While the general public may not be able to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the traditional way this year, celebrations in care homes will still be going ahead.
These annual occasions are more important than ever in care settings. They help bring residents together and spread love and happiness in what is a very difficult time.
If you’re a caterer working in care and are looking for inspiration for your Valentine’s Day celebration, then take a look at the five suggestions below:
1. Get Nostalgic with Music and Pictures
To evoke happy memories amongst your residents, you could put on an afternoon or evening of listening to popular love songs from throughout the years. To make the occasion even more special, you could ask residents to bring out photos of loved ones, or even give them old postcards or retro memorabilia to look through.
2. Serve a 3 Course Meal
Create a special 3 course menu for residents to offer them something a little different to what they’re used to. You could decorate your dining areas with love themed decorations and even give all the female residents a rose.
If you’re thinking of designing a menu to be printed and would like some assistance, then please contact our marketing team at marketing@birchallfoodservice.co.uk. They can design menus and provide templates.
3. Get Creative
Stimulate your residents by asking them to create Valentine’s Day decorations (you could put these up if you have a special dinner) or design Valentine’s Day cards. You could create a bit of competition by giving out a trophy or prize to the resident that puts together the best card or decoration.
4. Watch Video Messages from Relatives
As ‘virtual’ visits are being encouraged in care homes, you could ask relatives and friends of residents to send in pre-recorded messages. These videos could then be played on a TV or big screen for all the residents to watch.
5. Hold a Heart/Love Themed Cake & Coffee Morning
Nothing brings people together quite like cake and coffee, so consider putting on a coffee morning for your residents. The cakes could all have a red element to match the Valentine’s theme and you could even bake cakes in the shape of love hearts. To further involve the residents, it might be a good idea to ask them to decorate some of the cakes with icing, marshmallows, choc chips etc.
If you’re looking for red cakes for your celebrations, then here are some suggestions. Call 01282 429446 to order.
HCC Red Velvet Cake
1 x 14pp - 061508153
"A red vanilla sponge with a hint of cocoa, topped with vanilla cream cheese icing and a sprinkling of the red sponge crumb."
LHC Raspberry Pink GinJam Cake
1 x 14pp - 061508218
"A light Genoise sponge loaded with raspberries, with a layer of raspberry jam laced with pink gin, filled with a second layer of raspberry cream, finished with hand-piped raspberry cream, decorated with a raspberry glaze."
Sidoli Gluten Free Luxury Strawberry Cheesecake
1 x 12pp - 061512084
"A round gluten free biscuit base with baked luxury cheesecake topped with glazed strawberries."