Chefs bake Solent shortbread for day of celebration

Tucked away in the kitchens of a Southampton hospital, a secret production line has been making hundreds of shortbread biscuits.

More precisely, nearly 4,500 – one for every member of staff at Solent NHS Trust.

Our award-winning Catering team whipped up the buttery biccies for colleagues to enjoy as part of the organisation’s Celebration Day on Wednesday 5 June.

Funded by Solent NHS Trust Charity, the sweet treats were then packed and delivered by volunteers from our Estates team to more than 30 locations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Naz Ahmed, Assistant Catering Manager, who led the production line at Western Community Hospital, said: “It has been a real team effort.

“Our Catering staff baked batches of biscuits whenever there has been a spare moment. These were later decorated before being individually wrapped, labelled and boxed up for delivery.”

The project, codenamed Operation Biscuit, took over the hospital conservatory for two days while the shortbread was bagged and marked up for transporting to our hospitals, health buildings and offices.

Three different kinds were produced – some with traditional sugar sprinkled on top and others iced, either with a zig zag decoration or the NHS logo.

Mark Young, Deputy Director of Estates and Facilities, said: “Once again our brilliant Catering team has pulled out the stops. We are grateful to the Solent NHS Trust Charity for funding these biscuits and hope they will be enjoyed by everyone.”

The shortbread was baked as part of Solent Celebration Day, a virtual event to mark the best bits of the organisation before it joins forces to become Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.