In-House Catering Support

Running your own catering gives you control of the food, the team and the margin. It also makes you the caterer, with everything that entails: food safety law, nutrition standards, staffing, purchasing and marketing. In-house teams deserve the same professional support a contractor's area manager would provide, without the overhead.

I work with in-house catering departments throughout the year, building sound food safety systems, developing menus that meet the School Food Standards and that children actually choose, and mentoring catering managers so improvement continues between visits. For schools considering bringing catering back in-house, I provide an honest feasibility assessment first, then hands-on support through the transition.

What’s included

• Feasibility assessment for bringing catering in-house, with realistic costs
• Transition support covering TUPE, registrations, purchasing and equipment
• Food safety management systems and HACCP documentation
• Registration and liaison with the local authority and food safety bodies
• Menu development and compliance with the School Food Standards
• Training and mentoring for catering managers and kitchen teams
• Kitchen audits with practical, prioritised actions
• Marketing and uptake support, from theme days to presentation and communication

How it works

1. 01

   Assess

   Whether you already run in-house catering or are considering it, we start with an honest picture of the current position: capability, compliance, cost and quality.

2. 02

   Build the foundations

   Food safety systems, registrations, menu compliance and purchasing arrangements are put on a solid footing first. Everything else stands on these.

3. 03

   Develop the team

   A programme of visits through the year combines auditing with mentoring: training where it is needed, and support for your catering manager to lead confidently.

4. 04

   Grow the service

   With the foundations secure, the focus turns to uptake, quality and financial performance: a service families choose, at a cost the school can sustain.