The 39 care homes provide residential care for 2,000 people nationwide, focussing on dementia, nursing and short-term care.
The FSA (Food Standards Agency) rewards businesses with five-star ratings if three key criteria are achieved: the hygiene of food, the physical condition of the business and the methods of keeping food safe.
Dianne Lilley, food & beverage manager at Orchard Care Homes, said: “A lot of hard work has gone into achieving a perfect score across all of our homes and we couldn’t be prouder.
“I would like to say a huge thank you to every cook, manager and anybody else that has helped us to achieve this. Now that we have five-star ratings, we will be doing everything to ensure that we maintain this standard in every one of our homes.”
A five-star food hygiene rating is the highest accolade achievable and it highlights the detail and standards across the entire portfolio of Orchard Care Homes.
Heather Kerr, cook at Archers Park Care Home in Sunderland and winner of this year’s Orchard Care Homes Heart Award for Catering Hero, commented “We make sure the food we serve to residents is always of the highest standard.
“Food and hygiene form an integral part of the high quality care we provide and we work alongside our residents to develop healthy menus to suit their needs.”