Catering at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Mr Dave Mooney is the Catering Manager at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre and has been so for 17 months. He served for 24 years in the Army Catering Corps (now Royal Logistic Corps), then for several contract caterers for five years before settling down with Serco. He works jointly covering Serco’s Immigration Removal Centre, Colnbrook IRC at Heathrow, spending his time between both Centres.

Yarl’s Wood is an Immigration Removal Centre situated on the outskirts of Clapham in Bedfordshire, which was originally opened in November 2001. In February 2002 half the building was damaged by fire; the undamaged half was re-opened in September 2003. It has been operated by Serco Home Affairs on behalf of the United Kingdom Border Agency since April 2007. The Centre provides accommodation for up to 405 single females and families of immigration detainees (including children) pending their removal from the UK.

Dave, how many people do you cater for here at Yarl’s Wood at the moment?
Dave Mooney (DM) It fluctuates on a daily basis, but we normally prepare meals for about 360. There is a small turnover each day which varies from two or three up to about 20, as residents arrive and depart.

I understand the people you look after are single females and families with children all of whom come from many different countries and have various dietary needs. What with that mix and the turnover how do you keep tabs on your customers’ requirements?
DM The situation is fluid and we keep up to date about our resident population on our computer management system. It holds information such as numbers, nationality and dietary needs and we respond accordingly. As you know there are a lot of different rules for providing food for people from different countries.

I can just about understand how you can cope in the kitchen with this huge variety at short notice but not how you can anticipate and order the supplies you need. How is that trick done?
DM We run a 28 day menu cycle and keep a variety of frozen meals to cover contingencies. We are able to buy-in frozen meals that have been prepared in accordance with all the rules appropriate to specific religious groups. The problem is compounded because contractually we are obliged to provide food to people as soon as they arrive if they are hungry. We cover that by having ready meals, including halal, in a freezer in reception and so a quick visit to a microwave and the food is ready. But we’re very careful about the quality as we prefer to cook our meals freshly.

How much stock do you keep and how do you choose a supplier?
DM Our supplier is Harry Yeardsley, a frozen food distributor, and they supply nearly all our food. They work with the Prison Service too, and are aware of our needs and special preparation requirements. The storage areas here are huge and we are very rarely caught out, in any case we would be able to cook fresh food as necessary.

Where do you go for advice when and if you need it?
DM The company has eight secure custodial establishments across the UK (with two in Australia) ranging from prisons to a YOI and a Secure Training Centre. Colleagues are always willing to help each other.A frequent visitor to Yarl’s Wood is the Prison Area Catering Manager, Mr Ian Wilson; he takes a copy of all the menus away for analysis and comes back with constructive comments, which then helps us to link into good practice across the wider custodial estate.

Are you able to use detainees to work in the kitchen as the prisons are allowed to do?
DM Paid work for immigration detainees has only been introduced in the last 17 months. At present, the only function they perform within my area is to clean the dining rooms. We are going through a process at the moment aimed at getting them to work in the kitchen, as we would really welcome this, as would our residents.

Can you give some idea of the range of nationalities that live here?
DM You might be surprised to know that the largest group here is from Nigeria, there are 63 here at the moment; then there are significant numbers from China (36) Jamaica (34) Pakistan (33) Kenya (19) Iran (10) and Viet Nam (10) before we are down to single figures. All the information we need, sex, nationality, religion and much more is only a few clicks away on the computer.

Do you have a free hand in the selection of suppliers?
DM We use a local butcher and he supplies our meat including halal. We also use a local supplier for vegetables. We are told that the eight Serco establishments in this business spend £8 million each year on food and that is a lot of money. All eight have been allowed to purchase locally because it helps sustain the local community.

Head office hasn’t insisted on central contract suppliers then?
DM Not yet but I think we might be very close to it and that’s going to be a challenge. Economically, the bigger the pot available the more the prices can be dragged down, I understand that, but I would argue that to do my job properly I need specific things which some huge firms wouldn’t be able to supply. I can go to the local cash and carry and get exactly what I need on the spot. We use sweet potatoes, yams, plantains and Jamaican spinach and the man I deal with goes to Covent Garden to get this food, which a big supplier might be reluctant to do.

How many people do you employ?
DM There is a Head Chef, six chefs and eleven catering assistants who do the food prep and cleaning. The head chef works Monday to Friday 9am to 5 and the other chefs three on and three off. When necessary I roll my sleeves up and get stuck in.

Do you encourage customer feedback?
DM We have a comment book at each of the serveries and we hold a monthly food DIAC (Detainee Information & Activities
Committee) meeting on the first Tuesday of every month; that covers food and the shop. The following Wednesday we hold the main DIAC which covers everything else affecting the Centre. Residents can talk freely and raise concerns and suggestions. A member of the SMT tastes the food each day and reports formally on the quality to me and to the Contract Director. The UKBA Monitor also samples the food. We take careful note of every comment or remark and if viable introduce changes into the system taking note of the diverse requirements of the different groups. Many detainees have been in this country a long time and they like fish and chips! On the other hand we have included things like sweet and sour pork on the menu, following feedback, but found it unpopular.

The recently introduced health options have gone down really well though. Are you in a position to be able to audit the amount of energy the establishment consumes? Are you under an obligation to be energy efficient?

DM To be totally honest, at present, no. Yet personally I am always aware of wasteful methods of any kind and naturally do my best to avoid careless use of resources but not on a formal measurement basis. For example, when the staff go to lunch all the lights go out in the kitchen. The Company and the Contract are developing energy efficient initiatives in the coming year.

Do you foster healthy eating habits?
DM We do very little frying, we usually bake, grill or steam.We also add less salt and sugar to dishes as stated by recipes What special provision do you make for the Muslim people here to celebrate Ramadan? DM We have about 50 Muslims here so it’s a very important time of the year for us. We prepare and distribute fasting packs that are consumed before sunrise but also includes something for them to break their fast, that is a drink and something sweet. We give them milk and dates and then they take a main meal after sunset. Tonight they break their fast at 1923 hours which means we have to keep staff on duty an hour later to ensure their needs are met.

With so many different nationalities present how do you present the menu?
DM We start from the premise that not everybody speaks English so we took the two standard 28 day menu cycles, summer and winter, and translated them into nine languages. It wasn’t an easy task. Additionally, we use easy to recognise symbols. As we’re not pre-select, many residents choose by sight when at the servery. The dining rooms look to me as if they have been designed as a fast food outlet, is that deliberate? DM It is what we inherited. Ideally we would not have that approach. We’ve done much to decorate and soften the environment to give a community feel, including having music playing.

How do you cope with babies and very small children?
DM I buy all the baby food, including halal, from the chemist in the village. He is very reliable and has never let me down. It is economically viable to purchase that way. I’ve tried cash and carry but they do not stock the same range.

I did notice that the floor in the kitchen was dry and that is unusual for a large establishment. Why do you think I particularly noticed that?
DM Could it be that we had prior warning that some people would be visiting?!!