Healthy hospital menu is just what doctor ordered

A caterer who has dramatically improved food at a leading London hospital has been given a green award.

Mike Duckett overhauled the menu at the Royal Brompton by bringing in organic and local farm food on an NHS budget.

The hospital kitchen now boasts 10 chefs, including a pastry expert, and the 300 patients are treated to freshly baked cake every afternoon.

Mr Duckett has also introduced dishes including fresh British asparagus and locally sourced organic meats. Now he has been named a Local Food Hero by Countryfile Magazine,

And his changes have not broken the budget. The hospital spends £3 to £3.50 on each patient's food per day, compared with a national average of £2.90.

Mr Duckett said: "This is not rocket science - everyone can do the same. You just need a passion for good food, something we have lost in the health service.

"Hospital food has a bad reputation and we want to prove we can do it better."

Mr Duckett, an NHS catering manager for 44 years with seven at the Royal Brompton, runs the kitchen like a hotel.

His staff prepare 1,000 meals a day and the hospital shares the same food supplier as Clarence House and the Ivy.

With afternoon tea and cakes plus biscuit breaks and three organic meals a day, Mr Duckett said he aimed to give patients something to look forward to. Many report they actually put on weight during their stay.

"I have heard patients saying they are not going home until they have had their lunch," said Mr Duckett.

He was nominated for the Countryfile award by Peter Melchett of the Soil Association.

He said: "Mike has been instrumental in providing excellent food to his hospital, proving that this can be done within NHS budgets."