Uddingston care home chef nominated for national catering award

Uddingston chef, Sean Mathieson, has been shortlisted for a national catering award.

Based at Renaissance Care’s Rosepark Care Home in Uddingston, Sean has been shortlisted in the regional finals of the National Association of Care Catering (NACC) Care Chef of the Year for his approach to nutritionally balanced, budget-friendly meals that are innovative and – most importantly – pass the taste test for residents of the care home.

The competition required Sean to submit a two-course menu that focused on nutritionally dense meals that benefit the physical wellbeing of elderly people living in care homes, with the added challenge that the total sum for both courses should not exceed £3.50.

Sean delivered on the brief with a seasonal menu including; braised beef shin, roasted garlic and chive mash, potato fondant, roasted shallot and carrots finished with carrot purée, followed by a lemon posset with Chantilly cream, shortbread crumb, topped off with a refreshing hint of mint.

The young chef, aged 26, has had a varied career having started his training in college and then moving to work in steak restaurants, garden centres and city centre bars before settling on a career in care catering.

Sean said: “Nobody was more surprised than me when I got the call to say that I had been shortlisted for the regional finals - I’m relatively new to care home catering and just wanted to test the waters to see how I would fair.

“I’m over the moon to have come this far and I’m keeping my fingers crossed now for the regional finals in Motherwell in June this year, and then – hopefully – the finals later this year.

“I’ve always loved cooking. It’s been a passion of mine since I was young, which is why it became an easy decision to go down this route as a career path.

“I started my training at college and quickly realised that on-the-job training was my preferred method of learning – so then I worked in various restaurants in and around Glasgow before coming to Rosepark in 2022.

“Catering in a care home wasn’t something I had previously considered. I was guilty of thinking – like many people do – that the menu would be quite limited and there wouldn’t be much scope for creativity or trying new things. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

“Our residents love trying new things. One of their favourite meals at the moment is our pork meatballs with green Thai curry sauce, for example. We can experiment and offer new cuisines just as much as you can in any other catering setting.”

The NACC Care Chef competition is the longest standing care chef competition in the UK. It continually challenges people who operate within the care sector to devise innovative and exciting recipes whilst adhering to a strict budget and meeting the nutritional needs of their clientele.

Stuart Middleton, Catering and Dining Operations Manager, Renaissance Care said: “We are so pleased for Sean, not only does this provide him with the validation that he is a fantastic chef but brings Renaissance Care’s commitment to nutrition and catering into focus for families, residents and the wider sector.

“Creating and providing nutritionally balanced meals is key to resident wellbeing and is an area of expertise that Renaissance Care is committing significant investment to.

“Myself and my team of chefs and catering assistants host an ongoing series of events called ‘Meal or No Meal’ which allows us to trial different dishes with residents, with the results being fed into the menu design for each home.

“We focus on seasonal, nutritionally balanced meals across all of the homes within the Renaissance Care group and really value resident input.”

Rosepark is part of Renaissance Care group that currently owns and operates 16 homes across Scotland. The care home can provide accommodation for 60 guests, and currently has 58 en-suite bedrooms plus an in-house hairdresser and café for residents to enjoy.