The visits are designed to show NHS caterers, dietitians and board members the benefits of buying British first-hand. Previous farm visits included Overbury estate in Gloucestershire, Hollis Mead dairy in Dorset and Moor Farm’s Hereford Beef in Shropshire.
Included on the visits are a tour of the farm, discussions led by the Love British Food Hospitals Working Group and updates from senior NHS England figures including Tim Radcliffe, net zero food programme manager for NHS England and Phil Shelley, chair of Hospital Food Review.
Alexia Robinson, Love British Food founder, said: “Talking about delivering more nutritious British food into the public sector is easy, actually delivering results is a lot harder. I’m delighted that these farm visits have done exactly that with Trusts attending already making positive moves to bring more British food onto their menus.
“Serving more British produce in hospitals is a ‘no-brainer’. Providing nutritional meals to patients across the NHS is proven to encourage a faster recovery, therefore freeing up desperately needed beds and hospital capacity. Food plays a vital role in a patient’s recuperation, and it’s one that is undervalued in the current system.”
Further farm visits are planned near Durham, Oxfordshire and in Northern Ireland. The plan is to continue to roll these out countrywide so that every Trust catering team has the opportunity to visit a farm.
Radcliffe added: “This is enabling our caterers to understand exactly how important the farms are in our community and vice-versa - how important our hospitals are to the farms. Let’s fly the flag. We’re proud to have British food on our menus."