Six routes into a Meallmore kitchen

On 2 September 2026, six chefs from Meallmore care homes across Scotland will cook at City of Glasgow College in the final of our annual Meals Means More competition.

Look at how each of them got there and you get a fairly honest picture of what a hospitality career here can look like. From colleagues who began as Kitchen Assistants to chefs with decades of professional experience, the line-up reflects the different routes a career in care hospitality can take.

From Kitchen Assistant to finalist in six years

Emma-Jane joined Meallmore in 2020 as a part-time Kitchen Assistant at Kynnaird House in Fraserburgh. She progressed to a full-time position, then into her current role as Third Cook.

Along the way she has continued developing her technical knowledge through catering training, including the different IDDSI levels and why texture-modified food matters so much for residents who need additional support to eat and drink safely. Alongside that is a genuine love of food: she particularly enjoys baking, experimenting with flavours and trying new recipes.

Reaching the final marks another milestone in a career that began in the very same kitchen just six years ago.

Kitchen Porter, Second Chef, dedicated baker

Eilidh Mason studied fine art and music at college and picked up a cooking job alongside her studies. More than ten years later she has never looked back, moving from Kitchen Porter to Second Chef and now to her role as Antonine House's dedicated baker.

I've always been creative. I studied fine art and music at college and picked up a cooking job while I was there. I just fell in love with cooking. Working at Antonine has given me the resources, confidence and skills to grow professionally. I've been a chef for more than ten years now, going from Kitchen Porter to Second Chef and now a dedicated baker, and I've loved every minute.

Coming into care from another industry

Paul O'Brien has worked in food since he was 16. After an HNC in Professional Cookery he worked in hotels, then moved into oil and gas, where he was Head Chef on the Goldeneye Project and at times catered for more than 400 workers during major shutdown periods.

His career eventually took him into care catering, where he found a very different kind of professional reward. Twenty-seven years later he is part of the team at St Modans and remains as passionate about the job as ever, keeping residents' nutritional needs, preferences and enjoyment at the centre of his cooking.

Head Chefs and defending champions

Dawn Thom is Head Chef at Crimond House. She reached the Meals Means More final in 2025 and was part of the team behind last year's winning Great Meallmore Bake Off entry. For Dawn, great care catering comes down to understanding the people she cooks for, with resident feedback and personal preferences shaping her approach.

Robert Scott of Hilton Court returns as the reigning champion, having taken the 2025 title. He has built his culinary career within a specialist care environment and has a strong understanding of the role food plays in supporting confidence, independence and everyday quality of life.

Kash at Greenan Manor draws inspiration from her own cultural background and experiences, and describes working in care as having changed how she thinks about what happens in a kitchen.

My culinary journey at Greenan Manor is built on passion, dedication and wanting to create a better dining experience for every resident. Food is more than nourishment. It brings comfort, memories, joy and connection.

The development behind the competition

Meals Means More is one part of a wider investment in hospitality. Our Academy of Kitchen Care Excellence provides structured development for culinary colleagues, including specialist training, mentoring, leadership development and opportunities to share best practice.

In 2026 we opened our first Kitchen Centre of Excellence at Hilton Court, a practical regional training environment where chefs work together on nutrition, hydration, modified diets, menu development, presentation and food safety. The wider Hospitality Academy also creates development opportunities across catering, housekeeping and hospitality roles.

That investment is increasingly being recognised beyond Meallmore too, including national awards for training and development, and hospitality recognition alongside organisations from across the wider Scottish hospitality sector.

Meals Means More has grown into something much bigger than a cooking competition. It gives our chefs the chance to challenge themselves, learn from each other and be recognised for the skill involved in delivering excellent food in care. What I particularly love about this year's final is the variety of journeys behind it.

Why the competition is built the way it is

Meals Means More challenges chefs to bring together flavour, nutrition, presentation, creativity and an understanding of individual dietary needs. Previous competitions have covered everything from fortification and texture-modified diets to presentation, taste and suitability for different resident needs, with final dishes judged by a panel that includes residents.

Development works best when people have the opportunity to put what they learn into practice. Meals Means More does exactly that. Whatever happens on the day, they'll take that experience back into their homes and continue developing from it.

If you cook, there is a route here

Six finalists, six starting points. What they share is the same opportunity to keep learning, developing and making a difference through food.

See what the roles involve on our careers pages, read about learning and development and career pathways, or browse the rest of Great Places to Work.