Catering

After a restful Summer break, we started what we knew would be a busy term with Parent Welcome evenings, Breakfast Club, and of course the small matter of feeding 600+ hungry mouths every lunchtime! The Catering Team had a visit from Molly Wisbey and Anna Johnson from Holroyd Howe - working together to create a bespoke experience for Beechwood Park pupils, we created a pop up in the Great Hall to talk, taste and guess all things Nutrition and Sustainability. We are really focused on giving the pupils knowledge around these important areas. You may be surprised to learn that the school’s weekly “plate waste” can be as high as 82kg - the equivalent of 205 meals in the bin and at a cost of £273.45. The Team is committed to working with pupils and staff to reduce this figure over the coming terms. The term had barely started and events were upon us, the first being the BPSPA Curry and Quiz Night. This was a huge success, catering for over 120 guests. The Spicy Ginger Chicken Curry was a big hit and was enjoyed by everyone. We celebrated Beechwood Park’s 58th Anniversary with a birthday party style lunch, we lots of love and laughter; the pupils thoroughly enjoyed the buffet style spread and of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday without a slice of birthday cake! Just before the half term break, we were happy to support the School’s Termly Open Morning with catering for a large number of visitors; did someone say Apple Scones? Straight after half term, we came back to a Halloween themed Lunch, turning our Dining Room into The Beechwood Haunted House, the graveyard dessert pots were great fun. The BPSPA Firework Night was a spectacular show, serving over 400 hot dogs, mulled wine, hot chocolate and so much more.

We finish a very busy term with all things Christmas, Shows, Carols you name it, we did it! It was lovely to feel the Christmas buzz around Beechwood. Christmas Lunch was a huge success and I hope you all enjoyed the festive spread... even the sprouts!

Catering Team News

The Beechwood Park Catering Team renewed our Coeliac Accreditation, still being the only School within Holroyd Howe to hold this accreditation. After an intense Coeliac Audit, we scored 100% (Grade A), about which we were all delighted - the whole team takes immense pride in the menus that we develop, taking into account a wide range of differing allergies, intolerance and preferences, and it was heart-warming to have our work recognised in this way. The Catering Team welcomed Adam Chamberlain, our new Head Chef, Adam is an exceptional Chef who has worked in the hospitality industry for 21 years. Adam’s first impression of Beechwood was “Beechwood Park School is a really warm and welcoming community, The pupils are well-mannered, I have certainly heard lots of pleases and thank yous at meal times. The reason I decided to change sector from Hospitality to Education was because the high quality of food and service provided at independent schools and

Adam plans on building relationships with all our local suppliers, ensuring the freshest and seasonal fruit and vegetables. Adam’s favourite fruit is rhubarb and plans to create dishes with different fruit and vegetables .... keep your eyes peeled. Holroyd Howe’s annual People Awards were held in November. The People Awards is a event to recognise individuals or teams within the business who go above and beyond to improve not only the nurseries, Schools or colleges in which they work but also Holroyd Howe. Emily and her team were thrilled to have been nominated for this award - nominations are made according to the following criteria:

The team must be seen

• To display a consistent spirit of teamwork and cooperation within their location and/or area. • To have shown an impeccable work ethic, which reflects dedication, loyalty, and consistent standards of excellence in all areas • To have delivered value to Holroyd Howe, clients, and students. • To have created or developed an innovative solution resulting in a significant improvement for the school, facility, or department

There were over 83 nominations for the award with five making it through to the final, where Beechwood emerged as winners! Holroyd Howe explained why the Beechwood team had been chosen as winners: “Beechwood team have amazing teamwork, determination, and devotion to our business, working extremely hard to go above and beyond and exceed company standards. They live by our values and those of the School, and team members clearly love their role and are willing to share their skills with the school and the wider region. They work hand in glove with their school community and their Head Teacher will be very proud. Beechwood works had to develop young children’s palates, and are recent winners of Independent School of the Year Award for Healthy Eating. The are also the only Holroyd Howe school to have achieved Coeliac Accreditation which is no mean feat. I am proud and delighted to announce the winner of the Team of the Year is Beechwood Park.”

On behalf of the whole Catering Team, I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year. May 2023 be filled with love, joy, health and happiness.

Emily Henry Catering Manager