October Customer Newsletter – Food

Don’t forget: the new enhancements to food safety – reducing the time between manufacture and consumption – will take effect from Monday, 6 October 2025, for the supply of patient feeding sandwiches and salads on our Food To Go framework. 

See our Useful Links section to reach out to your local Food Account Manager.

Our new Ambient framework is launching at the end of this month, bringing familiar home comforts to you and your trust. It’s designed to support patient recovery following surgery, while also delivering enhanced nutritional benefits for those living with specific illnesses and conditions

Our Category Buyer Max Mercer is thrilled to be re-launching this framework, with an enhanced supplier list and increased product range.   

See our Useful Links section to read more on this formwork.

We are thrilled to have just launched Sa Ha, our Middle Eastern Culinary Concept. Sa Ha means ‘health’ in middle eastern languages. 

Featuring recipes such as our popular Spiced Chickpea and Aubergine Stew, pickled red cabbage and homemade hummus, the concept is brimming with goodness, alongside flavours of fragrant herbs and spices to delight your staff, patients and visitors.   

See our Useful Links section for more information on our Culinary Concept recipes.

NHS Supply Chain: Food’s Category Buyer for Fresh Food Anna Gibson is recommending ordering your Christmas turkey now to avoid disappointment. Anna Gibson said: “There is a shortage on the nation’s favourite festive meat this year. Alternatively, there are also a number of different options that could be considered instead of turkey.  

Why not think about a different meat, hybrid or meat free option for your Christmas lunch or dinner service? We recommend roast pork, which gives a great source of protein and is a tasty substitute, and it’s widely available to trusts on our frameworks.  

There are also various meat free options, or hybrid meat and vegetable-based alternatives on offer, such as a vegan pork, cranberry and date en croute and a plant-based roast with stuffing, which you could consider serving patients and staff this Christmas Day.”  

The Culinary and Dietetic Team are proud to have just launched the new Children’s Concept Recipe Book on World Patient Safety Day (Wednesday 17 September).

See our Useful Links section to read our new press release about the book.

These books will be hitting your trust kitchens now, for added inspiration for your culinary teams, with a splash of colour and fun.  

We are pleased to be supporting this awareness event, running from now until Sunday 12 October. 

This is Love British Food’s national celebration of the diverse and delicious food that Britain produces. This event runs at the same time as Harvest Festival, the traditional time for celebrating our food. 

We still have places available on our culinary events this October. 

These events are free to attend – the Chefs Academy is aimed at Chefs within NHS hospitals and the Culinary Academy is aimed at Catering Assistants. Attendance also counts towards any Chef currently undertaking an NHS Chef Apprenticeship. Please sign up today.

Just a reminder, we are inviting you to complete a short questionnaire as part of our ongoing work to understand how different groups experience our services – especially those who may face barriers to good health and nutrition.   

The survey is will only take five to ten minutes, and your responses will directly inform how we shape and enhance NHS meal provision. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday 10 October 2025. Your responses will remain confidential, and all answers will be collected anonymously.

See our Useful Links section to complete the survey online.

Method:

• Blend the blackberries with the coconut milk.  
• Place the blackberry milk, almond milk, honey and desiccated coconut in a bowl and mix thoroughly. 
• Add the muesli and combine well. 
• Set in containers/pots overnight in the fridge.  
• Serves five.