Care home director wins Barchester Cook Off competition

Alison Donaldson, managing director of Barchester’s North West and Midlands Division, led her team to victory in the Barchester Charitable Foundation Cook Off 2026, helping to raise £53,000 for the charity.

The winning team, named the Pressure Cookers and made up of managing directors and a hospital director from five of Barchester’s divisions, competed against the executive team, the Rolling Scones.

The Barchester charity cook off team (Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)

Ms Donaldson said: “It was very much a team effort but I am so proud of what we all achieved. The dishes we created looked amazing and were delicious if I do say so myself.

“We absolutely smashed it out of the park but the icing on the cake was the amount of money we raised thanks to the support of all our homes so I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated.”

One of the dishes from the cook off (Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)

The Barchester Charitable Foundation provides grants to improve mobility and quality of life for vulnerable people and those living with disabilities, helping connect them to community groups.

In 2025, the foundation donated £424,000 to 262 groups, charities, and 123 individuals across England, Scotland and Wales.

General manager Tyisa Houghton at Hempton Field, a Barchester care home in Chinnor, said: “We are all in awe of Chef Alison, is there nothing she can’t do? All of the MDs did a brilliant job and raised so much money, they are an absolute inspiration to us all.

“The Foundation is a cause very close to all our hearts so this is a remarkable achievement.”

The Pressure Cookers impressed judges with a menu offering three starters, including a lobster bisque with chive crème fraîche and croutons.

Alison Donaldson (Image: Tom Maddick / SWNS)

Main courses included cod loin with beetroot, asparagus and champ mash, and a homemade sweet potato and chickpea curry. Desserts were white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake or rhubarb crumble custard tart.

Their afternoon tea item, a sausage plait with red onion chutney, was described by judges as “to die for.”

The Cook Off forms part of Barchester’s ongoing efforts to support its charitable foundation, which each year distributes thousands of pounds to those most in need.

The funds raised help connect vulnerable people and those living with a disability to community groups in their local area by providing grants to improve mobility and quality of life.

Ms Donaldson and her team’s efforts have been celebrated not only for their culinary skill but also for their impact on the broader community through vital fundraising.