University’s catering service shortlisted in Health Eating Workplace Category of the Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards

The University of Northampton’s university-run catering provision, known as Fuel, has been shortlisted in the Healthy Eating Workplace Category in the Northamptonshire Food & Drink Awards.

This is the first time the Healthy Eating Workplace Category has been represented in the prestigious awards, and the University of Northampton is proud to have been shortlisted. Winners will be revealed at an Awards Dinner Thursday, 16 October 2014 at the Royal and Derngate when all will be revealed.

The University of Northampton’s catering provision provides for 2,700 staff, 10,000 full-time students and 4,500 part-time students across Park and Avenue Campuses. The food is prepared in-house by the University’s team of highly qualified chefs, who strive to produce a wide range of menu options to suit the tastes and requirements of all staff and students. The University’s catering policy is simple: to offer a wide range of options, all prepared in the healthiest way possible.

The restaurant, providing a range of hot and cold food including breakfast, fast food items and healthy main meals, alongside a salad and fresh fruit bar. In addition, there are several Fuel Café’s at both campuses, serving premium coffee from illy alongside a wide range of cold drinks and ‘grab and go’ food including paninis, sweet treats and healthy snacks.

Wendy Nikolaidis, Head of Commercial Services, commented: “We are proud to be shortlisted in such a prestigious award! We work hard to provide a variety of healthy options for our staff and students, and our salad bar is particularly popular, offering a selection of freshly prepared items. We carefully monitor feedback from our staff and students to ensure that we are meeting their needs and we cater for a full range of dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options. In fact all of our chefs have been trained by the Vegetarian Society.”

Wendy continued: “Over the last few years, our catering team have made a staggering change to the food we offer to staff and students and how it is served. 18 months ago the team at Park restaurant sold over 180kgs of chips almost every day. They now serve around 80kgs of chips on the busiest days, with no drop in the number of customers.

This has been achieved by tempting staff and students with healthy options before they reach the decision to buy a less nutritious product. We ensure that the unhealthiest items are last on the servery, meaning that every customer has to walk past a variety of healthy, nutritious options before making a decision.”

​For further information regarding the Awards, visit: http://www.northamptonshirefoodanddrink.co.uk/