Marc Tough, Cygnet Procurement Manager, said the highlight of the day was listening to live feedback from service users and our Experts by Experience about the importance of food when you receiving in-service treatment. He added: “It was an impactful moment that truly reminded us all of why we are here.
“It was an exciting opportunity for our chefs to network together in a completely new way. Not only did we get to see their skills first hand, but we also got the opportunity to learn new ideas and techniques from Brakes own development chef, Danny Silcock.”
Danny hosted the chefs and spoke about introducing new ingredients, looking at some cost-effective and tasty ways to add-interest at mealtimes and add flavour and variety to our menus. He also focused on how best to present the food to make it look as good as it tastes.
With excitement boiling over, the chefs then created their own dishes, working as a team to come up with ideas and share feedback. After cooking and presenting each dish, they came together for a taste testing session.
We’re delighted to share some of the positive feedback received from our chefs:
“It was brilliant. I had a lovely day. Thank you so much for inviting us up to see Brakes in action.”
“It was absolutely fantastic meeting everyone. Thanks to those that organised it. I’m ready for a snooze after all that food!”
“Thank you for including me at the Development Day. It went really well and I definitely picked up a few useful things and made some good contacts for the future.”
Marc added: “Cygnet are committed to delivering the best service we can, and a key part of that is the food we provide. We are keen to work with our Chefs and site managers to understand the challenges faced, and how our suppliers can support chefs better. The day was designed around that idea, and focused on support, training and relationship building. Every chef who attended learned new skills, and was able to take them back to their site along with some new friends and ideas.”
The Procurement team are looking forward to working with Brakes in the future to improve our catering services even more.