Uddingston care home chef, Sean Mathieson, shortlisted for national catering award

Now Sean Mathieson was praised for his approach to nutritionally balanced, budget-friendly meals.

And having passed the taste test for residents at Rosepark Care Home in Uddingston, he is now in the running for a National Association of Care Catering (NACC) award.

That will see him go head-to-head with other nominees for 'care chef of the year'.

Sean told the Times: “Nobody was more surprised than me when I got the call to say I had been shortlisted.

“I'm over the moon to have come this far and I’m keeping my fingers crossed now for finals.”

The competition required Sean to submit a two-course menu focusing 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 26-year-old 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.

He added: “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

“Catering in a care home wasn’t something I had previously considered. I was guilty of thinking 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 can in any other catering setting.”

The regional finals will be held in Motherwell later this month.