Hardenhuish School
Hardenhuish Lane
Chippenham
SN14 6RJ
https://www.hardenhuish.wilts.sch.uk/
Client ID Number: AA/00000289
Hardenhuish School
Hardenhuish School is located in beautiful grounds in the heart of Chippenham. There are over 1500 pupils and around 230 staff and the catering team serve around 700-1,000 meals per day for pupils and staff. This number increases on Fridays -Fish and Chip day!! There are 5 food outlets across the school.
The on-site audit, following an application for membership of the Allergen Accreditation Scheme took place on 5th April. Catering Manager Mark Langley met Jacqui McPeake Senior Allergen Advisor who undertook the audit. Mark has worked at Hardenhuish for 7 years and the catering is now managed by the in-house team which comprises of 12 team members. Mark has 2 Chefs to support him in producing the meals and managing the department.
It was very clear during our discussions that Mark and his team manage dietary requests really well. The school is a secondary school, and the pupils choose their own meals on a daily basis. There is one pupil with multiple allergies and Mark will communicate with the parent on a weekly basis to ensure that there is always a suitable meal option available. The catering team work closely with Civica which is the EPOS and Back of House System. When the pupils reach the till-all dietary requests are stored on the EPOS database and will highlight if the meal is not suitable. Mark commented that the pupil’s are aware which meals they can have, and his team are very happy to support and advise them. There are clear signs near the counter to encourage pupils or staff members to ask about allergies.
Mark and his team only use a limited number of approved suppliers to reduce the risk of unknown products entering the kitchen. Bidfood is the main supplier for frozen and ambient products. Bidfood have a recipe data management system which Mark uses to store his recipes, ingredient information and allergen information. In order to comply with Natasha’s Law, certain products which fall into the relevant criteria require a label. The ingredient and allergen information from the Bidfood recipe management system will pass information across to the Daymark labelling system, to produce the labels.
Mark is keen to promote the great work that his team are doing, and he is always present on Open Days and Parent’s Evenings to show prospective pupils and parents the range of quality food on offer. Mark is willing to speak to parents on the phone or via email to answer any queries on dietary issues and answer concerns about allergies.
Mark is a trained first aider and there is a Health & First Aid Officer on-site to attend to any medical issues. The kitchen was very organised, and the staff were all working on their tasks to ensure the lunches were ready on time. The fresh meat and vegetables are sourced locally, and the menus offer a fantastic range of offers to suit all tastes.
It was lovely to visit the school and a pleasure to present Mark with the Allergen Accreditation Certificate which can be displayed with pride to show the due care and attention that Mark and his team take when managing food allergens in their kitchens.
Congratulations to Mark and all the team!
