September Customer Newsletter – Food

To hear all the latest news from NHS Supply Chain – across all categories, including Food – please follow us on LinkedIn.

Our posts on LinkedIn will take you to our exciting new articles on the website about upcoming launches and free training events in your area.

Please feel free to comment or re-post the Food updates, we’d love to hear from you.

See our Useful Links section to follow us on LinkedIn.

We are delighted to announce we will be exhibiting and attending Healthcare Catering Live on 9 September at the National Conference Centre in Birmingham.

Come and see us to say hello on Stand 1.

This month we invite 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.

We’re committed to delivering food services that are inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the needs of all our communities. Your feedback will help us identify gaps, remove barriers, and shape food services that support better health outcomes for everyone – particularly those who need it most.

This survey is will only take five to ten minutes, and your responses will directly inform how we shape and enhance NHS meal provision. We appreciate your time and valuable insights, and ask you to complete this survey by 12 noon on Friday 10 October 2025. Your responses will remain confidential, and all answers will be collected anonymously.

See our Useful Links section to complete our online survey.

From Monday 6 October 2025 new restrictions are being placed on supplying sandwiches and chilled ready-to-eat foods for some patients.

We are pleased to be able to update and inform you of these changes and restrictions in our news article.

We are committed to keeping your patients safe and well cared for.

See our Useful Links section to read about new restrictions on supplying sandwiches and chilled ready-to-eat foods.

Free Upcoming NHS Catering Training Events
30 Sep	Chefs Academy Bristol, Pony and Trap Culinary School
7 Oct	Skills Academy Northampton College
8 Oct	Chefs Academy Northampton College
13 Oct	Skills Academy University West London
14 Oct	Chefs Academy University West London
29 Oct	Skills Academy Darlington College
30 Oct	Chefs Academy Darlington College

Roll up, roll up – we still have places available on our culinary events in September and October.

See our Useful Links section to view dates and locations of the Culinary Events in your local area.

These events are free to attend – the Chefs Academy is aimed at Chefs within NHS hospitals, the Culinary Academy is aimed at Catering Assistants.

Attendance also counts towards any Chef currently undertaking a NHS Chef Apprenticeship.

See our Useful Links section to complete our Enquiry Form and sign up to the Chefs Academy or Skills Academy events or register future interest by providing your name, trust name, contact number and email address.

Sign up today.

We are excited to offer you a great range of promotions for September and October with you.

All food promotions are sourced directly from good quality, reputable suppliers on our frameworks to deliver you the best savings in a safe and compliant form.

We work closely with your trust to deliver high standards of food and beverages.

We want to save you both time and money and enable catering teams to focus on what really matters to your trust.

See our Useful Links section for more information on these new promotions.

We’re thrilled to announce that our refreshed Ambient framework will be launching on 27 October – and it’s packed with exciting new benefits designed with your trust in mind.

Our dedicated buyer, Max Mercer, is delighted to be reintroducing this enhanced framework, which brings with it a host of improvements. Not only will you continue to enjoy the fantastic savings you’ve come to expect, but you’ll also benefit from a broader and more robust supplier list, offering even greater choice and flexibility.

This re-launch marks a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering value, quality, and innovation. Keep your eyes peeled for more updates in the coming weeks – we can’t wait to share more details with you soon.

Watch this space, as the Culinary and Dietetic Team are launching the new Children’s Concept Recipe Book – Even More Please! very soon on World Patient Safety Day – Wednesday 17 September.

These books will be hitting your trust kitchens soon, for added inspiration and a splash of colour.

If you haven’t already, please read our preview of the book in Public Sector Catering.

See our Useful Links section to read the Public Sector Catering article.

Recipe ingredients	Quantity
Rapeseed oil	20ml
Green lentils	300g
Vegetable stock powder	10g
Tomatoes	100g
Red onion	25g
Flat leaf parsley	10g
Rocket	40g
Bread	60g
Black pepper	1g

Chefs Tip:

Making croutons is a great way to use leftover/stale bread.

Method:

• Boil the green lentils in water with the vegetable stock for 15 minutes until cooked with a slight bite to them.
• Refresh in cold water and drain in a colander.
• Zest and juice the lemon. Trim and finely slice the red onion.
• Halve the cherry tomatoes/slice the tomatoes and chop the parsley.
• Cut the bread into croutons, toast in a pan or in the oven/grill.
• Mix the lentils, tomatoes, parsley and spring onion in a mixing bowl. Add the oil, lemon juice and season with pepper.
• Add the rocket leaves and croutons, place in a suitable serving bowl immediately prior to serving.
• Serves five.