Charity Vegetarian for Life is celebrating the impact of its ‘Roving Chefs’ initiative, which has reached over 61,000 individuals in the last three years.
Working with a diverse range of groups – including care homes, community centres, stroke survivor groups, food banks, and older people’s friendship groups – the charity is transforming the accessibility and enjoyment of plant-based food for older adults.
By championing practical cooking skills and fostering community connections, VfL is helping to ensure that older vegans and vegetarians can continue to thrive, regardless of their circumstances.
VfL’s team of four Roving Chefs work closely with a wide variety of organisations, offering hands-on cookery training and expert guidance to improve plant-based meal provision.
Care homes across the UK are recognising the growing demand for plant-based options among their residents. HC-One, which has over 275 care homes, recently partnered with VfL to enhance its vegan and vegetarian menu offerings.
During a dedicated development day, VfL’s Roving Chef Alex Connell led training for HC-One’s chefs and kitchen assistants, introducing innovative plant-based recipes while addressing key nutritional considerations for older adults.
The session helped build confidence among the culinary teams, ensuring they could offer diverse, nutritious, and appealing meals to all residents. Beyond recipe development, the training also covered texture-modified meals, ensuring that residents with specific dietary needs could still enjoy flavourful and nutritious plant-based dishes.
Victoria Meakin, group development chef at HC-One, shared: “We cater for every diet in HC-One care homes, and we have also noticed more and more of our residents choosing to eat less meat and more plant-based foods.
“That’s why giving our chefs the confidence to introduce delicious vegan and vegetarian dishes into our homes not only meets this growing demand but also encourages a more diverse diet and promotes resident wellbeing.”
