Prue Leith cut the ribbon on The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge on Monday 25th March at HRC at a special launch, showcasing recipes from the book, cooked in Rational ovens and served to key stakeholders on blue tableware to emphasise the importance of food presentation, enhancing the the nutrition and appetite for patients.

The new book, the second in a series produced by The Chefs’ Forum in partnership with Prue Leith and the NHS Food Review, catalogues everything a chef working in healthcare needs to know about hospital catering.

Featuring 100 dishes every hospital chef should know the book also contains interviews and features with leading NHS colleagues and topic experts across the entire field of hospital food from patients and staff to visitors.

Editor Chandos Elletson said: “Hospital food in England is constantly under the spotlight and this new book sweeps away many of the preconceptions about what it should be. Instead it focusses on the patients, the staff and the visitors to reveal the exciting new thinking that is changing the way hospitals feed everyone.”

Speaking at the event Prue Leith, who also wrote the foreword to the new book, said: “It’s an exciting step for our NHS catering teams, providing chefs the tools and confidence to lead change.”

Phil Shelley, Chair NHS Food Review and National Lead for Net Zero Food, NHS England, said: “For the first time a single book encapsulates everything you need to know about current hospital food thinking. It is an incredible resource for chefs and caterers to be able to dip into and learn from. Congratulations to the whole Chefs’ Forum team for producing something so valuable for everyone working in hospital kitchens.

Russell Blake, Managing Director of Healthcare at Compass Group added: “Food and nutrition are so important across the NHS – for staff, visitors and of course to support the health outcomes of patients. This book emphasises the critical role of good quality food within healthcare and it is fantastic to see the collaboration from experts across the sector. The book has extended our longstanding partnership with the NHS and I am glad we could support to help bring the idea to life.”

Catherine Farinha, Director of The Chefs’ Forum, said: “Over the course of a year we interviewed, visited and collated everything we could about hospital food and condensed it down to book form. Its purpose was always to highlight the individual voices of the real experts, chefs at the centre of food decision making, and that’s what we’ve achieved and their message comes through loud and clear. Interspersed through out the book are the 100 recipes every hospital chef should know. This is the first time standard recipes have been assembled together in one place.”

1000 copies have been printed and will be shared with the 220 Trusts in across NHS England.

The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge is also available as a greatly-subsidised ebook on Kindle for just £5 to cover selling fees.

Find the book on Amazon here.