Date: 19 November 2006 09:06

LEADING COUNTY COUNCILLOR GOES DOOR TO DOOR WITH NEW HOME MEALS SERVICE

Cabinet Member Councillor John Reynolds has been out and about to see for 
himself a new home meals delivery service just introduced by Cambridgeshire 
County Council.

 The County Council recently signed a new three-year deal with Apetito who 
will deliver the nutritionally balanced two course meals to some 450 service 
users throughout Cambridgeshire via a network of three franchisees operating 
as Wiltshire Farm Foods.

Users of the service will be able to choose from a menu containing 40 
different main meals, 15 vegetarian dishes, 28 hot and 12 cold desserts. 
Specialist or ethnic diets can also be provided. Each two-course meal costs 
£3.15.

The meals are delivered frozen on a fortnightly basis and the County 
Councilwill also supply microwaves and tabletop freezers if required.

John Reynolds joined Andrew Macgillivray from Wiltshire Farm Foods as he 
made a delivery to 90-year-old Cyril Jeeps at his home in a village on the 
edge of Cambridge.

 Councillor Reynolds said: "The meals are excellent value for money and of 
extremely high quality and variety. I've tried the food myself and I thought 
it was first class. There is a wide choice of dishes - both main courses and 
desserts - and specialist diets can also be catered for.

"By careful negotiation with the new supplier we have also been able to 
secure this first class service and at the same time cut the cost of 
providing the service over the next three years by around £250,000, money 
which can be ploughed back into other support services provided by the 
County Council."

Joanne Lawrence, Catering Consultant at Apetito added: "We have worked 
closely with Cambridgeshire County Council to provide the best possible 
service through Wiltshire Farm Foods, with the right menu choice at the 
right cost.

"Our meals are frozen at the point of preparation so the flavour and 
nutrition is locked in to offer all the taste and goodness our customers 
expect.  We firmly believe that the service we will provide to 
Cambridgeshire hits the mark in terms of nutritious, quality food, 
professionally delivered, which we hope will really be enjoyed. Our job is 
to keep ensuring that great tasting, nutritious meals are the order of the 
day."

John Reynolds