Stuart Middleton – Celebrating Nutritional Wellbeing
Renaissance Care, who are hosting a ‘Foodies Festival’ throughout August as part of their ongoing wellbeing activities, provide food-for-thought on what impact nutrition has on the quality of life of the individuals they support.
Stuart Middleton, Catering and Dining Operations Manager, has embraced the challenges that come with offering a menu that caters to resident wishes as well as crucial nutritional needs. Initially beginning his career with Renaissance 13 years ago as a kitchen porter, Stuart has returned to Renaissance with an impressive portfolio of experience behind him and the goal of maintaining high quality catering and a dignified dining experience for the residents in each of the groups 16 care homes.
Speaking of nutritional value, Stuart highlighted:
“It’s so rewarding to see the satisfaction our residents gain from good food, and watching the staff look visibly proud of what they’re producing.
“Good nutritional care has a massive impact on the overall support our residents receive. For example, by focussing on hydration within the home, we can look to reduce slips, trips, and falls, UTI’s and improve skin integrity. By focusing on each individual and understanding their unique needs we can vastly improve their quality of life.”
Stuart believes residents are at the heart of the decision-making process and hopes to launch regular afternoon tasting sessions to trial menus before they go live – generating honest feedback and a positive buzz surrounding any new menu items.
“The Renaissance Foodies Festival is a fantastic opportunity for residents to not only try new foods but a great way to increase calorie intake through fun, nostalgic, and social experiences.
“Our teams cater to a diverse range of needs, but never see this as an additional task. It’s simply a part of our daily routine. The goal is to ensure that no matter what your nutritional needs are, you enjoy the same quality and flavoursome meal as everyone else around the table – just slightly adapted. We’ve been working on finger foods recently with steak pie being introduced to the menu. By simply placing the steak filling into a couple of Vol-Au-Vent cases to make them easy for residents to pick up and eat, we are giving back a classic family-favourite to those who may have reduced fine-motor skills or depleted muscle movement while retaining independence and joy in mealtimes.”
Yvonne Mackenzie, operations director for Renaissance Care, said: ‘Stuarts role is critical to developing the dining experience for all residents and their families. The importance on having positive and enjoyable meal experiences, where food is full of flavour and nourishment cannot be under-estimated. Stuarts experience places residents at the heart of food planning and prioritises communication and collaboration every step of the way.’
Stuart looks forward to his ongoing work with the chefs, catering, and wider Renaissance teams in achieving a tailored and person-centred care experience supported by high-quality nutrition.
More information on the Renaissance Foodies Festival can be found here.
