What’s on the menu at Drymmau Hall?
We count ourselves very lucky indeed that we have a talented Team of chefs here at Drymmau Hall. Grażyna is our Head Chef, along with Kate as Sous, running their wonderful team of Kitchen Assistants, Marc, Lisa and Anneka. They are truly part of our extended family.
The Team is responsible for the varied and quality nutrition that is so important to Drymmau Hall’s philosophy that, you are what you eat, and equally important, satisfies our residents’ individual dietary requirements and taste buds which is no mean feat!
In line with Drymmau Hall being a home in the truest sense, Grażyna’s passion is for wholesome, seasonal, home-cooked recipes. Her repertoire is amazing, being handed down to her from both her grandmother and grandfather when she lived in Poland.
Grażyna and her Team take charge of menu planning for the week, managing budget, nutrition needs, and residents’ choices. She is in charge of balancing what goes down well with what is good for people! In addition to the ‘main menu’ she oversees the preparation of purified food, soft foods for those with swallowing problems, as well as taking into account allergies and vegan and vegetarian options. You could say without doubt that Grażyna is a multi-tasker extraordinaire and is in her element in the kitchen.
She uses only the best ingredients, sometimes from our very own kitchen garden, or from local quality supplier, Castell Hywel Foods. Making cakes is her forte (her chocolate cake with cream is to die for as is the carrot cake and cheese cake) but she knows that people can’t unfortunately live by cake alone so she whips up other delights that are firm favourites with the residents including, garlic mushrooms, cheese and potato pie, speciality quiches, cottage pie and on Fridays, battered fish and chips! Grażyna understands that these familiar comfort foods are food for the soul and give residents emotional anchoring.
Sometimes, she works with our Drymmau Hall Activities’ Coordinator, Leila, providing simple recipes for the residents to get hands-on experience of making their own cakes, rissoles, or Drymmau Hall’s famous Scotch Eggs, the recipe which we are happy to share:
Drymmau Hall famous Scotch Eggs (makes 4)
Ingredients
5 large eggs from the Drymmau Hall hens
400g (about 14 oz) sausage meat
Mustard leaves and coriander for the Drymmau Hall kitchen garden polytunnel
Salt and pepper
Plain flour
Breadcrumbs
Oil for deep frying
Method
Put 4 eggs in a pan of cold water, bring to the boil, cook 7-9 mins. Cool in cold water, peel and dry.
Mix sausage meat with coriander and mustard leaves, salt, and pepper. Divide into 4 balls and flatten into patties.
Wrap each egg completely in a sausage patty.
Put some flour in a bowl, beat the remaining egg in another, breadcrumbs in a third.
Roll each wrapped egg in flour, then in beaten egg, and finally, breadcrumbs.
Deep fry at 170-180 degrees C for about 6-8 mins until golden and the sausage is cooked,
Drain on paper towels and serve warm or cold.
Catering for our twenty-nine residents is not for the faint-hearted and Grażyna does it with a smile and great skill, a typical day looking something like this:
08.00 Breakfast is available from this time but can be taken at any time to suit the residents. The breakfast trolley goes out into the dining room and residents can choose from a selection of cereals, porridge, toast and jams, or scrambled eggs.
N.B. Every other Monday, Grażyna or Kate cook a special brunch menu which includes everything from a classic big breakfast with bacon, hash browns and black pudding to a range of purified and soft foods that are just as delicious.
11.45 The lunch trolley begins serving just before noon, lunch and a sweet being the main meal of the day and offering a huge range of nutritious and creative menus from Grażyna. Just like the best of hotels, room service is also available!
15.45 It’s teatime and the trolley comes from the kitchen ready to serve a selection of homemade soups and sandwiches and a hot dish such as cheese and potato pie or a chicken wrap.
19.00 Supper is served from now on for those who are hungry, providing fresh sandwiches and cakes,
As you can see, we never go hungry at Drymmau Hall. Neither are we ever bored with the food. Thanks to Grażyna and the Team, our residents are always eager for the next meal and Grazyna’s love on a plate! How lucky are we to have you, Grażyna!