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Foodsight Care & Healthcare Edition

Issue 24, Autumn 2026

20th anniversary of allmanhall

Navigating inflation volatility What’s driving food price rises?

A changing landscape, a steady partner Welcome to the care & healthcare edition of Foodsight If you’re running a catering operation in care or healthcare this autumn, you already know the picture. Food prices have been anything but predictable, and the heatwave across June and July made a difficult situation worse for key lines. With weather-related disruption still working through the supply chain, the pressure on budgets isn’t going away. And while budgets demand your attention, Christmas is already on the horizon. Planning festive menus means navigating price volatility on key lines like turkey and potatoes. On page 24, we share alternative ingredients and recipes that deliver on taste, nutrition and cost without compromising on the festive feel. But we know that running a care kitchen is about far more than managing costs. It’s about serving food that residents look forward to, meeting complex nutritional needs, supporting texture modified diets, and doing all of this with teams who are often stretched thin. The pressure is real, and we see it every day. That’s why we’re growing our dedicated care team and investing in the things that matter to care caterers. Ultimately focussing on resident experience and the people who matter most. We’re delighted to welcome Jamie Clews as Development Manager for care. Jamie brings 30 years of hospitality experience and deep expertise in the care sector. He’s a passionate advocate for improving care menus and reducing food waste. If you haven’t met Jamie yet, you will. Jamie and the care team are particularly excited about the launch of our exclusive Ocras texture modified snack range. Created by dysphagia chef Niamh Condon, it includes bread, toast, scones, biscuits, and potato waffles designed specifically for adults requiring texture modified diets. Available only through allmanhall via Bidfood, it’s already making a real difference to choice and dignity at snack time. Read more on page 46.

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We’re also proud to be Premier Partner to the NACC, and we’ll be at the NACC Training & Development Forum on 14-15 October at St George’s Park. Come and say hello and talk to our care team about how we can support your group.

It's been a year of recognition for our care work, with a Care Home Award for Catering and Nutrition, and this year allmanhall marks twenty years in food procurement. Values that were true in 2006 are still true today: food and support that exceed expectations, and relationships built on collaboration and trust. We were also awarded Investors in People Platinum certification, the highest level of the accreditation, reflecting a team who believe in what we do and always do what we say we'll do. As you read through this edition, you’ll find practical content to help you navigate the months ahead. Twenty years in, we’re still here to help care catering teams do what they do best, just with better procurement behind them. Whatever autumn brings, we’re here to support you.

Jo Hall Managing Director

@allmanhall

Contents

Foodsight: Autumn 2026 Edition

Food inflation update

Commodity watch

Fairfields Farm

Planning your Christmas menus

What’s bean going on?

Meet the team

The new Ocras range

allmanhall.co.uk

The latest market movements at a glance

Heatmap, pricing tables & market insights

The challenges facing potato growers

Ideas to help cut costs this festive season

Progress on our Bang In Some Beans campaign

Our care experts working for you

Texture-modified snacks that break the mould

From garden shed to established & growing family! Twenty years ago, allmanhall started with a simple belief: that catering teams should be able to access better value food. And that this is best achieved through supportive relationships. Founded in a garden shed by father and son Edward and Oliver Hall, allmanhall's first client was St Paul's Girls' School, and they are still with us today. What's changed over allmanhall's two decades of inspiring improvement in food procurement? We've grown beyond schools into care, healthcare, catering and events operators, leisure, stadia and other foodservice sectors. Each comes with new and bespoke needs. Set against a backdrop of volatile prices, shifting legislation, growing awareness of nutrition and sustainability, and leaps forward in technology, over the years allmanhall have navigated change and real transformation. Never losing sight of who we are and what we stand for. Values that were true in 2006 are still true today, in 2026. Food and support that not only meet but exceed expectations. Relationships, collaboration, trust, real people. A team who believe in what we do and always do what we say we'll do. And a quest to always keep improving, learning and evolving. Today, Jo Hall is the latest family member to lead the growing team, many of whom also celebrated the 10-year anniversary with Jo, Edward and Oliver what seems like a few months ago. 10 years on, we're now part of an even bigger family group and continuing to go from strength to strength. Jo comments: "What a story it's been so far. We have celebrated achievements and an acceleration none of us could have dreamed of. Our growth is built on the strong roots and solid foundations laid down two decades ago, and to which so many brilliant people have contributed through the ages. Thank you to the clients, suppliers, partners, friends and colleagues who have been part of everything over the last 20 years."

Here's to the next twenty. @allmanhall

UK food inflation set to climb through 2027 By Alastair Cupper, Senior Procurement Manager Food and drink inflation won't be straightforward to forecast over the next 12 months. While near-term price pressures have eased, the UK faces a prolonged period of elevated grocery costs stretching well into 2027. Inflation projection In our previous edition of Foodsight, allmanhall flagged inflation hitting 5% by year end and compounding to 10% over two years. Right now, the headline number of 1.7% might make that look like an overestimate. It isn’t, it’s a matter of timing. The near-term picture is genuinely more moderate than anticipated, and that's worth acknowledging. But the longer-term trajectory hasn't changed. If anything, the risks have grown. Geopolitical instability across the Middle East continues to create energy market volatility, and the compounding effect of extreme weather patterns on global supply chains is becoming harder to ignore.

These aren’t short-term shocks; they’re structural pressures that take time to feed through to the shelf.

Updated forecasts for the next 12 months: • By December 2026, food and non-alcoholic drink inflation is forecast to reach 4%, more than double where it sits today, and moving fast.

Rising costs The renewed wave of food inflation isn’t down to one single cause, but the result of several major cost pressures hitting the supply chain simultaneously. Here’s what’s behind it. Energy costs are soaring

Wholesale gas prices have more than doubled since February 2026 and continue rising. For many food manufacturers and distributors, the full impact is only arriving with fixed• Into 2027, the trajectory price energy contracts steepens. Inflation is expiring. expected to peak at 7% in July 2027, before When energy costs surge, settling to an annual everything that relies average of around on heat, refrigeration, 5.5% for the year as a processing and transport whole. gets more expensive.

Oil: Global petrol and diesel prices have surged following renewed Middle East escalations. Brent crude oil has exceeded the $100 per barrel mark three times this year, setting record highs. Add to that the ongoing disruption to shipping routes through the Red Sea, Black Sea and Panama Canal, and logistic costs continue to climb for the global food industry. Food plastic packaging is adding to the pressure as input prices, closely tied to crude oil, have seen significant spikes throughout the year linked very closely to Brent crude oil. Wages and regulation The National Living Wage rose 4.1% in April 2026, increasing pay across the entire supply chain. At the same time, businesses are absorbing a growing stack of regulatory and tax costs: higher business rates, increased employer National Insurance contributions, and the knock-on impact of the Employment Rights Act.

Add in new environmental obligations, such as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) and the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), and the compliance burden is becoming a significant cost to the whole supply chain. Global commodity prices are surging Extreme weather has taken a heavy toll on agricultural markets in 2026. UK droughts and European heatwaves have squeezed harvests and disrupted supply domestically, and the global picture is no different; the FAO food commodity price index is up 7.4% since the start of the year.

Oxford Economics projects global agricultural prices will rise 11.8% in 2026 and a further 4.8% in 2027. These increases work their way through every stage of the supply chain. Forecasters are now warning of a Super El Niño event that could cause widespread global disruption across all key commodity categories. @allmanhall

Weather patterns El Niño doesn't hit everywhere the same way. Some regions face severe drought while others see damaging rainfall, but the common thread is disrupted growing seasons, lower yields, and higher prices. Already the impact from drought conditions on the seasonal domestic winter crop will be significant. However, the impact of a super El Niño is forecast to be a 15.8% increase in global food prices, expected to hit UK CPI Food by at least 1.6%.

Why are price rises moving slower than commodity markets? A core dynamic highlighted in the report is that rising production costs do not translate immediately to market prices.

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Following the 2022 energy shock, larger manufacturers frequently use long-term hedging arrangements (fixing energy and commodity prices 12 to 18 months ahead). This strategy delays the arrival of cost shocks. At the same time, intense price competition among major supermarkets, coupled with highly pricesensitive consumers, has forced manufacturers to absorb significant portions of these rising costs rather than passing them directly to consumers. However, industry resilience is wearing thin. Food and drink manufacturing insolvencies in 2025 were 94% above 2019 levels, employment dropped by 15,000 year-on-year in early 2026, and sector investment remained 15% below 2019 levels. Food price increases do not move through the supply chain instantaneously.

Fixed-term contracts provide a degree of shortterm protection, but as those agreements expire and are renegotiated, the full weight of accumulated cost pressures will progressively feed into the prices caterers pay. For many operators, the most significant impact is still to come. With macro-economic uncertainty, sustained geopolitical instability and increasingly volatile global weather patterns converging at the same time, the structural conditions for elevated food inflation are firmly established. allmanhall will continue to monitor market developments closely, providing clients with the intelligence and procurement expertise needed to navigate this period with confidence. In an environment where cost pressures are persistent and complex, informed strategy and strong supplier relationships have never been more important.

NACC Training & Development Forum 2026 14-15 October 2026 | Hilton St George’s Park, Burton-upon-Trent We're delighted to be heading back to the NACC Training & Development Forum this October. As Premier Partner to the NACC, allmanhall are proud to be part of the sector's leading event for care catering professionals, a brilliant two days of learning, sharing, and connecting with others who care deeply about the food they serve.

• Food waste reduction strategies that save money and make a real difference to sustainability • Menu planning and nutrition support, including modified textures and IDDSI compliance • How our managed supply chain creates efficiencies for multi-site care groups Why it matters With rising food prices, growing regulatory expectations, and increasing pressure on care catering budgets, the need for expert procurement support has never been greater. But you already know that.

Whether you’re a longstanding client or we haven’t met yet, we’d love to see you.

The TDF is a chance to step back, talk through the challenges, and explore how the right procurement partner can help your care group keep delivering great food without losing control of the budget.

Visit us at the Forum

Let’s talk: drop by for a chat, or get in touch beforehand so we can make sure we set aside time for you. We can’t wait to see you there.

Come and have a chat with our expert care team about: • Food procurement built around the care sector, from budget management to supply chain resilience

Commodity updates Autumn 2026

Menu considerations Based on availability and price...

At a glance: Potatoes: crops have been hit hard by the summer’s extreme heat and drought, with a marked shortage of larger grade baking potatoes. Prices are expected to rise significantly across bakers, maincrop and prepared products, with the impact potentially extending into next year. Fresh produce: markets are dealing with the fallout of a record-breaking summer. Over 70% of England was officially in drought, and the effects are being felt across salads, brassicas, root vegetables and onions. Broccoli growers have lost over 50% of the UK crop and cauliflower is facing one of its most challenging seasons on record. Parsnip availability is expected to be tight in the near term.

Menu opportunities: • Carrots • Beans • Swede • Lentils • Pork • Pumpkins & squashes Watchlist: • Large baking potatoes • Brocolli & cauliflower • Turkey • Beef However, carrots and swede are broadly in good supply, offering some positive options for autumn menus. Dairy: markets are facing sustained upward pressure. The milking herd continues to reduce by around 2% year on year, and drought conditions have stunted grass growth and forced early use of winter feed reserves. Farmgate prices are expected to rise further in the coming months, with packaging costs also tracking upward oil markets.

Protein: markets remain mixed. Beef prices are still above £6/kg with no meaningful softening, while pork continues to offer good value at around 14% below last year’s levels.

Poultry prices have stabilised at around £4.10/kg following significant volatility, but the EU's restriction on Brazilian poultry imports from September and the impact of summer heat on European production make the autumn outlook less certain. Turkey supply is tight ahead of the festive period, and caterers who haven't committed Christmas volumes should do so now. Fish: markets remain firm. Norwegian salmon supply has recovered, easing prices from spring highs to around £6/kg, though still 13% above last year. White fish availability remains constrained, with cod approximately 11% above last year and haddock around 7% higher. Alternative species such as coley and pollock remain viable, though rising demand is gradually narrowing the price advantage. Coffee: prices are 23% lower than this time last year on the back of a large Brazilian harvest, though El Niño poses a risk to next year’s flowering window. Rapeseed oil: remains 13% above the same time last year. Wheat prices are 40% higher than the same time last year, driven by heat-impacted European harvests. Cocoa: prices are down 17% versus last year but remain volatile, with El Niño adding further uncertainty.

What this means for operators: this edition paints a more challenging picture than the summer. Drought and extreme heat have left their mark across potatoes and fresh produce, and with El Niño forecast to develop through the autumn, further disruption is possible across both domestic and import supply chains.

View the full report... Follow the link below

For the full, detailed allmanhall commodity update for Autumn 2026, click below!

[Full commodity report] @allmanhall

Commodities heat map

Stay up to date on our blog or, for allmanhall clients, on The Pass.

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“This is one of the most challenging commodity landscapes we’ve seen in recent years. Domestic drought, a developing El Niño and ongoing geopolitical pressure are converging across multiple categories at once, and the impact on both availability and pricing is likely to persist well beyond the autumn.”

Jo Hall Co-owner & @allmanhall Managing Director

Commodity table Autumn 2026

“For catering teams, the message is simple: plan early and stay flexible. Pork is genuinely good value right now, carrots and swedes are in strong supply, and beans and pulses offer a price advantage. Building autumn menus around what’s abundant, rather than what’s squeezed, is the smartest way to manage cost without compromising on quality.”

Hayden Hibbert Client Relations Director

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The driest year I can remember: Inside the UK potato harvest with Fairfields Farm This summer has been one of the most challenging on record for UK potato growers. Extreme heat and prolonged drought across the country have hit yields hard, with wholesale potato prices rising over 40% as supply tightens. For caterers and procurement teams, that means force majeure price increases are landing across the sector.

Alastair Cupper, allmanhall’s Senior Procurement Manager sat down with Robert Strathern, Managing Director of Fairfields Farm, one of our long-standing potato growers and crisp suppliers, to hear firsthand about potato farming and what this season has looked like from the field.

AC: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, how you got into potato farming, and whether it’s a family tradition? RS: I grew up around the farm, so farming has always been part of everyday life for me. Fairfields Farm is a fourth-generation family farm, and we’ve grown potatoes here for generations. 16

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Over time, we’ve developed that passion for growing into something bigger producing crisps from the very potatoes we grow ourselves. Potato growing remains at the heart of what we do, and alongside producing our own crisps, we also supply quality potatoes to customers and businesses beyond the farm.

What I love about family farming is that you’re never really working just for today. You’re building on what previous generations have created, while making decisions that will hopefully benefit the generations that follow.

There’s a real sense of responsibility that comes with that, but also enormous pride. For us, farming is about much more than growing a crop. It’s about looking after the land, growing something we’re proud to put our name to, and passing the farm on in good hands.

AC: What does the name "Fairfields" mean to you, and what makes your farm’s approach and landscape distinctive? RS: Fairfields is our family farm, so the name means a lot to us. It’s the place where our potatoes are grown, where our crisps are made and where generations of our family have worked. We’re very fortunate to farm in such a beautiful part of the Essex and Suffolk countryside, and for me, producing good food goes hand in hand with looking after the land around us. That means thinking beyond the crop in front of you.

We’ve invested in wildlife habitats, trees and hedgerows, water management and different ways of farming that help protect our soils. The reality is that you need a productive farm, but you also need to look after the environment it sits in. And what makes us particularly proud is that the story really is field to pack. We grow potatoes locally and they travel only a short distance to our crisp factory, where they’re hand cooked and packed. You don’t get much closer to the source than that. AC: Indeed. So what variety of potatoes do you grow, and what makes them especially suitable for both table use and making crisps? RS: We grow a number of different varieties, each chosen for particular characteristics and how they perform on our land.

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Some are grown for the fresh potato market like Agria, Marfona and Nectar - while others are particularly well suited to crisp production - like Taurus and Lady Claire. For fresh or ‘table’ potatoes, we’re looking for potatoes with good resistance to environmental factors like drought, but most importantly we use varieties which cook well and make chefs happy! Agria, for example, is a superb chipping potato which has had a few viral moments over the past year or so with content creators choosing them for triple cooked chips because of their robustness paired with soft fluffy centre.

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For crisping, we’re looking for high dry matters that help us get the colour, texture and crunch we’re after. Yield is important, of course, but unlike other potato farmers we will choose varieties that don’t have as high a tonnage straight off the field because they cook brilliantly and create less wastage in our factory; it’s one of the aspects of our vertical integration that I really enjoy. They also need to store well and perform consistently when they go through the cooking process. You learn pretty quickly that not every potato is going to make a great crisp.

We know what we’re looking for, and because we grow potatoes ourselves, we can keep a close eye on them from planting right through to harvest. That’s what I like about the Fairfields Farm story - whether a potato is supplied fresh or ends up at the heart of one of our crisps, it’s one we’ve looked after ourselves. AC: What is the journey from seed to crisp packet for a Fairfields Farm potato? RS: The journey starts with the seed - and we’ve recently taken an exciting step by beginning to grow some of our own seed potatoes, giving us an even closer connection to the crop from the very beginning.

So when we talk about “field to pack”, we really mean it. The story of a Fairfields Farm crisp starts with the seed, grows in our fields and ends here on the farm in the finished packet.

AC: What do you enjoy most about growing potatoes, and what are you most proud of when you look at your farm today? RS: There’s something incredibly satisfying about growing potatoes and seeing the whole cycle. You put a crop in the ground, nurture it through the season, work with whatever the weather throws at you, and eventually see the harvest come home. It’s a demanding crop and needs specialist experience to get the best out of it, and at Fairfields I like to think we’ve created a little Spud Centre of Excellence!

Every year is different, and that’s part of what makes farming so rewarding. You can plan as much as you like, but ultimately, you’re working alongside nature. Some years are more challenging than others, but the team we have built are talented and hardworking and I’m extremely proud of them. When I look at the farm today, I’m personally quite proud of the fact that we’ve managed to grow something that our family has been doing for generations, while continuing to evolve and look to the future. AC: What does sustainability mean on your farm in practical terms, and why was it important for you to adopt these practices?

The reality is that there isn’t one single thing you can do and suddenly become “sustainable”. It’s lots of decisions across the farm - from how we manage our soils and water to how we use energy and nutrients. We’ve made a lot of changes over the years, including regenerative farming techniques, reducing soil disturbance through minimum tillage, more precise fertiliser application, use of digestate from the on site anaerobic digester (which also creates renewable biogas), expanded water storage and installation of over 500kwh of solar panels.

RS: For me, sustainability is really about looking after the farm properly. We rely on the land, the soil and the water every day, so it makes sense that we should be looking after those things for the long term.

@allmanhall

During the winter of 2022-23, our team was joined by local volunteers to plant more than 2,800 trees across 11 native species using biodegradable tree guards. This is helping to create new woodland habitats, support biodiversity and increase carbon capture. Our crisp packets are already carbon neutral, but there's still work to do. We're proud of how far we've come, and our target is to reach net zero on farm by 2033. AC: You mentioned regenerative farming techniques. How do you manage soil health and crop rotation to protect the land for future generations? RS: Healthy soil is absolutely fundamental to what we do. You learn very quickly that if you don’t look after your soil, you’re going to struggle to grow a good crop.

Potatoes are a nutrient-intensive crop, so careful crop rotation and planning are essential to maintaining the health and fertility of our soils. We typically grow potatoes in a particular field only once every seven years. This takes a huge amount of planning and logistics across the farm, but it gives the soil time to recover between potato crops and allows us to grow other crops that help replenish nutrients and improve soil health. In the years between potato crops, we use cover crops to help put carbon and organic matter back into the soil. They also help improve soil structure, support soil health and reduce erosion by keeping the ground covered rather than leaving it bare. We also use cultivation techniques designed to minimise soil disturbance. Rather than relying on traditional deep ploughing, we use minimum-till methods to keep soil movement to a minimum. This helps maintain soil structure and protects the carbon and organic matter held within it. Since 2024, we’ve also changed the way we apply fertiliser to our potato crop. Rather than spreading it widely across the field, we apply small amounts directly underneath each potato seed as it is planted. This more targeted approach puts nutrients where the growing plant needs them, helping us use fertiliser more efficiently. We also make use of our own digestate, produced by the on-site anaerobic digestion plant, returning valuable nutrients to the land.

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For me, that’s what good farming is about – working with the soil rather than simply taking from it. AC: This summer’s drought has massively impacted potato farming in the UK. What steps are you taking to manage water usage and irrigation responsibly? RS: Water is one of the most important resources on the farm, so managing it carefully is a big part of growing a successful potato crop. You can’t control the weather, but you can make sure you’re prepared for it.

We have five reservoirs across the farm, which allow us to capture and store water during the wetter winter months, so we have supplies available when the crops need it during the growing season. We’ve also invested in more than 5km of underground and above-ground pipework, giving us the flexibility to move water efficiently around the farm and irrigate crops where it is needed.

This year has been the driest I can remember, following on from another dry summer last year. Potatoes don't like growing above a certain temperature and so there has been a huge amount of work put in across the country to keep them alive. If we hadn't put measures in place like our reservoir building programme, we would have found it even more difficult. Access to water for farmers is a crucial issue and set to get even more so.

We've built resilience to that at Fairfields Farm and our yields are looking good and our stores are filling up, but it's worrying on a national level. We know yields will be lower in some areas this year, so it has been a challenging season for potato growers across the UK. Despite the challenging conditions, harvest is progressing well and we still have a very strong supply of homegrown potatoes coming through.

We’re pleased with how the crop is looking and are in a strong position to continue supplying our customers. AC: And it’s not just the weather, is it? What about the broader cost pressures facing farmers? RS: There’s the reality of rising input costs.

@allmanhall

Farming is becoming increasingly expensive, from fuel and energy to fertiliser, machinery and labour, while there is also greater pressure to farm sustainably and reduce our environmental impact. A lot of the work we've been doing over recent years is about building that resilience, and not just by investing in our reservoirs and irrigation infrastructure. Improving soil health and using nutrients more efficiently all help us manage some of those challenges and reduce our reliance on conditions we can’t control. AC: Hearing you talk about this being the driest year you can remember, and the concern you raise about the national picture, brings home why prices are rising. When yields drop across the country, supply tightens, and the cost of producing a crop goes up with it.

For our clients, that means the force majeure notifications and price increases we've seen this autumn aren't unexpected, they're the direct result of the conditions you, and growers like you, are dealing with on the ground. Changing direction now, how do you ensure the exact quality and "crunch-ready" standard required for Fairfields Farm crisps? RS: Quality starts in the field. We grow some of our potatoes specifically with crisp production in mind, selecting the right varieties and growing them carefully to achieve the characteristics we need for a great crisp. Once harvested, the potatoes come back to the farm where they’re washed, checked and sliced before being hand cooked. The process is closely monitored to make sure we get the right colour, texture and, most importantly, that satisfying crunch. Because we grow the potatoes and make the crisps here on the farm, we have a close connection between the crop in the field and the finished product. We’re pretty particular about it - when you’ve grown the potato yourself, you want the finished crisp to do it justice. AC: Why should readers feel good about choosing Fairfields Farm potatoes and crisps, and how does buying local support rural communities during tough seasons?

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RS: For me, buying local is about knowing there are real people behind the food you’re buying. When you choose Fairfields Farm potatoes or crisps, you’re supporting our family farm and the wider network of people and businesses we rely on. Farming can be challenging, particularly with unpredictable weather and rising costs, so having the support of consumers who choose our produce can make a real difference. Ultimately, buying local is about supporting British farming, rural communities and family farms like ours for generations to come. AC: What is your vision for the farm over the next five to ten years? RS: I’d like to see us keep improving without losing what makes the farm special. Our vision is to remain a productive, sustainable family farm that can support future generations while continuing to produce great British food.

Ultimately, we want the farm to remain a thriving, working family farm producing quality food, looking after the land and always looking at what we can do better. AC: What is one moment in the farming year you always look forward to?

AC: What is your own favourite way to enjoy a Fairfields Farm potato, or your favourite crisp flavour? RS: For crisps, I’d have to say Prawn Cocktail - it’s a classic for a reason! When we made our own prawn cocktail for the first time in 2024, it was a bit of a career highlight for me. And when it comes to potatoes, you can’t beat a really good roast potato.

RS: Finishing harvest! Harvest is probably the most intense time of the year and lifting that last potato is a real celebration around here. There’s something really satisfying and exciting about seeing the potatoes come out of the ground after months of planning, planting and nurturing the crop. Finishing harvest means I can get the team together to say a huge well done, and we all go to support our local pub - for quite a few hours, too!

Crispy on the outside, fluffy in the middle and covered in plenty of gravy - especially when you know the potatoes have come straight from the farm. Sometimes I just walk out of the house and dig up my dinner, which is not something too many people can say!

@allmanhall

Christmas alternatives that don't feel like compromise Two festive centrepieces, built around ingredients that are in good supply this winter. Why do you need festive alternatives? This summer's extreme heat and drought reshaped the UK harvest. Over 70% of England was officially in drought, and the effects are feeding directly into Christmas supply lines. Turkey supply is tight ahead of the festive period. Care caterers who haven't committed volumes should act now, but those looking for alternatives have strong options. Potatoes are under severe pressure, with larger grades in short supply. Traditional baked potato sides may be harder to deliver at expected cost and quality. Parsnips have been hit hard, with southern growers writing off up to 25% of their crop. Meanwhile, pumpkins and squashes have had a strong UK growing season, and beans and pulses remain one of the most cost-stable commodities on the market. Both pumpkins and beans share something rare this Christmas: they're in good supply, stable in price, and completely plant based. For caterers building a festive menu around ingredients that won't surprise them, that's a strong foundation.

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Plump for pumpkins Pumpkin and squash are in good supply this autumn, making them a cost-effective and visually striking alternative to turkey. A stuffed roast pumpkin works as a centrepiece in the same emotional space as a roast: it's communal and it feels like an occasion. There’s a delicious recipe on page 26. Practical note for caterers: smaller pumpkins or squashes can be pre-prepared and portioned, making service easy for care and healthcare settings.

Bang in some beans Beans and pulses are stable in price, available, and nutritious, so they're a safe choice for your Christmas menu. Beans give you a way to add dishes to the menu without adding cost risk.

Think of beans as more than just a festive side dish. We’ve got a fantastic recipe for you on page 30 that puts beans at the centre of the celebrations.

More beans on your menu means better nutrition, lower costs and greater resilience against seasonal price volatility. This recipe is part of our push to help clients increase bean and pulse uptake by 30% by 2028, starting with the Christmas menu.

@allmanhall

Stuffed roast pumpkin with brown rice and dried fruit Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Serves: 12 portions

Ingredients: Pumpkin • 4 medium pumpkins • 80ml rapeseed oil • Salt & pepper • 600g brown rice • 1.5 litres reduced-salt vegetable stock • 450g onions, finely diced • 25g garlic, crushed • 200g celery, finely diced • 300g carrots, grated • 300g mushrooms, finely chopped • 150g dried apricots, diced • 100g dried cranberries • 600g cooked green lentils • 10g ground cinnamon • 5g ground cumin • 8g dried sage • Zest of 2 oranges • 120g wholemeal breadcrumbs (made from stale bread).

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Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan. 2. Cut a lid from the top of each pumpkin and retain the lids for roasting. Remove the seeds and fibrous centre. Brush inside and outside with half of the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkins and lids on lined roasting trays and roast for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. 3. Put the rice in a saucepan with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes. Drain and hold hot for assembly. 4. Heat the remaining oil in a large pan. Add the diced onion, garlic and celery. Cook over a medium heat until softened. Add the carrots and mushrooms. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon, cumin and sage. Cook for 2 minutes. 5. Stir in the dried apricots, cranberries and lentils. Add the cooked rice, orange zest and breadcrumbs. Mix thoroughly until combined. 6. Spoon the filling into each roast pumpkin. Replace the pumpkin lids loosely. 7. Return the filled pumpkins to the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and cut each pumpkin into 3 or 4 portions each.

Please always check labels and packets for allergens

Tess Warnes, Registered Dietitian, Head of Nutrition & Sustainability allmanhall

Tess Warnes, Registered Dietitian: “Packed with fibre, beta-carotene and potassium, pumpkin is in good supply through autumn and winter, and costeffective compared with traditional centrepieces.”

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Bang in Some Beans: the case for putting pulses at the heart of your menu Food costs are not coming down. Meat prices remain stubbornly high. Budgets are fixed. Every meal served is a balancing act between quality, nutrition and cost. One ingredient stands out as transformative: the bean. Simple, affordable, and quietly extraordinary. The numbers that make the case Beef prices in 2025 were 70% higher than the five-year average. For catering teams working to fixed budgets, that sustained pressure is not a passing problem - it is the new normal. Beans and pulses offer a direct, practical response. A 400g tin of kidney beans costs considerably less than the equivalent weight in meat protein. It delivers around 20g of protein and up to half of daily fibre intake, at a fraction of the cost of chicken. Beans and pulses tick every box: high fibre, plant-rich, and easy to incorporate into familiar dishes. The Bang in Some Beans campaign Launched at the end of 2025, the Food Foundation’s Bang in Some Beans campaign is encouraging chefs and caterers to rethink how they use beans and pulses on their menus. 28

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Our pledge: 30% more beans by 2028 We are not just talking about it. We have committed to increasing the volume of bean and pulse products purchased through our supply chain by 30% by 2028. Not as a wholesale overhaul of the way they cook, but as small, practical shifts in familiar dishes that deliver immediate cost and nutritional benefits. allmanhall signed up - because this is something we have championed for years. Back in 2023, allmanhall's Mike Meek highlighted the humble bean as central to both health and sustainability in an ITN interview. The Food Foundation's campaign has brought that conversation into the mainstream.

The goal is not to make a point about plantbased eating. It is to make budgets go further, improve nutritional outcomes, and reduce the environmental footprint of the food we help put on plates.

Waste reduction: when over 30% of a food budget can go to waste, flexible, affordable ingredients that use across multiple dishes are a straightforward way to reduce that figure. Sustainability: producing 1kg of beef generates around 60kg of CO2e. Producing 1kg of black beans generates approximately 1kg.

Beyond cost: the full picture The financial argument for beans runs wider than cost. Nutrition: beans and pulses provide fibre, plant-based protein, and a range of key micronutrients including potassium and magnesium. They are also one of the few plant foods rich in lysine, an essential amino acid.

Beans fix nitrogen in the soil naturally and use significantly less water than animal protein sources. For catering teams with sustainability commitments or clients who ask about environmental impact, beans are one of the simplest ways to move the dial.

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Butter bean, chestnut & cranberry casserole Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 45 minutes Total time: 60 minutes Serves: 12 portions

Ingredients: • 4 x 400g tins butter beans, drained • 400g chestnut mushrooms, sliced • 2 onions, finely sliced • 4 garlic cloves, crushed • 4 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp tomato puree • 900ml vegetable stock • 12 tbsp cranberry sauce • 2 tsp Dijon mustard • 150g dried cranberries • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves • 2 bay leaves • Salt and black pepper For the crispy topping • 200g panko breadcrumb • 20 fresh sage leaves, finely sliced • 2 tbsp olive oil • Pinch of salt

Please always check labels and packets for allergens

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Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole. Add the onion and mushrooms and cook for 8-10 minutes until softened and golden. Add the garlic and tomato purée and cook for 1 minute. 3. Add the vegetable stock, cranberry sauce, Dijon mustard, thyme and bay leaf. Stir well and simmer for 5 minutes. 4. Stir in the butter beans, chestnuts and dried cranberries. Season with salt and plenty of black pepper and simmer gently for another 5 minutes. 5. Mix the panko, sliced sage, olive oil and a pinch of salt. 6. Scatter the sage and panko mixture evenly over the casserole. Bake uncovered at 180°C for 2025 minutes, until bubbling and the topping is golden and crisp. 7. Finish with a few fresh sage leaves and, if desired, a little cranberry sauce, to serve.

Please always check labels and packets for allergens

Tess Warnes, Registered Dietitian, Head of Nutrition & Sustainability allmanhall

Tess Warnes, Registered Dietitian: “Butterbeans, mushrooms and chestnuts are a powerhouse combination for a festive dish. You’re getting plant protein and fibre from the butterbeans, B vitamins from the mushrooms, and chestnuts bring a seasonal richness with less fat than most nuts.”

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What’s next on the menu: food trends for Christmas 2026 and into 2027 Christmas indulgence Nostalgic flavours have been reimagined for Christmas 2026. Gingerbread remains a firm traditional favourite, but it has been joined by new ingredients to celebrate the festive season. Alongside classic spiced fruit versions, mince pies now offer a twist on the familiar with chocolate and caramel combinations.

Other flavours are gaining ground. Pistachio desserts are here to stay, driven in part by the explosion of Dubai chocolate on social media, which has firmly established pistachio as a flavour across multiple categories. 32

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Orange chocolate will be prominent on shelves this Christmas, featuring heavily in Nestle's festive line. The flavours shaping Christmas this year signal where food is heading more broadly into 2027.

Desserts: indulgence with a nutritional twist Speculoos has become the breakout flavour in yoghurts, desserts, and ice cream. Originating from Belgium and the Netherlands, it brings spiced, caramelised biscuit and brown sugar flavours to the sweet course.

Biscoff is the brand name most people recognise, but speculoos is the broader category, and it is appearing well beyond biscuits.

Growing flavours mirrored from other food and drink categories include matcha, chai, mint, miso, and cherry. The cross-pollination of flavours across categories is a pattern worth watching: matcha and chai are both flavours that started in beverages and have quickly moved into desserts.

But the most significant shift in desserts is the tension between indulgence and the health trend of macronutrients. Protein and fibre enrichment is appearing in baked goods, blurring the line between treat and functional food.

Functional eating goes mainstream Functional eating has gained popularity over the past couple of years, and is now prominent across food and drink, with a growing emphasis on fibre alongside protein. Consumers are no longer asking, “is this healthy?” but “what will this ingredient do for me?” Energy, cognitive focus, blood-sugar management, digestion, hydration: these are the new benchmarks for a product that wants to be taken seriously.

Nowhere is that shift more visible than in soft drinks. Mainstream manufacturers are bringing functional claims to well-known brand names, covering gut health, energy and clean energy, immunity, stress relief, relaxation, and calm. Prebiotic and probiotic claims are becoming standard. Low sugar and natural sweeteners have moved from differentiator to baseline. “Cleaner” formulations with no additives or preservatives are increasingly expected, and hydration with electrolytes has its own growing category.

Berry flavour profiles remain strong in soft drinks, but they are being mixed with more unusual combinations: pomegranate from the Middle East, dragon fruit from Southeast Asia, lychee from China. The pattern is consistent across categories: borrowing from across the world to create something that feels both familiar and new.

Global influences: from travel to the table Our 2026 predictions pointed to South American, Malaysian, and Korean influences, and that momentum continues. @allmanhall

Global influences brought us poke bowls, bao buns, fried chicken, laksas, tacos, gyros, BBQ meats, churros, falafel, and gyoza, making it easier than ever to explore foods from across the world. In 2027, Asian flavours will become even bigger. Japanese and Korean cuisine is driving the next wave, with British tourists visiting Japan in record numbers, driven largely by Gen Z and social media.

Street food continues to grow as people become more well-travelled and bring back ideas from countries they have visited. Street food is common across the Middle and Far East and Mexico: shawarma, gyoza, yakitori, tacos. The appeal is in the informality and the flavour intensity, both of which translate well to catering settings. Food court dining is emerging as a practical application of these global influences. Rather than limiting a dining experience to one type of food, food court dining offers varied cuisine options to suit different tastes and moods. Residents and patients can visit Italy, Greece, Thailand, and Japan all in one lunch sitting. For care and healthcare caterers, food court dining offers a way to give residents and patients choice and personalisation without running multiple separate menus.

That travel experience is having a knock-on effect on menus for all age groups. Ramen, gyoza, and the ubiquitous matcha are being joined by okonomiyaki, onigiri and shokupan (Japanese milk bread). Authentic flavours are key: people who have travelled to these countries remember and appreciate the real thing.

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Clean labelling: the undercurrent Clean labelling is not a standalone trend. It is the backdrop running through everything else. Fewer ingredients, more recognisable ingredients, less processed. If a consumer doesn't recognise an ingredient, they trust the product less, and cleaner labels with fewer, more recognisable ingredients address that directly. This continues from 2026, where traceability became key and consumers wanted to understand the growing and farming processes behind their food, with visibility of where food comes from and its overall impact on the planet. The shift away from ultra-processed foods, particularly protein alternatives with artificial ingredients, is likely to continue.

Meet the team: Jamie Clews

Who are you? I’m Jamie Clews, Development Manager for care at allmanhall. I have worked in hospitality for the last 30 years in various roles including fine dining, event catering and the care sector. I am also a Deputy Chief Ambassador for the Burnt Chef Project, a guardian for Guardians of Grub, and a member of the Master Craft Guild of Chefs.

Meet the team

My key passions are fighting food waste one ingredient at a time and helping catering teams in care enhance their food and hospitality offerings. What is a typical day for you? I tend to start early around 7am because we have a smallholding, so I need to feed and let out the ducks and chickens. After a quick coffee, I’m either travelling around the country to visit care clients, presenting to groups on our food waste reduction strategy, or talking all things IDDSI and the dining experience in care. What are you most proud of? Good question. I would say being part of the Burnt Chef Project, although being able to grow and raise most of our food on our smallholding is a close second. On a work level, I’m also proud of encouraging our partners to think outside the box and promote that mindset in their teams, which helps not only to reduce food waste but also to improve their food offering and standards. Three words to describe your role: Hardworking. Practical. Proactive.

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Meet the team: Ivor Richards

Who are you? I’m Ivor Richards, Client Relationship Manager at allmanhall. support our care clients across South England and the Home Counties. I’ve been with allmanhall for over seven years. Before that, I was on the other side of the fence - a client myself, working as a catering manager in an independent school.

I’m a classically trained chef with over 40 years in the catering industry, spanning NHS hospitals, hospices, care homes and retirement villages. What is a typical day for you? There’s no such thing. One day I might be up at dawn, travelling to meet a care client, capturing their requirements and finding ways to add value. The next, I could be working from home, pulling together reports, checking cases, and on the phone to clients and suppliers. That variety is part of what makes the job so interesting and worthwhile. What are you most proud of? There’s so much to be proud of at allmanhall. Our entire team is focused on the client, and we have a deep understanding of the catering industry, which means the advice we give is sound and practical, not theoretical. We never take anything for granted. We are committed to our clients’ success, and the most rewarding part is seeing my care clients reinvest in their operations using the money we’ve helped them save. That’s a tangible difference, not just a number on a report. Three words to describe your role: Diverse. Supportive. Dynamic.

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Meet the team: James Procter

Who are you? I’m James Procter, Senior Client Relationship Manager for care sector at allmanhall. I’ve worked in kitchens from a young age, moving into area kitchen management, then supply chain auditing and management, and on to national account management within procurement.

Meet the team

What is a typical day for you? I manage our care portfolio, so I spend a lot of time liaising with the customer support team on supply chain challenges and ultimately increasing the service and supply for our clients through procurement reviews, product reviews, and looking for alternatives and savings. I work with the allmanhall team to create efficiencies for our care group partners across their spend and menu planning. What are you most proud of? I’m proud of managing large care groups and building lasting relationships with both suppliers and clients. I’m also proud of taking the leap to move into a more responsible role within a flourishing, growing organisation. Three words to describe your role: Delivering. Assisting. Rewarding.

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Radnor Hills: refreshing hydration with a rural touch

Radnor Hills is a family-owned soft drinks manufacturer based in Mid Wales. The company produces over 400 million drinks annually, combining natural spring water with innovative production methods. Laura Taylor, allmanhall’s Senior Buyer, sits down with Leon Tarr, Radnor Hill’s Business Development Manager, to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the drinks brand.

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Laura: Who are Radnor Hills and what are you most well-known for? Leon: Radnor Hills are a family-owned, independent, soft drinks manufacturer. We're based in Knighton, Powys, in Mid Wales, and we produce over 400 million drinks per year.

Laura: That’s a hefty amount. What are the main markets and customers you cover in terms of your range? Leon: Radnor Hills advocates for healthy hydration. We’re at the forefront of the education sector with our Radnor Fizz and Radnor Fruits brands. We also have a growing presence in care and healthcare, travel, hospitality, and B&I workplaces. Ultimately, we’ve got ranges and formats to cover all tastes and needs.

Leon: We’re very proud to be the only soft drinks manufacturer in the UK that produces four formats on one site: can, glass, PET, and tetra pak. Others may take their water, tanker it, and take it to a canning facility. We’ve got it all on one site, so that’s part of our sustainability credentials. We also produce the UK’s number one flavoured water, Radnor Splash. It’s sugar-free and available in both still and carbonated formats. We’re proud that we produce a healthfocused drink, using natural flavours and minimal sugar. Laura: Please talk us through the sourcing process from spring to bottle.

Laura: What sets you apart from other brands on the market?

Leon: We aim to be as local as possible. Our cans are produced in Wrexham, just 59 miles from our farm.

Our ingredients, where possible, are Britishproduced, and we always endeavour to use the best natural produce and flavours. Our water source is rich in trace minerals. It takes just seven minutes from being underground to being packaged.

Laura: In terms of production methods, can you talk me through the process? Leon: We have seven boreholes on the farm but only draw from three at a time. It’s always made as a still product, and then the carbonation is added to it.

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We add flavourings in two ways. For Heartsease Farm pressés, we blend fruit purée with water. For Radnor Splash, we add powdered or liquid flavourings. Laura: You have multiple boreholes, and local packaging. Are there more sustainable practices in your production process? Leon: We are sitting on a substantial amount of water and barely scratching the surface of what we’re using. We use excess water for cleaning and other purposes. Any remaining water is returned to the local watercourse cleaner than when drawn. We’re a zero to landfill site and have been since 2013. Our solar farm produces 35% of the power needed to run our facility, which runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except for Christmas Day.

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Laura: That's impressive. It sounds like it's a very local affair. How do you support your local community? Leon: Many local people have been employed and trained by Radnor Hills. Our owner, William, has invested in the community for over 35 years and supported local ventures such as transport for the elderly, sponsorship of sports teams, and the local school. If you live in Knighton and haven't yet worked at Radnor Hills, then you probably will in the future. The company trains people from this small catchment, and they've blossomed, and gone on to work for bigger companies or for themselves. The ongoing investment in people is phenomenal. Laura: That’s amazing! Now looking industry-wide, what are the biggest challenges you face in drinks production? Leon: A Deposit Return Scheme is being introduced to the UK in October 2027. This will improve recycling rates and encourage people to value their drinks packaging.

Laura: Do Radnor Hills have measures in place to tackle these challenges? Leon: We’ve been at the forefront of, and working with, Exchange for Change, the organisation tasked with implementing the scheme. We will have to change all of the labels on our packaging to comply, which is a huge investment. We pride ourselves on being a trusted advisor to our wholesale customers, so it’s important we stay ahead of the curve and pass on learned information relevant to our customers’ needs. Currently it’s a very grey area for the Deposit Return Scheme. We’re keeping our ear to the ground as best as we can, keeping well informed and making sure that we’ve got credible facts and actions to take forward.

Laura: You might argue that Radnor Hills is one of the most traceable products. Why is traceability important?

Our site is BRCGS AA+ accredited, ensuring high food safety standards. We're regularly audited to maintain this status.

Leon: We’ve got Radnor Hydrate, which is a 60% juice with a 40% water blend, designed for healthcare.

Leon: With rising allergies and cost pressures on the industry, the makeup of materials could be compromised, with tragic results. We need to track every material used.

Laura: What’s next for Radnor Hills?

It can be used either for patient feeding as a predetermined dose or as an added extra in a care setting. It’s a brilliant product.

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Earns B Corp Certification! Achieving B Corp certification is no small thing, and for Aldens, family butchers with over 200 years of history behind them, it represents the culmination of committed work to improve their impact as a business. It reflects the kind of effort that doesn't happen overnight, and it deserves to be recognised. Congratulations to the whole Aldens team.

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So what does B Corp mean? B Corp certification looks at the whole business. Its assessment considers social, environmental, and governance considerations, with its standards looking at areas ranging from climate action and environmental stewardship to working conditions, human rights, and how businesses consider different stakeholders in their decision-making. It's a rigorous, wideranging standard, and earning it is no small feat. What it doesn't do is change the environmental footprint of the food itself. And when we're talking about a butcher, that's a conversation worth having honestly. Let’s talk about the meat Beef and lamb have the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any food category. Ruminant animals produce methane, require significant land, and generate emissions across their entire production cycle.

B Corp certification doesn't alter that reality, and it wouldn't be right to suggest otherwise. What Aldens have done is demonstrate that a business operating in this sector can take meaningful action where it can: electric deliveries, enhanced transport efficiency, improvements in sourcing, and waste reduction. Real steps in the right direction. Where EcoVadis comes in Alongside B Corp, Aldens are also assessed through EcoVadis (the sustainability rating platform that allmanhall encourage all suppliers to engage with). The two frameworks are complementary rather than interchangeable and understanding the difference matters. B Corp certifies a business as a whole, across social, environmental and governance dimensions.

EcoVadis, by contrast, produces a detailed scorecard covering environment, labour and human rights, ethics, and sustainable procurement, providing allmanhall and our clients a consistent, comparable view of supplier performance across the entire supply base. Progress in a challenging environment Ruminant meat is a sector with more work to do on sustainability. That's precisely why it matters when a supplier like Aldens commits to doing things better and hold themselves to a higher standard of accountability. B Corp won't make beef and lamb carbon-neutral. But in a supply chain that needs to improve, having suppliers who are genuinely committed to progress, independently verified and consistently measured, makes a real difference. That's worth celebrating.

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From desks to crates: our day volunteering with Felix This autumn, allmanhall are partnering with Unilever Food Solutions on the Buy to Give initiative - a simple way for care settings to create a meaningful social impact through their everyday purchasing decisions Between 1 September and 16 October 2026, when allmanhall clients purchase Unilever Food Solutions products through Bidfood, allmanhall and Unilever Food Solutions will donate 4% of sales to Felix (formerly FareShare and The Felix Project). Felix rescues surplus food and redistributes it to charities, schools, holiday programmes, community organisations and food banks across the UK.

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For allmanhall, food isn’t just what we do. It is at the very heart of who we are. But good food only fulfils its true purpose when it reaches the people who need it most. That’s why recently, our team traded laptops and keyboards for high-vis vests and pallets. We spent an inspiring day volunteering alongside the incredible team at Felix. Tackling food poverty head-on Food poverty and insecurity remain a real, ongoing challenge across our region. Every day, families, community groups, school holiday clubs, and local foodbanks rely on vital support to ensure everyone has access to nutritious meals. This is where Felix steps in to tackle the issue headon. Their mission is as simple as it is transformative: they rescue high-quality, surplus food that would otherwise go to waste and redirect it straight to the frontline community organisations that need it most. A day in the warehouse: fast-paced, hands-on, and lots of carrots! Once we arrived, there was no time to waste! Our job for the day was picking and packing essential supplies destined for community tables across the South West.

Our tasks covered a huge variety of fresh produce and staple ingredients, including: • Fresh milk and dairy essentials • Whole chickens for family meals • An unbelievable number of carrots (we aren’t exaggerating - it was practically a mountain!)

Every crate we packed and every box we prepped represented something tangible: another family or community member getting a fresh, wholesome meal on their table. It’s easy to talk about "making an impact" in the abstract but standing in a warehouse and seeing how that impact is built, one box and one delivery at a time, was deeply grounding.

Inspired by the Felix Team If the mission is inspiring, the people delivering it are even more so. We were genuinely blown away by the dedication, energy, and care of the Felix team who make this happen day in, day out. Their ability to manage complex logistics while maintaining such a warm, welcoming, and community-focused atmosphere is nothing short of extraordinary. Leaving the warehouse at the end of the day tired, a little dusty, but immensely proud, we felt energized and connected to have played even a small part in supporting such vital work. Our day with Felix was a powerful reminder of what can be achieved when we roll up our sleeves for a shared cause.

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Filling the gap: a new texture modified snack range for care For many people living with dysphagia, snack time often means the same familiar options, with choices typically limited to yoghurts. While these play an important role in supporting safe swallowing, there has long been a gap in the market for texture modified snacks developed specifically for adults.

To help address this, allmanhall have partnered exclusively with Ocras, bringing an innovative range of texture modified snacks to care providers, available only via allmanhall agreements and account numbers, through Bidfood. Created by Niamh Condon, an independent dysphagia chef with extensive experience developing texture modified food, the range includes texture modified bread, toast, plain scones, ginger biscuits, chocolate biscuits, and potato waffles.

Each product is designed specifically for adults requiring texture modified diets, combining safe swallowing with delicious flavours, attractive presentation, and nutrient-dense recipes. The partnership brings together the expertise of Niamh Condon, allmanhall’s specialist care team led by Jamie Clews, and Registered Dietitian Tess Warnes, creating a collaborative approach that supports care providers in enhancing both guest wellbeing and the dining experience. ”It has been a long road to get to this point, and I’m really excited about what lies ahead for Ocras and allmanhall,” says Niamh.

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This range is a game changer for care settings. Using one product to create a multitude of dishes provides true versatility to offer delicious and safe snacks to all guests." For Jamie Clews, the range addresses a challenge he sees regularly. "Snacks are a food that people really struggle with," he says. "This range truly meets, and exceeds, that need."

“Niamh's passion and expertise are reflected throughout the Ocras range, and together with Jamie's extensive knowledge of the care sector, we're bringing a solution that helps care providers move beyond traditional snack options to deliver greater choice and a more inclusive eating experience."

As person-centred care continues to shape the sector, expanding choice for guests requiring texture modified diets has never been more important. Through its partnership with Ocras, allmanhall are helping care providers offer snacks that support nutrition, encourage enjoyment and preserve dignity. To find out more about the Ocras range and how to access it, contact the allmanhall team or visit allmanhall’s website.

The nutritional dimension is equally important. “Good nutrition is about much more than meeting dietary requirements,” says Tess Warnes. “Guests living with dysphagia deserve food that’s safe, nutritious and enjoyable.”

“Fun times with with food textures. These chocolate biscuits served at our recent #UKIDDSIFestival are #IDDSI Level 4 and ideal snacks... I found them pretty irresistible! (Best consumed by spoon)” - Ben Hanson, Associate Professor at UCL Mechanical Engineering @allmanhall

Meet Niamh Condon:

giving dining back its dignity At twelve years old, Niamh Condon was learning to break down lamb carcasses in her uncle's deli in Ennis, County Clare. Today, she is one of the most innovative voices in texture modified food for adults living with dysphagia. The gap she set out to close is one the care sector knows well. Texture modified meals are safe, but they have long lacked the presentation, flavour and variety that make dining a pleasure rather than a function. For residents living with swallowing difficulties, snack time too often means the same limited options.

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That gap became Niamh’s mission after she took on a role in an aged care facility in 2014. Her brief was to cook good, wholesome food and present it well, but she found herself wrestling with the standard approach to dysphagia meals. She began developing her own recipes, becoming one of the first people to create a fully pureed pavlova within IDDSI guidelines, proof that texture modified food does not have to mean texture modified imagination.

In 2019, she founded Dining with Dignity, a catering and consultancy training business serving the healthcare sector. Since then, she has delivered workshops for HSE and private nursing homes across Ireland, spoken at Marymount Hospice and the Nutricia Ireland Symposium, and built international relationships with innovators including Flavour Creations in Australia. She holds QQI Level 6 HACCP certification and was named one of the “50 people to watch in Ireland” in 2020. Now, through an exclusive partnership with allmanhall, Niamh’s expertise reaches care providers across the UK through the Ocras range of texture modified snacks, available only via allmanhall agreements through Bidfood.

Interested in understanding the carbon impact of your menus? Add up to 5 recipes or food items for FREE and see the carbon impact data... Foodsteps is so easy to use and great for communicating and understanding carbon impact assessments of your food. Together, you and your residents can make a difference.

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More than food: a day in the life at Connaught Care Because sometimes our hands-on support is just as important as the procurement expertise we bring.

On one of the hottest days of the summer, a small team from allmanhall arrived at The Chase, a Connaught Care home - not to observe but to get stuck in and help. Rolling up our sleeves James Procter, Senior Client Relationship Manager, spent the day in the kitchen, working alongside the chefs. He prepped, plated, and got a proper reminder of how a care home service runs when the pressure is on. Katrina Lane took on front of house, serving breakfast and lunch, clearing dining areas, and setting up the tables for next service. This also involved folding a lot of napkins. 50

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And Iain Gordon, Connaught Care’s Finance Director, spent the morning painting residents' nails. A reminder that care is often expressed in small gestures. In the afternoon, the allmanhall team just joined in the activities. The residents were due to go on a boat trip, but it was cancelled due to extreme heat, so they decorated the lounge as a pretend boat instead. The carers dressed in sailor outfits, singing and dancing with residents, then they organised a quiz. And cocktails were ably served by Iain and Katrina.

Why it matters It’s a simple idea with a serious point. allmanhall spend our working lives helping care providers save money, through detailed benchmarking, intelligent food procurement, and nutritional guidance from our expert dietitians. In a sector where budgets are tighter than ever and food cost pressures are relentless, that value is essential. But we’ve learned that we can only provide complete value to our care clients when we understand what and who are being supported by those budgets. And the only way to truly understand that is to spend time with the residents and the teams who care for them. When we design a menu, we can picture the person who will eat it. When we negotiate an ingredient price, we know the chefs who will cook it. That’s the difference between a supplier and a partner, and it’s the difference we want to be for every care client we work with. Going further than food Our benchmarking saves money. Our dietitians protect health. Our procurement takes the strain off stretched teams. Being on the ground, putting extra hands in when they’re needed, is how we make sure the rest of it counts. Thanks to the team at The Chase for having us.

A focus on people:

at the heart of what we do

allmanhall have been awarded Investors in People Platinum, the highest level of accreditation available, held by just 7% of assessed organisations globally. For the care settings who rely on us to help manage complex food supply chains, that matters more than you might think. When a procurement partner invests in their people to this level, the direct beneficiary is the client. Platinum recognition means the team working on your behalf is not just qualified but empowered, not just trained but constantly developing, and not just satisfied but genuinely engaged in what we do.

Why it matters to clients When people feel trusted, supported and developed, they are better equipped to make sound decisions, build strong relationships and respond proactively to challenges. Whether that means negotiating with suppliers, advising on menu costs or identifying risks before they affect a client's operation, an empowered team performs better. The IIP assessment confirmed several strengths that translate directly into client value: • Clarity of purpose: Everyone understands how their role contributes to client outcomes. • Empowered teams: People are trusted to make well-informed decisions and take ownership. • Growth is embedded: Personal development is part of how we work, not an annual tick-box. • Wellbeing matters: Flexibility and openness are part of day-to-day working life. In practical terms, Platinum means the people managing your procurement are among the bestsupported in the industry. They stay longer, develop deeper sector knowledge, and build the kind of client relationships that come from genuinely understanding your operation.

A culture of recognition That commitment to people extends beyond our own walls. In September 2026, our friends at Buyers Edge Platform recognised allmanhall's Client Relationship Manager Laura Simcock with an award for her outstanding work supporting clients and driving value through the partnership. Jo Hall, co-owner and Managing Director at allmanhall, said: "Laura's objective was to demonstrate our value as a partner, not just through cost savings, but also by delivering control, transparency and multitiered support. Laura's relentless commitment to working with our buyers to resolve and improve supplier performance and to nurturing relationships ensures a positive experience and happy clients." Recognition was deservedly wide-ranging. Katrina Lane, Senior Client Relationship Manager, Hayden Hibbert, Client Relations Director, and the whole allmanhall marketing team were also nominated for awards, with Hayden receiving a special mention for being shortlisted for two.

Looking ahead Platinum is an important milestone, but not the end of the journey. We will continue to invest in our people, support their development, and build on the collaborative culture that helps allmanhall deliver for clients every day. Jo concludes: "Being awarded Investors in People Platinum is an important recognition of the culture we have worked hard to build across allmanhall. It reflects the contribution of our whole team and the importance we place on creating an environment where people can grow, contribute, and perform at their best.”

20th anniversary of allmanhall

Issue 24, Autumn 2026

Care & Healthcare Edition