The catering team of five, who provide lunches for 250 pupils at the school’s Woodfield site on Birmingham Road, achieved the highest score out of 44 Wilson Vale catering operations assessed over a 12-month period.
Ian Marriner, independent environmental health consultant, assessed the catering operation on every aspect of the service, from management systems to training, temperature control, cleaning and contamination risk.
Marriner said: “The audit goes far beyond legal EHO requirements to benchmark against industry best practice. The standard was consistently high across all elements examined and shows a real commitment to food safety and hygiene. To score 93.6% is a credit to the on-site team, Highclare School and Wilson Vale, who consistently achieve food hygiene excellence right across their portfolio of 85 contracts.”
Carolyne Vale, co-founder of Wilson Vale, said: “We are a fresh food company with a craft-based ethos, making everything on-site from fresh, seasonal ingredients, from freshly-baked ciabatta to home-made granola and slow-roasted joints of meat. Hygiene and food safety are paramount and we take great pride in ensuring the very best standards for our customers. This is a superb result for our on-site chef manager, Lynette Taylor, and her team at Highclare!”
Richard Luker, Head of Highclare School, said: “I am delighted that Wilson Vale has received this accolade. The company provides catering for our three sites in Erdington and Sutton Coldfield to a very high standard. I have been in post as Head since last September and, in that time, I have been very impressed with their commitment to quality and customer service.”
Ashby-based Wilson Vale was named ‘Independent Caterer of the Year’ in the Educatering Awards 2014. The company has 85 catering contracts nationwide, mainly within independent schools, business & industry and conference sectors and has a current turnover of £22 million.