Six chefs. Six very different culinary journeys. One place in the Meals Means More final.
On 2 September 2026, six talented colleagues from Meallmore care homes across Scotland will head to City of Glasgow College for the final of our annual Meals Means More competition.
This year’s finalists are:
- Robert Scott, Hilton Court
- Eilidh Mason, Antonine House
- Paul O’Brien, St Modans Care Home
- Emma-Jane, Kynnaird House
- Dawn Thom, Crimond House
- Kash, Greenan Manor
From colleagues who began their careers as Kitchen Assistants to chefs with decades of professional experience, the final line-up reflects the different routes a career in care hospitality can take.
More than a cooking competition
Meals Means More was created to challenge perceptions of what food in a care home can and should be.
Great care does not stop when someone sits down at the dining table. Food can bring comfort, familiarity, independence and connection, while meeting complex nutritional and dietary requirements safely and with dignity.
That is why Meals Means More challenges our chefs to bring together flavour, nutrition, presentation, creativity and an understanding of individual dietary needs.
Previous competitions have asked chefs to consider everything from fortification and texture-modified diets to presentation, taste and suitability for different resident needs. Final dishes are then put in front of a judging panel, including the people whose opinion matters most, our residents.
The competition has become an important part of Meallmore’s wider approach to hospitality development, allowing colleagues to test themselves, learn from one another and bring new ideas back into their homes.
Now, meet the six chefs who will step into the kitchen for this year’s final.
Robert Scott, Hilton Court
Robert Scott returns as the reigning Meals Means More Champion, having taken the title in 2025 for Hilton Court.
Robert has built his culinary career within a specialist care environment. He has developed a strong understanding of the role food can play in supporting confidence, independence and everyday quality of life.
His creativity, attention to detail and resident-focused approach impressed last year’s judging panel, earning him the Meals Means More title.
Since then, Hilton Court has also become home to Meallmore’s first Kitchen Centre of Excellence, a practical training hub where chefs can develop skills in nutrition, modified diets, food safety, presentation and menu planning. Robert’s experience and leadership within the kitchen have helped support that development.
This year, he returns not simply as a finalist, but as the chef everyone else will be looking to knock off the top spot.
Eilidh Mason, Antonine House
Creativity has always been part of Eilidh Mason’s life.
Before building her career in food, Eilidh studied fine art and music at college. A cooking job taken alongside her studies unexpectedly changed her direction, and more than ten years later, she has never looked back.
Her journey has taken her 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.”
Eilidh Mason, Antonine House
Eilidh is no stranger to Meals Means More either, having previously reached the final in 2024.
Her combination of artistic creativity and professional kitchen experience makes her one to watch when the competition begins.
Paul O’Brien, St Modans Care Home
For Paul O’Brien, food has been his career since the age of 16.
After completing an HNC in Professional Cookery, Paul began working in the hotel industry, developing the foundations of his trade before moving into the oil and gas sector.
There, he worked as Head Chef on the Goldeneye Project, at times catering for more than 400 workers during major shutdown periods.
His career eventually took him into care catering, where he discovered a very different kind of professional reward.
Twenty-seven years later, Paul remains as passionate about the job as ever and is now part of the team at St Modans.
He continues to enjoy culinary competitions and developing his skills, while keeping residents’ nutritional needs, preferences and enjoyment at the centre of his cooking.
Paul is also one of the competition’s most experienced returning finalists, having reached Meals Means More finals in previous years.
Emma-Jane, Kynnaird House
Emma-Jane’s journey at Kynnaird House is a brilliant example of what career development within Meallmore can look like.
She joined Meallmore in 2020 as a part-time Kitchen Assistant.
From there, she progressed to a full-time position before taking the next step into her current role as Third Cook.
Along the way, Emma-Jane has continued developing her technical knowledge through catering training, including learning about the different IDDSI levels and why texture-modified food is so important for residents who require additional support to eat and drink safely.
But alongside the technical side of the role is a genuine love of food.
Emma-Jane particularly enjoys baking, experimenting with flavours and trying new recipes, always looking for ways to create dishes that look appealing, taste great and give residents something to enjoy.
Reaching the Meals Means More final marks another milestone in a career that began in the very same kitchen just six years ago.
Dawn Thom, Crimond House
Dawn Thom, Head Chef at Crimond House, is another familiar face in Meallmore’s culinary competitions.
Dawn reached the Meals Means More final in 2025 and returns this year determined to go one step further.
She was also part of the Crimond House team behind last year’s winning Great Meallmore Bake Off entry, another demonstration of the creativity and team spirit within the home’s kitchen.
For Dawn, great care catering comes down to understanding the people she cooks for.
Resident feedback, personal preferences and the experience around the table all help shape her approach to food.
Her return to the final reflects not just her culinary ability, but her willingness to keep challenging herself, develop new ideas, and raise the standard year after year.
Kash, Greenan Manor
For Kash at Greenan Manor, cooking brings together culture, creativity and care.
Drawing inspiration from her own cultural background and experiences, Kash has developed a style built around flavour, individuality and a genuine love of food.
Working within care has also changed how she thinks about what happens in a kitchen.
Food is not simply nourishment. It can remind someone of home, start a conversation, bring back a memory or provide comfort on a difficult day.
That understanding shapes every meal she prepares at Greenan Manor.
“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. Every meal I prepare is made with care and respect, with residents’ individual needs in mind. I want to keep growing as a chef while making every dining experience at Greenan Manor special.”
Kash, Greenan Manor
With chicken and haggis among the ingredients she has requested for competition day, we’re already intrigued to see what Kash has planned.
Developing talent beyond competition day
Meals Means More is one part of a much wider investment in hospitality at Meallmore.
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 took that approach another step forward with the opening of our first Kitchen Centre of Excellence at Hilton Court, creating a practical regional training environment for chefs to 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.
The six chefs reaching this year’s final show exactly why that investment matters.
One started as a Kitchen Assistant. Another began cooking alongside studying fine art. One has catered for hundreds of workers in the oil and gas industry. Another is returning as defending champion.
They have taken very different routes to get here, but they share the same opportunity to keep learning, developing and making a difference through food.
A word from our hospitality team
“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. We have colleagues who have progressed through our kitchens, chefs with decades of experience and returning finalists who continue to push themselves. Ultimately, everything comes back to one thing: giving residents the best possible dining experience.”
Jody Marshall, Group Head of Hospitality and Catering
“Seeing the six finalists together really shows the depth of talent we have across our homes. There isn’t one set route into hospitality at Meallmore, and that’s something we should celebrate.
“Competitions like Meals Means More give colleagues confidence to try something different and showcase skills that residents benefit from every day. Getting to the final is a real achievement, and they should all be incredibly proud.”
Chloe Pattisson, Hospitality Team
“Development works best when people have the opportunity to put what they learn into practice. Meals Means More does exactly that.
“The finalists will be working under pressure, thinking about flavour and presentation while also demonstrating the nutritional and technical knowledge that care catering demands. Whatever happens on the day, they’ll take that experience back into their homes and continue developing from it.”
Gordon Nunn, Hospitality Facilitator
Who will take the 2026 title?
Previous Meals Means More champions include Dan McGonigle of Kincaid House, while Robert Scott claimed the title for Hilton Court in 2025.
On 2 September, six chefs will enter the kitchens at City of Glasgow College hoping to add their own name to that list.
For Robert, it is the chance to retain his title. For Dawn, Paul and Eilidh, it is another opportunity after previous finals. For Emma-Jane and Kash, it is the chance to make their mark on the competition.
For all six, it is recognition of the skill, passion and hard work happening in Meallmore kitchens every day.
Good luck to Robert, Eilidh, Paul, Emma-Jane, Dawn and Kash.
We’ll see you in the kitchen.
Read more about the six routes these chefs took into a Meallmore kitchen, explore careers at Meallmore, or find a care home near you.
