North Tyneside Council has been shortlisted for a national award that highlights foodservice and catering across the UK – the highest acknowledgement of merit that can be awarded from within the foodservice industry.
The council’s catering services team has been shortlisted for Team of the Year at this year’s Cost Sector Catering Awards, which is taking place on 31 March in London.
The team of the year award recognises how getting a group of individuals working to collective aims and objectives can achieve amazing results. Judges were looking for demonstrable collaborative success, particularly in improvements to the service and customer experience and covers teams working in contract catering or self delivered operations in the private and public sector.
The shortlist for the award recognises the achievements of the North Tyneside Council catering service team over the past year.
The team produces good quality and nutritious meals, delivers value for money service to schools and provides substantial and detailed procurement checks relating to supplier accountability, risk and business continuity. And as a result, despite competition from similar private catering providers, North Tyneside schools continue to renew their partnership with the council year after year, with schools from outside the borough also choosing to award their catering contracts to North Tyneside Council.
There has also been an ongoing focus on developing and retaining staff, offering support and learning to employees. North Tyneside Council’s catering service team has also worked closely with schools to support students and offer them work placements to enable them to gain some initial experience in the catering industry.
Barbara Patterson, Catering Services Manager at North Tyneside Council, said: “We are delighted to be shortlisted for this national industry award. As a local authority caterer our emphasis is on putting our customer satisfaction levels at the top of our list of priorities. Our whole team has worked tirelessly to ensure children and young people have a catering service to be proud of.”
Michelle Murphy, Executive Headteacher at Burnside Business & Enterprise College, said: “I am absolutely delighted that the quality of the offer is excellent at all times. Feedback from students and staff is equally impressive and I have witnesses an increase in the uptake of meals.
“The partnership between school and catering services was an integral part of the whole process to change students’ perception and food choices at Burnside. Students now have a service to be proud of and have a full range of high quality meals to choose from”.
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