The new reference book, created specifically for healthcare chefs, builds on the progress since the NHS Hospital Food Review (2020) and is the second major educational resource produced by The Chefs’ Forum for the sector.
Over the past year, The Chefs’ Forum collaborated with NHS catering specialists to deliver a nationwide series of practical workshops aimed at shaping and improving the second edition. The initiative brought together expertise from across the NHS food value chain, turning it into practical, sustainable, and resilient menu solutions for hospital kitchens.
Phil Shelley, national lead for food at NHS England and project lead, commented: “The Healthcare Chefs’ Knowledge 2: Eating The Rainbow covers everything healthcare chefs and stakeholders need to know about modern hospital food practices and the positive changes being made, with a particular focus on sustainability and creating healthy, nutritious menus.
“It will be a valuable resource for chefs and caterers to explore and learn from. We are very excited to collaborate with The Chefs’ Forum team to engage our chefs and stakeholders, highlight their excellent work, and collectively produce something highly beneficial for everyone working in hospital kitchens.”
The new book serves as a crucial guide for NHS chefs, showcasing 100 carbon-conscious recipes aimed at aiding patient recovery while advancing environmental sustainability. It emphasises nutrients and their health benefits and provides practical advice on how these can be incorporated to enhance hospital menus.
Five regional workshops, organised by The Chefs’ Forum, were held at leading culinary colleges across England. These included the Food Works SW in Weston-Super-Mare, University College Birmingham, and the University of West London.
Each workshop invited NHS chefs, catering managers, and dietitians to collaborate in creating content for the book. The sessions explored carbon reduction, sustainable menu design, and new techniques to set higher standards for hospital catering across the country.
Alexandra Hammond, associate director, net zero and sustainable procurement, NHS England, added: “This book provides an excellent opportunity for the entire NHS food value chain to come together and contribute to shaping the book and the national approach to net zero. It is based on real ground-level experience and the ideas of teams on what they believe is achievable over the next five years.
“There is learning from all sides and new collaborations forming between groups that might not usually meet. We hope everyone who attends the book launch takes away at least one practical idea they can implement in their Trust, hospital, catering company, or food suppliers to make the NHS food offering more sustainable. In turn, this should also make it more resilient and cost-efficient.”
The book was officially launched on 14th October 2025 at Pillars Restaurant, University of West London, where chefs, caterers, suppliers, and stakeholders gathered to celebrate the achievement and preview this vital new resource.