The Chefs’ Forum Celebrates Landmark Book Launch and a Year of Nationwide Collaboration for NHS Food

Second reference book for healthcare chefs, The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow, concludes a year of carbon-smart recipe development, enrichment workshops, and cross-sector partnership.

The Chefs’ Forum has celebrated the successful launch of The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow, marking a fantastic year of collaboration among NHS England leaders, healthcare chefs, dietitians, catering managers, suppliers, academics, and student chefs. The new reference book, created specifically for healthcare chefs, builds on the progress since the NHS Hospital Food Review (2020) and is the second major educational resource produced by The Chefs’ Forum for the sector.

Over the past year, The Chefs’ Forum collaborated with NHS catering specialists to deliver a nationwide series of practical workshops aimed at shaping and improving the second edition. The initiative brought together expertise from across the NHS food value chain, turning it into practical, sustainable, and resilient menu solutions for hospital kitchens.

Phil Shelley, National Lead for Food at NHS England, and Project Lead said:

“The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow covers everything healthcare chefs and stakeholders need to know about modern hospital food practices and the positive changes being made, with a particular focus on sustainability and creating healthy, nutritious menus. It will be a valuable resource for chefs and caterers to explore and learn from. We are very excited to collaborate with The Chefs’ Forum team to engage our chefs and stakeholders, highlight their excellent work, and collectively produce something highly beneficial for everyone working in hospital kitchens.”

The new book serves as a crucial guide for NHS chefs, showcasing 100 carbon-conscious recipes aimed at aiding patient recovery while advancing environmental sustainability. It emphasises nutrients and their health benefits and provides practical advice on how these can be incorporated to enhance hospital menus.

Alexandra Hammond, Associate Director, Net Zero and Sustainable Procurement, NHS England, added:

“This book provides an excellent opportunity for the entire NHS food value chain to come together and contribute to shaping the book and the national approach to Net Zero. It is based on real ground-level experience and the ideas of teams on what they believe is achievable over the next five years. There is learning from all sides and new collaborations forming between groups that might not usually meet. We hope everyone who attends the book launch takes away at least one practical idea they can implement in their Trust, hospital, catering company, or food suppliers to make the NHS food offering more sustainable. In turn, this should also make it more resilient and cost-efficient.”

In a unique and inclusive approach, five regional workshops, organised by The Chefs’ Forum, were held at leading culinary colleges across England. These included the Food Works SW in Weston-super-Mare, University College Birmingham, and the University of West London. Each workshop invited NHS chefs, catering managers, and dietitians to collaborate in creating content for the book. The sessions explored carbon reduction, sustainable menu design, and new techniques to set higher standards for hospital catering across the country.

Facilitating the delivery and design of the workshop series, Andrea Zick, PhD researcher at the UK Food Systems Centre for Doctoral Training, stated:

“I am honoured to have designed and facilitated the NHS England workshop series with The Chefs’ Forum, which has deepened my understanding of the systemic change needed in large organisations like the NHS. Achieving the ambitious goals of the NHS Hospital Food Review requires a systems-thinking approach, aligned with my PhD research and professional experience in systems change facilitation through the School of Systems Change. This viewpoint highlights the importance of structured reflection and collaboration among stakeholders, ensuring that each menu cycle not only meets immediate needs but also fosters long-term improvement in NHS food service.”

Throughout the workshops, participants explored sustainable cooking practices, recipe reformulation, and nutritional science, contributing valuable insights that informed the book’s content. The process itself became a model of real-world collaboration—bridging education, sustainability, and healthcare.

Highlighting the critical importance of nutrition in hospital food, Idrees Anwar, Lead Dietitian, NHS Supply Chain said:

“I was pleased to oversee the management of the nutrition aspect of this publication. It was also a valuable opportunity to collaborate with key roles such as chefs, catering managers, and suppliers, and to promote the importance of nutrition and the utilisation of dietetic expertise to support patients’ recovery. It emphasises the necessity for us to work together to find a balance between meeting different patients’ needs while maintaining an environmentally and economically sustainable food service.”

Publisher and Project Coordinator, Catherine Farinha, concluded:

“The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow is about bringing together the best minds in catering, experienced NHS chefs, caterers, and sustainability strategy leads, to create meals that meet both the needs of patients and the planet. By involving healthcare foodservice stakeholders across the value chain, we can inspire the future of healthcare food and also inspire the next generation of chefs to lead with sustainability.”

The Chefs’ Forum extends a heartfelt thank you to all of the headline sponsors, without whom the publication would not have been possible:

The Chefs’ Forum also extends a thank you to Michael Coaker and the University of West London team for hosting the book launch in the newly refurbished Pillars Restaurant, and for preparing a stunning and sustainable “rainbow” lunch, showcasing carbon-friendly recipes from the new edition.