Chef-made food for every site in your estate. No chef on site.
Chef-made meals in single portions and multi-portion trays. Your site teams scan the pack or load the tray, and the combi oven, air fryer or microwave does the rest. The same dish at your smallest site as at your busiest.
£3 to £6.50 a portion. No long contract. Delivered anywhere in mainland UK.
- 80+chef-made dishes, in portions and trays
- £3–£6.50a portion, ex VAT
- 6–7people per multi-portion tray
- 12 monthsfrozen shelf life, nothing to defrost
Chefs are hardest to find at your smallest sites.The menu shouldn't depend on who's on the rota.
Contract caterers and FM companies run estates with every kind of site: big canteens, small cafés, remote sites and out-of-hours points. Recruiting a chef for each one is the hardest part of the contract, and the margin goes when a site is short-staffed. Chef-made food your site teams can finish keeps the menu the same everywhere: cooked centrally, finished on site, and nothing wasted when footfall drops.
Multi-site contracts
One supplier and one standard across every site, from the head-office canteen to the smallest satellite.
Low-volume and remote sites
A full hot menu where a chef can't be justified, run by the site team or a front-of-house host.
Out-of-hours and 24/7 sites
Night shifts and weekends with nobody on the counter. See hot food vending machines.
Your own recipes
A signature dish to roll out across the estate? See contract food manufacturing.
What changes for your contract.Six things your operations team will notice.
- 01No chef to recruit per siteOur chefs cook every dish centrally. On site, any member of the team serves it after one training session, so a vacancy no longer takes a menu down.
- 02The same dish at every siteEvery portion starts from the same recipe in our kitchen, so the plate at your smallest satellite matches the one at head office.
- 03A known cost per portion£3 to £6.50 a portion ex VAT for single portions, and less per portion in multi-portion trays. You can price a contract before it starts.
- 04Less waste on quiet daysEverything keeps 12 months frozen and is cooked only when it's needed, so a slow day doesn't end with trays in the bin.
- 05Sites open without a kitchen fit-outCounter space, power sockets and a freezer. No extraction, no gas, and no kitchen build before a new site can serve hot food.
- 06One supplier, three formatsSingle portions, multi-portion trays and hot food vending from one range, in one order. Orders from £500, no long-term contract.
Three ways to serve it.Mix them in one order.
- CounterSingle portionsPlated dishes cooked to order in 3–10 minutes, for cafés, à la carte and low-volume sites.
- Hot counterMulti-portion trays1.5 kg trays for hot counters, buffets and dining halls, heated in 20–40 minutes in a combi oven.
- Out of hoursHot food vendingThe same chef-made meals from a vending machine, 24/7, with no one on the counter.
What's on the menu.One range for every site.
A selection from our range of 80+ chef-made dishes, including vegetarian and vegan options. We build menus around each contract's sites, service styles and price points.
Allergen information comes with every dish. Halal options are available across the range, and the few pork dishes are clearly labelled.
From the freezer to the hot counter.One tray, no decanting.
The same chef-made recipes in 1.5 kg trays, two to a case, each serving 6–7 people. Take a tray from the freezer, heat it in the combi oven and serve straight from it on the hot counter or buffet.
- Mains, soups, sides and sauces, with lasagne in 2.7 kg trays
- 20–40 minutes in a combi oven, straight from frozen
- Mix trays and single portions in one order
The station does the cooking.Your site teams do the serving.
For single portions, staff scan the barcode on the pack and the Scan-to-Cook Station programs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave and runs the right setting. It isn't required: every pack carries the finishing instructions for the ovens your sites already have.
- No settings to learn: the pack tells the station what to do
- The same result on a quiet Tuesday as on a packed Saturday
- Cooked to order, so nothing sits under a heat lamp or goes in the bin
Sites with nobody on the counter?Hot food vending, 24/7.
The same chef-made meals in a hot food vending machine, for the shifts and sites where a counter can't be staffed: night shifts, weekends, and remote or low-volume sites. Staff choose, pay and eat, with no one needed at the point of service.
- Choose on the touchscreen, with allergen filtering
- Pay contactless; the meal is hot in under 7 minutes
- A 1m² footprint and a standard power socket
How it works.Tasting. Menu. Set-up. Deliveries. Service.
- 1Free tastingWe bring a selection to your team, cook it with your site staff and you judge it. No commitment.
- 2Your menusWe build menus around each contract's sites, service styles and price points, from 80+ chef-made dishes.
- 3Set-up and trainingFreezer space and the ovens you have, plus the Scan-to-Cook Station where you want it. One training session per site.
- 4DeliveriesFrozen, anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3–5 working days. Orders from £500.
- 5ServiceLoad the tray or scan the pack. Heat, plate and serve, the same way at every site.
Two formats.One for the café, one for the hot counter.
| Individual portions | Catering packs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Cafés, à la carte, low-volume sites | Hot counters, dining halls and buffets |
| Serves | 1 per portion | 6–7 people per 1.5 kg tray |
| Cook time | 3–10 minutes | 20–40 minutes (combi oven) |
| Staff | 1 person, no cooking skill | 1 person, no cooking skill |
| Waste | None: cooked to order | Minimal: planned to headcount |
Already serving workplaces, hotels and venues.Judged by operators, not by us.
Workplace canteens, hotels, serviced apartments and sports clubs serve Nova Chef food with no chef in the kitchen. Book a tasting for your operations team and judge it against your own sites.
chef-made dishes
formats in one order
chefs needed on site
What operators say about Nova Chef
“We found the food absolutely amazing. The food was exquisite.”
Buyer, Makita Manufacturing Europe
“I was a little bit sceptical about frozen food… I have to say I’m really impressed with what I’ve tried today.”
Facilities Manager, ACO Technologies UK
“Well-seasoned, well-cooked, not overcooked. All of the dishes were really nice.”
Site team, English Provender Company
“It tastes amazing. It’s zero labour, and it’s so easy.”
F&B Director, Hilton Hotels UK & Ireland
“An unbelievable product — you’d never know, from frozen to the plate, it comes out so good.”
Executive Chef, Pullman London St. Pancras
“The food is absolutely amazing, with great feedback from everyone. Highly recommended — a very professional company to work with.”
General Manager, Fraser Place Canary Wharf, London
What to expect.The questions operators ask first, answered.
| Kitchen | None needed. Counter space, power sockets and room for a freezer. No extraction, no gas, no fit-out. |
|---|---|
| Who cooks | Your site team, after one training session per site. |
| Formats | Single portions and 1.5 kg multi-portion trays (lasagne in 2.7 kg), mixed in one order. |
| Price | £3 to £6.50 a portion ex VAT for single portions. Multi-portion trays work out lower per portion: see the pack prices. |
| Minimum order | From £500 per delivery. We confirm your free-delivery threshold when you enquire. |
| Contract | No long-term contract and no monthly minimum. One-month rolling. |
| Delivery | Frozen, anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3–5 working days. |
| Storage | 12 months frozen. Nothing needs defrosting: everything cooks from frozen. |
| Equipment | The combi ovens, air fryers and microwaves your sites already have. Add the Scan-to-Cook Station, to buy or hire, where you want it foolproof. |
| Allergens and halal | Allergen information for every dish. Halal options available; pork dishes clearly labelled. |
Book a free tasting. We bring the food, your team cooks it, everyone tastes it.
Tell us about your contract or estate: how many sites, and roughly how many meals a day. We'll arrange a tasting for your operations team.
- Free tasting at your venue, no commitment
- No long-term contract, one-month rolling
- Delivered frozen anywhere in mainland UK
Questions contract caterers and FM companies ask Nova Chef
Do we need a chef at each site?
No. Our chefs cook every dish centrally and it arrives frozen. On site the job is to heat it and serve it, and any member of the site team can do that after one training session.
Can our sites use the ovens they already have?
Yes. Every pack carries the finishing instructions for a combi oven, air fryer or microwave. The Scan-to-Cook Station is optional: staff scan the pack and the station programs the appliance and runs the right setting.
How do the multi-portion trays work?
Each 1.5 kg tray serves 6–7 people. Heat it from frozen in a combi oven for 20–40 minutes and serve straight from the tray on a hot counter or buffet. Trays come two to a case, and you can mix them with single portions in one order.
Can you make our own recipes?
Yes. Through contract food manufacturing we make dishes to your recipe and specification, packed and labelled as yours.
What about allergens and halal?
Allergen information comes with every dish. Halal options are available across the range, the few pork dishes are clearly labelled, and there are vegetarian and vegan dishes too.
What is the minimum order, and is there a contract?
Orders start from £500 per delivery, and we confirm your free-delivery threshold when you enquire. There is no long-term contract and no monthly minimum.
Where do you deliver, and how fast?
Anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3–5 working days. The food travels frozen and keeps for 12 months in your freezer, so you order when you need to, not every few days.
Can we try it before we commit?
Yes. Book a free tasting and we'll bring a selection to your team, cook it with your site staff and let you judge it. No commitment.
Healthcare contracts? See healthcare catering. Out-of-hours sites? See hot food vending machines. Want the full price list? See catering food supplier.