Meal deal!

OLDHAM’s hospital catering team has been crowned the national catering service team of the year.

The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust team produces food for four local hospitals, including the Royal Oldham.

The Hospital Caterers’ Association awards recognise caterers who provide a service above and beyond what might be expected.

The team was one of five finalists invited to the association’s national awards ceremony in Birmingham.

The caterers hit the headlines earlier this year when they joined celebrity-chef James Martin on BBC’s “Operation Hospital Food” show to improve the children’s menu at the Royal Oldham Hospital.

A proud Howard Cartledge, the trust’s catering chief, said: “They constantly strive to provide a first-class service. This national award is recognition of the high standard they set themselves.”

The team also got a pat on the back for its five-star environmental health officer reports.

Pam Miller, the trust’s associate director of facilities, said her team is now keen to be the first ever to win the award two years running.