June Customer Newsletter – Food

New resources coming soon

Watch this space for our new resources, launching on our website very soon.  

They will provide you and your trusts with go to guides about various important areas within your hospital sites, and give you practical tips and tricks about how to combat the problems you face day to day.  

By providing practical guidance, resources and actionable insights, these resources will empower you and your trust to make better procurement and operational decisions, helping to drive progress for the NHS. 

Darren Sorrell, our Midlands Food Account Manager is pleased to announce this forum, being held in partnership with the Hospital Caterers Association.  

Following on from the success our Midlands-based trusts, foundations have been created to introduce a forum, which we are proud to be hosting on 16 June. The idea behind this is to provide a platform for members of neighbouring trusts to get together and talk about all things NHS. We know you face multiple challenges in your roles daily, and have a limited opportunity to network. This forum has been built to allow neighbouring trusts the ability to share ‘pinch points’ and ‘best practice,’ which will help support productive change within each hospital. 

On the day we will be discussing areas such as Patient Catering Pinch Points, Out of Hours Meal Solutions and Gluten Free and Vegan insights. To further support these topics, we have invited specialist suppliers to the day to discuss opportunities and showcase products relating to these specific areas. We will also have Charlotte Fairall from our charity partner Sophie`s Legacy as our guest speaker supporting the day. This will be a great opportunity to provide insight to those of you looking to align and find out more about Sophie`s wishes. This will be the start of a brand-new events programme and the first of its kind in the UK.

Darren Sorrell, Midlands Food Account Manager, NHS Supply Chain

Sign up for our Chefs Academy today

Our Nottingham Chefs Academy went down a storm. Attendees rated the event with top marks, and took loads away from the event, and straight back to their kitchens and teams.  

Don’t forget to sign up for one of events today. These Culinary and Dietetic events are designed to inspire, develop and empower NHS chefs, helping them to shape the future of healthcare food. 

We are asking trusts to sign up to two dates we are holding at Edgbaston Stadium this summer, and you can also register interest in attending a future event near you by sending us your details. We design our events training programme around your locations.

Our upcoming events are:  

• Thursday 30 July 2026 – Edgbaston Stadium  

• Tuesday 1 September 2026 – Edgbaston Stadium.  

Whether you’re sharpening your techniques or mastering new dishes, this is your chance to learn from the best. Secure your place. Let’s cook up something amazing together.

We are pleased to offer you an exciting set of promotions for June and July.    

See our Useful Links section to view our Food Savings web page.

This is the last chance to enter the NHS Chef 2026 competition.

You will be required to produce a three-course meal within a budget of between £6 – £8.  The whole menu must be low-carbon. All recipes have to be sent to england.greatnhsfood@nhs.net so the carbon footprint can be calculated before cooking. Complete your entry form by 19 June 2026.

Allergens: One course must be completely allergen‑free. No nuts of any kind may be used in any course throughout the competition.

Starter: Must be plant‑based.

Main course: Must contain a minimum of 26g of protein per portion. Protein can come from meat, fish, or other sources. The dish must be served hot.

Dessert: Must contain at least 50% fruit (served hot or cold).

June seasonal recipe – courgette and sweetcorn fritters

Recipe ingredients	Quantity
Salt	2g
Rapeseed oil	250ml
Courgettes	1kg
Sweetcorn	200g
Cracked black pepper	3g
Flat leaf parsley	20g
Dill	25g
Eggs	4
Baking powder	7g
Plain flour	200g
Spring onion	115g

Method:  

• Preheat deep fat fryer to 170C. Wash, trim and grate the courgette. Salt the courgettes and  leave for 30 minutes.  
• Place in a tea towel and squeeze all the excess water out. Slice the spring onions.
• Pick the leaves from the dill and parsley and roughly chop.
• Crack and whisk the eggs. Place all ingredients into a bowl and gently mix. Set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
• Drop heaped tablespoons of the mixture into the pre heated fryer and cook until golden.
• Serve approximately three per portion (depending on size).

Chef’s tip: Use gluten free flour and baking powder to make this gluten free.