Great care starts with understanding the individual – and that includes what’s on their plate. Recently, Vegetarian for Life delivered a hands-on training session designed to help care home chefs better support older vegans and vegetarians, proving that plant-based catering can be both nourishing and delicious.
The session was led by our Roving Chef, Alex, who worked with a group of executive chefs from Maria Mallaband Care Group. Hosted at RATIONAL’s Delifresh site in Bradford, the day brought together chefs from across the UK to explore how thoughtful catering can make a real difference to residents’ wellbeing.
Understanding the person behind the plate
Alex opened the day by talking about why people choose a vegan or vegetarian diet – from lifelong ethical beliefs to health or cultural reasons.
“Although chefs and care staff do a great job caring for older people, some of the less obvious aspects of someone’s identity – like their beliefs – can be overlooked,” Alex explained.
“We’re not born old. We develop values, preferences and habits over a lifetime. Diet is part of that. Understanding why someone eats the way they do helps us support them properly.”
He also highlighted the importance of teamwork in care catering – from clear food labelling to taking time to talk with residents about their preferences.
“Listening to what people enjoy eating is a sign of a professional carer,” Alex said. “For someone new to a care home, familiar food can be incredibly comforting – it helps them feel welcome and valued.”
Bringing plant-based cooking to life
After the presentation, chefs rolled up their sleeves for a live demonstration, learning how to prepare tofu for a Pad Thai and chocolate pots. Alex explained why tofu deserves a place on every menu – when cooked well.
“Tofu has been around for over a thousand years. It’s high in protein, calcium and fibre, and incredibly versatile. It works in both sweet and savoury dishes – even as a thickener for texture-modified diets,” he said.
“But because it’s flavour-neutral, how you cook it makes all the difference. I wanted to show chefs just how good it can be.”
Even those familiar with tofu were impressed by its adaptability.
Chefs in action
After a short break, participants prepared a range of comforting vegan dishes, including:
As Alex reminded everyone – being vegan shouldn’t mean missing out on the classics.
Why training matters
Investing in staff development benefits everyone – residents and teams alike. Training helps improve confidence, job satisfaction and retention, while ensuring residents receive food that meets both their nutritional needs and personal values.
Vegetarian for Life offers bespoke training for caterers, carers, managers and older people – tailored to your setting and needs.
Accredited Care Home Members are entitled to one free training session per year – and we’ll even come to your site.
Feedback from the day
Maria Mallaband chefs rated the session 'excellent' across content, usefulness and presentation, with comments including:
“A very informative day”
“Demonstrations were excellent”
“Great pace of instruction”
A huge thank you to Nik Llubani from Maria Mallaband and Chris Cullen from RATIONAL for helping coordinate such a successful event.
If you’d like to find out more about our training, please contact VfL on 0161 257 0887 or fill out our online enquiry form here – we’d love to hear from you.
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