homemade pies, made from leftover ingredients, have proved hugely popular, vastly outselling the pre-made sausage rolls previously offered.
“Now we can’t keep up with demand,” Stuart smiles.
Leaning on ARI’s staff diversity also keeps menus fresh, highlighted by a recent Nigerian food day authentically supported by Nigerian hospital staff.
“We had people coming in with their families!” says Stuart proudly.
Why food is important at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Reflecting again on his Wall of Ego, Stuart admits the awards are gratifying but insists their true value lies in what they represent.
“Coming into hospital can be a not very nice experience. But if we are able to make that experience better, then that’s our job done.”
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