Staff and residents from Barchester’s Brookfield Care Home in Lymm and Westvale House Care Home in Old Hall are celebrating their Regional Directors competing in the Barchester Charitable Foundation Cook Off 2025.
Melissa Harker and Clare Mudge went head to head with the Regional Directors from Barchester’s four other divisions and cooked up a storm to raise a phenomenal £31,000 for Barchester’s Charitable Foundation which helps connect vulnerable people and those living with a disability to community groups in their local area by providing grants to improve mobility and quality of life. Each year the Foundation distributes thousands of pounds to individuals, small community groups and charities across England, Scotland and Wales. In 2024 the Foundation achieved a donation milestone of £335,000 which enabled the charity to provide vital help to 239 small groups and charities, plus 104 individuals in one year alone.
Melissa and Clare made a delicious three course meal for their Cook Off Challenge, plus afternoon tea items. To start they prepared Black Pudding & Apple Stack, followed by Pork Loin with red pepper mayo and baby roast potatoes and then Easter Cheesecake for dessert complete with mini eggs, all of which were very well received by the judging panel made up members of Barchester’s Executive team. Their afternoon tea items were incredibly moreish sausage rolls, with a brie and cranberry veggie version. They were pipped at the post but highly commended by the judges none the less and won the Best Dessert award for their delicious cheesecake.
General Manager of Brookfield care home, Sarah Nolan said: “We are all so proud of Clare & Melissa for taking part in this challenge, they really are both amazing. Their dishes looked absolutely fantastic and they raised so much for the Foundation, we think they are absolute super stars!
