All three care homes run by White Care Group in Somerset have had their five star food hygiene ratings re-confirmed by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) under the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. The homes are St Benedict's Nursing Home in Glastonbury, St Cecilia in Shepton Mallet and The Rectory in Taunton.

Bonnie Frear, quality assurance manager for the homes, said: “We’re very pleased, though not surprised, to receive five stars from the FSA for our food hygiene: it’s important in all food settings, and particularly when you’re catering for elderly people, as we are, so we’re very aware of our responsibilities.

“Maintaining the best food hygiene ratings obviously needs our cooks to run clean and tidy kitchens and be scrupulous about their record-keeping and health and safety standards.

“But the staff in all three of our kitchens are clearly passionate about ensuring they cater really well for the residents we support, and I think that’s also key to our success.”

Chef Tom Scanlon, who works at St Benedict’s Nursing Home in Glastonbury, arrived there two years ago after 30 years cooking in pubs and hotels.

Tom said: “My job move was prompted because I wanted greater job satisfaction, and to be able to use my skills to help others. Cooking for people at St Bens really delivers that and I genuinely find it so fulfilling.

“Food evokes memories and I chat with our residents about all sorts of things and then ask if maybe there’s anything they haven’t eaten for a while that they’d like to have again.

“It’s a joy to be creating meals for them that they really enjoy, and I don’t think I’m overstating it to say the work we do is life-saving.”

Seb Muresan who cooks for the residents at the group’s Shepton Mallet care home, St Cecilia, has also been in position for two years, having transferred there from a kitchen assistant position at St Benedict’s on completion of his Level 2 food hygiene and safety for catering.

Seb said: “I love my job. St Cecilia is a lovely place to work and it’s really rewarding to see how much people enjoy eating the food I cook for them – colleagues as well as residents.

“The staff are all very kind and supportive of me.

“It’s my love of cooking that motivates me, and we work very hard to provide a really tempting and nutritious menu, with lots of choice, featuring a range of dishes that we know will appeal to the ladies and gents who live with us.”

Both chefs are quick to share the credit for their five-star ratings with the other members of their respective kitchen teams, while at the third of White Care Group’s homes, The Rectory in Taunton, the credit and the work is shared equally between cooks Elaine Chapman and Colleen Major.

Elaine Chapman said: “The fact I’ve been cooking for residents of The Rectory for six years, shows how much I enjoy what I do.

“I honestly put my heart and soul into my work, and I pride myself on producing top quality meals and take a lot of trouble to find out what our residents’ favourite dishes are so we can include them on the menu.”

The Rectory’s other cook, Colleen Major, joined the team 18 months ago, having previously worked in a different setting with the home’s manager, Abbie Foster, and brought 12 years cooking experience in care homes with her, as well as considerable skills as a home baker and cake-decorator.

Colleen said: “It’s lovely to see how much pleasure our dishes bring to the residents.

“They really look forward to mealtimes, and when I get a compliment from one of them – which happens quite often – it honestly makes my day.

“I also love to push the boat out in producing beautiful home-baked and hand-decorated birthday cakes for residents. The job satisfaction is immense.”

White Care Group is a third generation, family-run business with three care homes across Somerset supporting individuals with dementia, elderly care requirements, disabilities, and other complex care needs.