19 Oct 2026 Community

Garden to plate The Kirkwood’s Kitchen brings the flavours of Autumn to life

As the seasons change across Kirklees, the kitchen team with The Kirkwood are embracing everything autumn has to offer, creating warming, comforting dishes using fresh seasonal produce, including ingredients grown just metres away in The Kirkwood’s own gardens.

Led by Head Chef Matthew Horsfield, the catering team carefully plans menus around the changing seasons, while ensuring the individual tastes, appetites and nutritional needs of the people in The Kirkwood’s care remain at the heart of every dish.

For Matthew, autumn provides an opportunity to introduce familiar favourites, warming flavours and dishes designed to bring comfort as the colder weather arrives. He said: “Our new autumn menu is a collection of comforting, seasonal dishes, with a real focus on making the most of the produce available at this time of year. As the days become cooler, we wanted to introduce more warming and comforting dishes, including homemade soups, hearty main courses and traditional warm puddings.

“Seasonality plays a big part in the menu. We look at what produce is at its best and build dishes around those ingredients, while also considering what our patients enjoy and what will provide them with familiar, comforting meals. Developing a seasonal menu is a real team effort. Ideas are discussed and dishes are tested and adapted before they make it onto the final menu. We want our food to be nutritious and high quality, but equally important is making sure it looks and tastes appealing and brings a sense of comfort and enjoyment.”

One of the things Matthew is particularly passionate about is making use of produce grown in The Kirkwood’s gardens. Working alongside The Kirkwood’s dedicated gardening volunteers, the kitchen has benefited from a bumper harvest this year, with fresh ingredients regularly making the short journey from garden to plate.

“Seasonality drives the menu,” Matthew said. “At this time of year, the vibrant colours of summer give way to autumn root vegetables and slow braised comfort dishes. Our gardeners have had a bumper harvest this year, allowing us to create several dishes for patients and staff using ingredients grown right here in our gardens, which is something I am very passionate about.

“With the help of our wonderful gardening volunteers, produce is carefully rotated and planned around the changing seasons. We now have herbs growing all year round too, which is amazing because each season comes with its own set of flavours.”

It has been a particularly successful growing year, with the kitchen receiving fresh produce from the gardens twice each week. He continued: “This has been our best year to date, as our gardening team continues to grow and supply the kitchen with lots of different ingredients. Twice a week we receive a wonderful selection of vegetables, herbs, salad leaves, fruit and edible flowers. On those days, much of that produce will be used the very same day for lunch service. For a chef, being able to receive freshly picked, organic vegetables in the morning and then use them for lunchtime service is a dream.”

That commitment to fresh, quality produce extends beyond the gardens, with the kitchen team building strong relationships with trusted suppliers. The Kirkwood’s meat is supplied by Sykes House Farm, which sources Yorkshire produce wherever possible, he added: “They have been supplying us for a good few years and use local Yorkshire meat wherever possible. The lamb and beef in particular are superb quality.”

While Huddersfield's geography makes sourcing truly local seafood somewhat more challenging, the team aims to use British fish wherever possible, including varieties such as mackerel and plaice. Fish is supplied through Huddersfield-based fish merchant Sailbrand. For Matthew and his team, knowing where ingredients have come from and using fresh, high-quality produce is an important part of providing the standard of food they want for the people in The Kirkwood’s care.

Creating a seasonal menu, however, is only one part of the kitchen team’s role. Every person receiving The Kirkwood’s care is different, and illness, medication and treatment can have a significant impact on appetite, taste and the ability to eat. It means the catering team needs to be flexible, adapting meals and portion sizes to each individual rather than simply serving what appears on a menu.

Matthew continued: “Creating patient meals is far more complicated than making restaurant meals. There are many different factors that can affect a person’s tastes, needs and dietary requirements. Medication can cause strange tastes, while we also need to consider things like texture, a person’s ability to swallow, increased nutritional needs, reduced appetites and portion sizes. Patients may only feel they can eat small amounts, so we must make sure that every mouthful is perfect. We spend time talking to patients before every meal because their needs can change daily. I know the catering staff find that personal interaction a very rewarding part of their job.”

Feedback is important too. Rather than Matthew picking one or two standout dishes from the new autumn offering, he says the team takes pride in everything it serves. He said: “All the dishes have been cooked and planned with care, and we are always proud to serve good, fresh, local food. Our dishes are created through experience, tasting and, importantly, feedback from patients. We are always looking for feedback because it helps us continue improving what we offer.”

The Kirkwood’s kitchen operates a three-week rotating menu, but Matthew is keen to stress that the printed menu is only the beginning. If somebody being cared for has a particular craving or simply fancies something different, the team will do everything possible to make it happen.

He said: “Patient care is at the forefront of what we are trying to achieve through our food offering. We regularly receive high praise from patients and families about the meals, and the catering team is very proud of that. Over time, we have established a team that is incredibly capable and flexible in its approach to meeting our patients’ needs through food. Food holds memories and brings happiness to everyone in some shape or form. Through our daily conversations with patients, we can build relationships and gain a better understanding of exactly how they like to eat.

“We have a set menu that runs on a three-week cycle, but that certainly isn’t where the choices end. We pride ourselves on being able to cook whatever a patient fancies – from beans on toast to a lobster salad and everything in between.”

Whether it is a favourite meal, a familiar pudding or vegetables picked fresh from the garden that morning, food is another way The Kirkwood team can make every day as comfortable and enjoyable as possible for the people in their care.

And as autumn arrives, Matthew and the kitchen team will continue to make the most of everything the season has to offer, bringing together fresh ingredients, skilled cooking and personal touches to create food that does much more than simply fill a plate.