The University Hospital Aintree partners with The Vegetarian Society to develop food for hospital menus

The catering team at the hospital came up with a new veggie curry dish after staff attended courses run by The Vegetarian Society. The new curry was tested at a special thank-you event for hospital volunteers before Christmas and was an instant hit, says the hospital. Now it's been added to the menus for both patients and visitors. The curry contains sweet potato, baby corn, mange tout, mushrooms and red peppers. Catering manager Sandra Higgins said: "It's unbelievable how many rave reviews we've had for the curry already. Pat ents and people who have helped the hospital through the year got sneak previews, but now we've added it to our main restaurant menu because of the feedback." Higgins added: "We're keeping the ingredients of the sauce a closely guarded secret – only a handful of my staff know the actual recipe. It's a very healthy dish, packed full of vitamins and we're really grateful to the Vegetarian Society for helping us to develop such a great meal. This helps ensure that patients get tasty, nourishing food to keep their strength up and aid in their recovery from treatment." Alex Connell, Principal Tutor for The Vegetarian Society, said: "Aintree is the first hospital in Merseyside to take advantage of the training course offered by the Vegetarian Society's Cordon Vert Cookery School. Sandra and her team at Aintree have been a delight to work with and we hope that other NHS trusts will follow the standard set by them."