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Healthcare catering for night shifts, staff rooms and visitor cafés.
Chef-made hot meals, ready in 3–10 minutes, any time of day or night. Whoever is on the coffee shop, the staff room or the facilities team scans the pack, and the station runs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave on the right setting. No kitchen and no chef needed.
No long contract. Nothing to defrost. Delivered anywhere in mainland UK.
- 24/7hot food, served by the team on shift
- 3–10 minto cook, straight from frozen
- 80+chef-made dishes on rotation
- Nothing binnedcook only what’s ordered; the rest keeps 12 months
The restaurant closes at night. The hospital doesn't.Night staff deserve a hot meal too.
Most hospital restaurants and coffee shops close in the evening, so night-shift staff are left with vending snacks, a staff-room microwave or a delivery app. Visitors arriving late find nothing hot at all. A kitchen and a chef can't be kept on for the night shift. Chef-made food your existing team can finish can: real meals at 3am, cooked to order, and nothing wasted on a quiet night.
Night-shift and on-call staff
Hot meals through the night, cooked to order in minutes, so staff can eat properly on a 30-minute break.
Coffee shops and visitor cafés
A hot menu alongside sandwiches and coffee, run by the coffee shop team already on shift.
Staff rooms and rest areas
A station and a freezer turn a staff room into somewhere to get a proper meal, on every floor that needs one.
Fully out of hours
No one on shift to serve? See hot food vending machines.
Three moments the canteen misses.One freezer covers all of them.
- 6–8amHandover breakfastBacon rolls and sausage and omelette rolls for night staff finishing and day staff arriving.
- EveningsVisiting hoursHot meals for visitors and families who have been on the ward all day.
- OvernightThe night shiftBurgers, curries, pasta and rice dishes at 3am, cooked to order in 3–10 minutes.
What's on the menu.Proper meals for long shifts.
A selection from our range of 80+ chef-made dishes, including vegetarian and vegan options. We build your menu around your shifts, your sites and your counter space, and it rotates so staff see something new.
Allergen information comes with every dish. Chicken, beef and lamb come from a certified halal supplier, and the few pork dishes are clearly labelled.
The station does the cooking.Your team on shift does the serving.
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 fits on a counter, needs no extraction, and anyone on shift can run it after one training session.
- 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
Nobody on shift to serve?Hot food vending, 24/7.
The same chef-made meals in a hot food vending machine, for the hours and corners of the hospital where nobody can serve: night shifts, waiting areas and wards far from the restaurant. Staff and visitors 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 come to your hospital, cook a selection on site and your team tastes it. No commitment.
- 2Your menuWe choose dishes around your shifts, your sites and your counter space, from 80+ chef-made dishes.
- 3Set-up and trainingThe Scan-to-Cook Station goes on your counter, next to a freezer. One training session for each team.
- 4DeliveriesFrozen, anywhere in mainland UK, usually within 3–5 working days. Orders from £500.
- 5ServiceScan the pack. The station runs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave on the right setting. Plate and serve.
Two formats.One for the night shift, one for the training room.
| Individual portions | Catering packs | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Coffee shop, staff room, night shift | Training days, meetings and staff events |
| Serves | 1 per portion | 6–7 people per tray |
| Cook time | 3–10 minutes | 20–40 minutes (combi oven) |
| Staff | 1 person on shift, no cooking skill | 1 person, no cooking skill |
| Waste | None: cooked to order | Minimal: planned to headcount |
Already serving workplaces and hotels.Judged by operators, not by us.
Workplace canteens, hotels and serviced apartments serve Nova Chef food with no chef in the kitchen. Book a tasting and let your own staff judge it.
chef-made dishes
training session for staff
chefs on shift
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 coffee shop, catering or facilities team, after one training session. |
| Training days and events | Catering packs serving 6–7 people a tray, planned to headcount, ready in 20–40 minutes in a combi oven. |
| 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 Scan-to-Cook Station, to buy or hire, installed with staff training. |
| Allergens and halal | Allergen information for every dish. Chicken, beef and lamb from a certified halal supplier; pork dishes clearly labelled. |
Book a free tasting. We bring the food, your team cooks it, everyone tastes it.
Tell us about your hospital or site and roughly how many staff work there. We'll be in touch to arrange a tasting on site.
- Free tasting at your venue, no commitment
- No long-term contract, one-month rolling
- Delivered frozen anywhere in mainland UK
Questions hospitals ask Nova Chef
Do we need a kitchen to serve hot food at night?
No. Our chefs cook everything in our London kitchen and it arrives frozen. On site you need counter space, power sockets and room for a freezer. No extraction, no gas and no kitchen fit-out.
Who cooks the food?
Whoever is on shift in the coffee shop, the staff room or the facilities team. They scan the barcode on the pack and the station programs the combi oven, air fryer or microwave and runs the right setting. One training session is enough.
Can night staff get a hot meal at 3am?
Yes. Everything is kept frozen and cooked to order in 3–10 minutes, so the menu is the same at 3am as at lunchtime. Where nobody is on shift to serve, a hot food vending machine can sell the same meals 24/7.
Do you supply patient meals?
This service is built for staff, visitors and out-of-hours food. If you are also looking at patient menus, tell us your requirements when you enquire.
How long does a hot meal take?
3–10 minutes to cook from frozen for individual portions. Catering packs for groups take 20–40 minutes in a combi oven.
What about allergens and halal?
Allergen information comes with every dish. Chicken, beef and lamb come from a certified halal supplier, and the few pork dishes are clearly labelled. 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: it runs month to month.
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 come to your venue, cook a selection on site and let your team taste it. No commitment.
Feeding staff in an office or factory? See workplace canteen food. Nobody on shift to serve? See hot food vending machines. Want the full price list? See catering food supplier.