Food has a direct influence on how people feel and perform. Nutrition sits at the heart of the catering approach within OCS and Angel Hill Food Co., shaping how menus are created, refined and delivered. To explore this in more detail, Amy Teichman, Head of Nutrition, explains how collaboration, flexibility and practical improvements help create food that supports wellbeing.
Working Together to Create Food That Makes a Difference
Healthier food begins with strong teamwork. Nutrition and culinary colleagues work closely from the earliest stages of menu development, sharing ideas and shaping dishes together. This joint approach ensures every recipe balances flavour, practicality and nutritional value.
Amy’s background as both a chef and a nutritionist helps bridge concept and delivery. She understands the pressures of a busy kitchen along with the evidence behind good nutrition. This means she can support chefs to design dishes that taste good, can be produced consistently across different sites, and offer improved nutritional outcomes.
Her guiding principle is clear: provide food people enjoy, while quietly strengthening its nutritional profile.
“Small changes have big impacts. Getting enough fibre is one of the easiest ways to improve health, so we look for opportunities to build it into everyday dishes.”
Amy Teichman
Head of Nutrition
Continuous Learning in the Kitchen
Development chefs across Angel Hill bring curiosity and commitment to their work. They test new ideas, refine techniques and look for ways to enhance the eating experience. Their focus on continuous improvement supports high-quality delivery across the estate.
This mindset extends beyond the development kitchen. Development chefs work alongside on-site colleagues, sharing skills, encouraging creativity and offering practical guidance. This inclusive approach reflects a culture where colleagues feel supported to develop and where shared learning leads to better outcomes for customers and communities.
Why Flexibility Matters in Foodservice
Flexibility is a core part of Angel Hill’s catering approach. Every site has different needs, and menus must reflect the people who use them. A 24-hour manufacturing environment has different expectations to a daytime office, and school communities vary in their eating habits.
Menus are adapted to fit each location. This approach takes planning, but it reduces waste, supports creativity and leads to food that suits the people being served. It also helps chefs maintain ownership of their work, which is important in a competitive recruitment market.
A Stronger Focus on Nutritional Quality
Much of Amy’s work centres on reshaping dishes so they work harder for people’s health. Rather than removing choice, the nutrition team explores ways to enhance familiar meals.
This could mean adding whole grains to provide slow-release energy, incorporating pulses to increase fibre or exploring blended proteins that reduce saturated fat while maintaining taste. The focus is always on whole foods, practical changes and habits people can sustain.
Examples such as a mixed seed and berry flapjack show this approach in action. While still a sweet option, it offers fibre, micronutrients and steady energy – making it a more balanced choice than many alternatives. The aim is not perfection, but progress.
Partnerships That Strengthen Knowledge and Choice
Angel Hill strengthens its nutritional impact through long-standing partnerships. The British Nutrition Foundation delivers annual e-learning for chef managers, supporting colleagues to understand the real effect of ingredients such as salt, oils and fats on health.
Partnerships with Eat Curious and William White’s help create blended products that make it easier for sites to serve dishes with more plant protein and fewer saturated fats. In education, the team works with Veg Power to encourage children to explore vegetables in fun, engaging ways. These collaborations give colleagues practical tools that support healthier, more confident cooking.
Together, colleagues across nutrition and culinary teams are shaping food experiences that support wellbeing and reflect the needs of each site. By combining expertise, shared learning and a flexible approach, we continue to create environments where people can eat well and feel their best.
