Wellingborough cooks proud to reach national NHS chef finals

Two Isebrook Hospital workers have been named as some of the best NHS chefs in England.

Despite their kitchen being a cramped ‘cupboard’, Natasha Day and Kerrey Healey made it to the final eight of the national competition.

The pair proved their culinary expertise in the contest held by NHS England and NHS Improvement, to highlight the importance of nutrition in hospitals and the skills and dedication of the chefs working in the NHS.

Teams of chefs from across the country battled it out to create new exciting and delicious dishes within the usual budget, timings and presentation constraints of hospital catering.

Kerrey said: “Natasha and I have worked together on and off for the last three years doing holiday cover and just over a year ago we started to work together all the time.

"Our kitchen is very small, this is why it's a big achievement for us and not being chefs.

“Natasha and I from the very first day we met connected and got on so well, we have the same ideas and passion for the job we do.”

Kerrey and Natasha usually cook for staff and patients who attend hospital clinics. After winning the regional finals in Stony Stratford, the national finals saw them pit their wits against seven other teams from around England.

The Bake Off-style knock-out competition challenged the teams to create three-course menus in one and half hours.

Kerrey said: “For the regional finals we had to cook a three-course meal with the starter being vegan, the main meat or fish and the pudding 50 per cent fruit."

Mouth-watering dishes included a rainbow pancake roll with sweet chilli, soya and lime dip, Ballotine of chicken and triple berry cobbler.

For the intensive national finals in Warminster, cooks were given ingredients to make the same dish with Kerrey and Natasha making the top four.

Kerrey said: “We were then top four – an amazing achievement – but sadly our time came to an end. It was only two points from first to fourth.

“Having not done a competition before and not being chefs we were very nervous.

“Considering we work in a cupboard and don't have a huge kitchen we are extremely proud of ourselves and of the support all our customers and colleagues gave us, especially our managers who gave us the time to go and do the competition.

“We cook in a regen oven (oven on wheels) and can cook anything from a roast dinner, stew and dumplings, curries, fish and chips – oven baked as we don't have a fryer – cauliflower cheese, pasta bakes and banana bread. We also do jacket potatoes, pastries, paninis, baguettes, sandwiches, toasties and mixed salads.

“We learnt so much, improved on our skills and made things we never thought possible.

“We met the most amazing people and the team at NHS England who are working hard to change patient meals within the hospital."