Running a staff canteen shouldn't require a full kitchen team or a complex setup. But for many workplaces, hospitals, and schools, staffing constraints, budget limits, and unpredictable footfall make traditional catering models impractical. That’s where Nova Chef steps in — offering a smarter way to deliver great-tasting, nutritious meals with zero on-site prep, fewer chefs, and minimal equipment.

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The Modern Canteen Challenge

Whether you're managing a hospital, an office building, or an education facility, feeding staff well is critical for morale, productivity, and wellbeing. But here’s the reality:

• Hiring and retaining kitchen staff is harder than ever.
• Compliance requirements for food handling are becoming stricter.
• Energy and labour costs continue to rise.
• And many teams simply don’t have the volume to justify full-scale kitchens.

The result? Staff get offered subpar meals, cold sandwiches — or nothing at all.

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A Smarter Way to Run Your Canteen

Nova Chef’s catering packs make it easy to serve large volumes of high-quality food without a full kitchen team. Here’s how it works:

1. Choose from our range of premium catering dishes, designed to serve multiple portions with minimal effort.
2. Store packs in your freezer until needed — no prep, no spoilage.
3. Reheat in your existing combi oven (e.g. Rational, Unox) in under 30 minutes.
4. Serve buffet-style or plated, depending on your setup — no skilled chefs required.

This setup keeps your team well-fed, costs low, and operations simple.

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Proven Results: The Hotel Saint Case

When the team behind the Hotel Saint approached Nova Chef, they weren’t just looking for better food — they were trying to solve a staffing issue. Their internal staff meals had become an afterthought, with inconsistent quality and limited variety. Within weeks of introducing Nova Chef:

• They improved food quality dramatically

• Reduced operational complexity

• And boosted staff satisfaction, with many saying it was the best food they'd had on-site in months.

While this example is hospitality-based, the challenge and the solution are the same across sectors — a scalable, no-staff-needed way to feed teams properly.

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Why Facilities Teams Love Nova Chef

✅ No on-site chefs or kitchen team required
✅ Frozen meals with long shelf life = zero waste
✅ Plug-and-play ovens with minimal training
✅ Menus designed to satisfy staff at all levels
✅ Compliant with UK food safety standards and HACCP

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Real Food, Real Fast

From butter chicken to butternut squash risotto, our meals are made by chefs using high-quality ingredients — then flash frozen to lock in flavour. They reheat beautifully and taste just as good as if cooked fresh.

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Ready to Transform Your Canteen?

Whether you're feeding 30 staff or 300, Nova Chef is built to scale. Book a demo today to see how we can simplify your food service setup — and serve meals your team will genuinely enjoy.

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📌 FAQs

Q: Do I need a kitchen or extraction system?
You’ll need access to a combi oven (like a Rational or Unox) and basic food-safe handling space — no full kitchen or ventilation system required. If necessary it is possible to use a conventional oven as well.

Q: How long do catering packs take to reheat?
Most dishes are ready to serve in 40 minutes from frozen using a combi oven, or in 20 minutes if defrosted.

Q: How many portions does each pack serve?
Our catering system is modular: dishes are supplied as separate sauce/protein packs and side/base packs. One pack of each typically serves 7 to 9 portions when combined, making it easy to scale up or mix and match based on your needs.

Q: Can this work in hospitals or schools?
Yes – our catering solution is ideal for healthcare, education, and workplace environments, where staffing is limited but meal quality still matters.

Q: Do you offer vegetarian and special diet options?
Absolutely. We offer a variety of vegetarian, vegan, and halal options, all clearly labelled.