Residents at Caring Communities’ luxury Latimer Lodge care home on Preston Road are treated to fine dining every day, thanks to Yeovil-born executive chef Mathieu Eke.
‘Seared Queen Scallops with Pomegranate, Baby Coriander Leaves, Blood Oranges & Salmon Caviar’, ‘Poached Fillet of Halibut with Samphire, Crayfish Cake, Minted Pea Purée & Pesto Beurre Blanc’ and ‘Individual Caramelised Apple Egg Custard Tarts with Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream’ are just some of the mouth-watering dishes served up my Mat and his chef team at Latimer Lodge as he sets the standard for Caring Communities ever-increasing portfolio of properties in the south-west.
Having first cut his culinary teeth role alongside celebrity chef James Martin under the direction of Anthony Worrall Thompson at 190 Queensgate – one of the most popular restaurants on the London foodie circuit in the nineties, Mathieu worked under Phil Vickery at Brazz in Taunton before transforming the Helyar Arms in East Coker into a gourmet eatery, deserving of two AA rosettes as well as an entry into the Independent’s top 50 gastro pubs in the UK in 2015.
Mat was awarded the position at Caring Communities earlier this year, following a Ready Steady Cook style ‘cook off’ against other shortlisted chefs in the presence of the Caring Communities Board. Mat won hands down. Commenting he said: ‘It’s a really exciting venture which presents unprecedented opportunities and challenges. It’s about giving this generation daily dishes that really appeal to their palates but ensuring that it’s delivered with the use of premium ingredients, locally sourced wherever possible and with a 5 star presentation.’
Mat has been given the green light to build a kitchen garden on the Caring Communities’ Yeovil site on Preston Road where he plans to grow a number of his own ingredients including edible flowers, herbs and tomatoes. ‘It not only ensures food provenance for the residents but it will also help to keep their appetites healthy by bringing them right to the beginning of the food chain’.
Steve Twigg, Marketing Director for Caring Communities is delighted to welcome Mat on Board. ‘Caring Communities is about luxury living and that 5 star approach needs to pervade every area of our offering – in particular the dining experience which is an area often neglected in the residential care sector. Matt has the proven expertise to deliver our exacting catering objectives across all of our facilities.’