18 May 2010
Earlier, when I told the reader how I spent a typical day in hospital, Â I completely forgot to mention the food which is so often criticised. I have to say again I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality.
The breakfast was pretty basic. Various fruit juices. cereals and toast. Lunch, and indeed the evening meal, were fairly similar in that they comprised a very nourishing soup, all of which were quite delicious. and a choice of two or three hot dishes, one of which would be vegetarian. Alternatively, if you didn’t fancy a hot meal then there was a choice of two or three freshly cut, vacuum sealed sandwiches. Puddings were a variety of dishes – rice pudding; spicey apple; sponge pudding; sticky toffee pudding etc or various jellies, trifles or yoghurts. Mid-morning one would be offered a choice of a fruit juices, tea or coffee. and the same in the afternoon with the addition of cake or biscuits. At bedtime, there was a choice of the usual bedtime drinks – Horlicks; Ovaltine or Hot Chocolate. If I understood it correctly, the hospital only has £2.52 per day, per patient  to produce such a variety of eminently edible meals. If that is so I think it’s quite remarkable and I will never entertain a complaint about the poor quality of NHS catering from anyone.