Steven Ireland, Chef Manager at Ferrars Hall Care Home has been named Care Home Chef of the Year at the Great East Midlands Care Awards. Having seen off stiff competition at the regional finals, Steven will now go forward to the national finals in March 2020.
“We are very proud of Steven’s win” said Head of Hospitality Anwar Kajee “Steven’s passion for food is clear, it drives him to deliver creative dishes for his residents ensuring they eagerly anticipate every mealtime.”
“We are delighted that Steven has been recognized with this award” added Home Manager, Susan Dunnell “Our residents here at Ferrars Hall are always delighted with their meals and look forward to coming to the dining room to see what’s on offer each day”.
Steven started his career as an apprentice kitchen assistant at a hotel and joined Ferrars Hall Care Home two years ago, wishing to gain experience in a wider range of sectors. His dedication and enthusiasm have seen him promoted to Chef Manager, where his role involves designing and planning the weekly menus. After preparing their meals, Steven spends time with residents in the dining room in order to get to know them and gain firsthand feedback on the day’s menu. His team is made up of ten staff members including two chefs, a general kitchen assistant and seven front of house staff, all of which are trained by Steven himself, ensuring the dining experience at Ferrars Hall Care Home is second to none.
Steven Ireland - Ferrars Hall Care Home
“Presentation is everything,” explains Steven “People eat with their eyes, so we make every effort to plate up and present each dish to five-star restaurant standards. I’m very pleased to win the award, it’s great to be recognized for my work here”.
The Great East Midlands Care Awards are part of the Great British Care Awards, a series of 9 regional awards celebrating excellence across the care sector. Over 450 of the very best in social care attended a glittering awards ceremony at The East Midlands Conference Centre, for the finals of the Great East Midlands Care Awards, where the category winners were announced.
The purpose of the awards is to promote best practice within both home care and care homes sectors, and pay tribute to those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding excellence within their field of work.
Sector support for the events includes Care England, The Department of Health, The National Care Forum, The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and the Alzheimer’s Society, as well as local authorities and other commercial organisations.
There are a range of categories available for nomination, which represent all areas of the care sector; whether it be older people or specialist services and from frontline staff such as care workers and care managers to people who have made an impact in other ways such as training.
Winners of the Great East Midlands Care Awards will go through to the final at Birmingham’s ICC on 20th March 2020.
