Foodservice Cateys 2024: Rising Star Award – Idrees Anwar, NHS Supply Chain: Food

Idrees Anwar has triumphed in the Rising Star Award category due to his outstanding contributions as lead dietitian at NHS Supply Chain: Food. His innovative approach to improving hospital food standards, making the world of dietetics accessible to all, and his exceptional collaboration skills with stakeholders in the NHS exemplify the qualities of a rising star in the healthcare industry.

Over the past 12 months, Anwar has consistently demonstrated exceptional passion and dedication to his role in promoting health and nutrition for the NHS. His dedication to his work is evident in his efforts to support and educate chefs, caterers, dietitians and staff and provide tailored guidance to ensure they are well-equipped to provide the best nutrition to their trust demographic, whether that’s presented at culinary events such as the Chef’s Academy or by engaging with trusts on a one-to-one basis to help design and create recipes that are both delicious and nutritious.

Anwar has created two culinary concepts, Grab and Go and Children’s Feeding. Grab and Go aims to provide healthy, ready-to-eat meals for busy NHS staff, visitors and  patients for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with options such as yogurt, fruit pots and salads. It emphasises fresh, balanced meals that are easily accessible for everyone and provides 24/7 nourishment. Meanwhile, Children’s Feeding focuses on providing nutritious and enjoyable meals for patients for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert as well as snacks.

The team have also launched a cookbook – More Please: A Guide to Feeding our Future – which includes all the children’s recipes as well as insights on portion sizes, dealing with picky eaters and out of hours snacking. Anwar played a pivotal role in the creation of these concepts from start to finish, ensuring every recipe was nutritionally analysed as well as providing insights and trends from the field. He continues to influence the ranges, which include seven other concepts, from plant-based cooking to worldwide dishes, ensuring they are up to date with the latest nutrition standards.

Anwar also stands out for his contributions to education and professional development for the next generation. Not only does he help educate the NHS workforce, but he also engages with wider institutions, offering experiences and education to student dietitians as well as presenting at lectures and conferences.

His efforts to share his expertise and inspire the next generation highlight his dedication and passion for making a lasting impact in healthcare and for the NHS. His collaborations with trusts as well as recognised institutions are a testament to his exceptional skill and brilliant reputation in the field that he has built for himself in such a short time.

His extensive support for various initiatives and his proactive engagement in the NHS and beyond truly highlight what it means to be a rising star.

What the judges said

“Idrees has one of the most difficult and technically challenging jobs in the NHS, balancing patients’ medical and dietary on one side and the supply chain on the other. He is the glue for food concept ideas in the NHS supply chain.”

Raouf Mansour

See previous winners of the award here