Compass Group UK & Ireland’s Healthcare division has teamed up with Dr Rupy Aujla of ‘The Doctor's Kitchen’ to bring a fresh, vibrant and healthy pop-up food concept to five of its partner hospitals’ Wellspring Restaurants. The one-week trial at each hospital aims to benefit staff and visitors.
Dr Rupy Aujla is an NHS GP who inspires and educates people about the beauty of food and the medicinal impact of eating well. He creates healthy and delicious recipes, using carefully selected ingredients, alongside clinical research to formulate his meals.
After gaining popularity with his online blog, he started the Doctor’s Kitchen Podcast, which now has over 12 million downloads and he has written three bestselling books including a Sunday Times bestseller.
The project kicked off at The Royal Surrey County Hospital’s Wellspring Restaurant, followed by Addenbrookes. The events saw delicious and healthy recipes served and Dr Rupy coming along to talk to those working within the restaurants, as well as the hospital staff.
The pop-up events will now go to Barnet, Northwick Park and Bradford hospitals.
The unique food concept includes a range of fresh and seasonal salads made at the counter, as well as curries and stews - all packed with diverse fresh ingredients and wonderful flavours. Dr Rupy worked closely alongside Compass Healthcare’s team to formulate the menus on offer.
Dr Rupy shared, “Compass’ Healthcare team and I share a joint vision of creating amazing menus, with a focus on healthy options and this trial brings it to life brilliantly. The hospital restaurant is the perfect platform to educate both visitors and staff about the importance of nutritional medicine and how healthy eating can taste absolutely delicious.
'I loved meeting the teams delivering the pop-up concepts so far and I was super impressed with their delivery. I’m committed to making sure that this trial is a success, which hopefully paves the way for a long-term partnership with Compass Healthcare.”
Russell Blake, Compass Group UK & Ireland – Healthcare MD, noted, “The past few years has seen a true emphasis on health and wellbeing and we all know that eating balanced and nutritious meals is vital.
'Dr Rupy is able to take this a step further by supporting people with in-depth and insightful knowledge of varied ingredients, explaining their health benefits. The staff and visitor restaurants are important in hospitals and this project is bringing an innovative spin on the work we already do with our partners.”
The Compass Healthcare team provide hospital food at 23 NHS Trusts across the UK, through the Steamplicity offer. The team also work with 75 NHS Trusts operating over 200 retail outlets and visitor restaurants.