For many of us, preparing a meal for a dinner party of five or six people can be a daunting task, but the scale at which meals are prepared in an organisation such as the North West Wales NHS Trust is phenomenal.

The Trusts largest catering facility is at Ysbyty Gwynedd where food is traditionally prepared and cooked for over five hundred patients, three times per day. Additionally at least one thousand staff members and visitors are catered for in our Dining Room.

The Dining Room is open:

Breakfast:        8.00 am - 10.30 am

Lunch:           11.30 am -   2.00 pm

Supper:           5.00 pm -   7.00 pm

(Vending options will be available outside these hours for refreshments)

There is reduced facility on Christmas Day and New Years Day.

Llandudno General Hospital and our Community Hospitals also have their own kitchens where again food is traditionally prepared and cooked.

In order to encourage patients to eat well in hospital the Trust endeavors to provide both variety and choice in the daily menu. For lunch and evening meals we offer four hot meal options as well as a choice of sandwiches and a salad.

In order to provide 28 wards in Ysbyty Gwynedd with hot wholesome food the catering department operates a ‘batch cooking’ system. Food is freshly prepared and cooked in 32 portion batches ready for serving prior to delivery to the wards.

Nutrition is often an important part of recovery for patients and good nutrition starts with good quality ingredients. The Catering Department works closely with other NHS and external bodies to ensure that good quality ingredients are sourced and supplied. We are proud to say that wherever possible we work with local producers to obtain our supplies. This has been clearly demonstrated recently with the introduction "Welsh Beef" on our menus. All of our major use commodities are purchased through NHS contracts and we monitor and review every item for the duration of the contract. To assist us in this task we employ the expertise of other specialists such as hygiene inspectors and the meat and livestock commission.

From time to time the Trusts Catering Departments hold "theme days" where special meals are prepared to mark a particular date or event such as St David’s Day, Valentines Day, Halloween etc. Important events throughout the year are also celebrated i.e. pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, hot-cross buns at Easter and of course the traditional Christmas Dinner.

The Dining Room at Ysbyty Gwynedd has a "Children’s Area" a safe clean play area where children visiting the hospital can let of steam while Mum and Dad enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Many staff within the hospital make use of this facility particularly in the evenings when a working parent can enjoy a meal with their family during their work break.