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  • Lunchtime at Chailey Heritage Foundation

Lunchtime at Chailey Heritage Foundation

07 January 2024

The way the young people receive their meal here at Chailey Heritage Foundation is entirely individualised on the needs and abilities of each child, considering each young person’s abilities, medical needs, and dietary requirements.

Choice and independence for the young people is something we thrive to achieve at Chailey, and each young person is given that choice of what they want to eat every day!

Lesleigh, our chef, cooks and preps all the food in the specialty kitchen, and Jenny has the skillful role of learning about each young person and ensures the ‘blending to level’ of their meals lines up to their individual needs.

Blending to level is taking the young person’s abilities and ensuring that they all receive the appropriate nutrition and support to promote their health and well-being.

Here are some of the ways the young people receive their food:

  • Mealtime support – The team will necessarily support and supervision to eat safely and comfortably.
  • Feeding Assistance – Many of the children can eat through their mouths will help from a care giver, adapted utensils or assistive technology.
  • Blended Diet – There are 3 different plated ways the young people can be served their food; Whole, Smaller chunks, puree.
  • Tube feeding - Some children may have feeding tubes in place due to difficulties with swallowing, gastrointestinal issues, or other medical reasons. These tubes deliver nutrition directly into the stomach or intestines, bypassing the need for swallowing
  • Specialized Diets: Children with specific dietary requirements or medical conditions may follow specialized diets tailored to their needs. This could include diets that are texture-modified, allergen-free, or tailored to manage conditions like diabetes or metabolic disorders.

Once cooked and blended to the appropriate level, the dish is then triple checked before going out as individually labelled and detailed meals with their names printed on to each class. They are then given to each young person so they can enjoy their tasty lunch!

Meal types
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