Catering, meals, refreshments & food

Providing award winning catering services

Our award winning UKAS accredited catering services team provide patients, staff and visitors with nutritionally balanced menus that are designed to meet the diverse needs of all of our users.

From our Central Production Unit (CPU) based at Darlington Memorial Hospital, we provide over 1.3 million meals every year that are served across the majority of our sites.

This high quality service is based on the ability, training, and commitment of our staff that are responsible for the provision of these services and the ongoing clear commitment to ensuring continuous improvement to the catering services that are provided.

Patient menus

Patients are offered 3 meals a day and a range of biscuits are available on the ward to offer as snacks with a beverage service between meals.

Breakfast

Items are available on the ward, including a selection of porridge, cereals, white and wholemeal bread with spread and a selection of preserves.

Lunch and evening meals 

We provide a three course meal  service offering a starter of fruit juice or soup, followed by a selection of individual meals with hot and cold options, such as jacket potato with fillings, vegan and vegetarian meals, side salad selections, sandwiches and complete salad meals. Dessert at lunch includes a selection of both hot and cold choices. 
 
We also have a range of Texture Modified Menus for patients with clinically diagnosed Dysphagia. These meet the International Descriptors for Dysphagia diets.

A choice of meals is also available to meet certain cultural or religious requirements, including Kosher, African Caribbean and Multi-Cultural. 

Our dedicated Catering Services team also provide a 24/7 meal service for a missed meal, late admission or if a patient requires further meals - both hot and cold selections and snack boxes are available.

Allergens and nutritional information

We encourage everyone to ask before ordering.

All allergen information is available upon request; please ask for any information before ordering your food. Alternatively, if you have a food allergy or other special dietary constraint and would like specific information on the ingredients of meals or snacks provided, please feel free to contact us: 01325 743309 or 01325 743637

Your feedback matters

Help us improve the service in our restaurants by telling us about your experiences - you’ll find survey cards available in our restaurants. Alternatively, just ask to speak to a member of our catering teams if you have any comments or concerns.

Retail services

We have a number of different catering outlets across our hospital sites, providing refreshments, snacks or meals while you are staying with us or if you are visiting a loved one.