MEDIA RELEASE: Thursday 21 December, 2023
IMAGES: FREE TO USE
Singing chef is icing on the cake at Perthshire care home
When a talented chef joined the culinary team at a Perthshire care home, it wasn’t just his delightful lemon sponges that have been causing a stir. It turns out he’s also a fabulous musical performer.
An experienced pastry chef by day, John Morris joined the team at Balhousie Ruthven Towers earlier this year and has been sweetening the staff and residents with his delightful bakes ever since.
But, staff at the care home couldn’t believe their luck when they discovered John doubles as a singer. Since then, he’s been regularly serenading the residents with a variety of popular songs and, this month, lots of Christmas carols.
John’s always had a passion for music, having learned the guitar over twenty years ago. Performing for the residents has been the icing on the cake for him. John said:
“I thoroughly enjoy it! We have a couple of residents who like to get involved when I perform, singing along and dancing. They all seem to really enjoy it. I can take requests too, as long as I’ve got a bit of time to practice beforehand!”
The team at Ruthven Towers are delighted to have John in their team, primarily as a chef, but also helping to support with musical activities for the residents.
Cheryl Arnott, Home Manager at Balhousie Ruthven Towers, said:
“We struck gold when John joined our team at Ruthven Towers. Firstly, he’s a fantastic chef who really cares about offering the residents dishes they will love. Who knew he’d also be delighting everyone with live musical performances. John really embodies the phrase ‘going the extra mile’. He does whenever he sings and we so appreciate it.”
From South Africa, John worked as a pastry chef for a range of large production facilities before moving to Scotland and working at nearby Crieff Hydro before joining the team at Ruthven Towers.
Now, having worked in a care home kitchen, he wouldn’t have it any other way. John said:
“When you work in hotels and restaurants, the menu is often quite rigid. Here we can tailor the menus to our residents’ requirements and take requests to make dishes that they would like to eat which is always nice to be able to do.”
For more information about Balhousie Care Group visit www.balhousiecare.co.uk
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Photo captions
Image 1: John Morris, chef at Balhousie Ruthven Towers in Auchterarder
Image 2: John Morris, chef at Balhousie Ruthven Towers singing for residents
Image 3: John Morris, chef at Balhousie Ruthven Towers in the kitchen
Video link: https://youtu.be/UGaCVhCGMlQ If you require this video in any other format please just get in touch.
For media enquiries please contact Anna Gunn or Melanie Brockway on: Anna.Gunn@balhousiecare.co.uk or Melanie.Brockway@balhousiecare.co.uk
Or call 01738 254 254
Notes to Editors
About Balhousie Care Group
Balhousie Care Group (BCG) was formed 30 years ago to fill a gap in quality residential care in central and North East Scotland. Today, with 24 homes, providing care to almost 900 residents and employing over 1400 team members, it is one of the leading providers of care for older persons in Scotland, along with specialist dementia and Huntington’s care, care for young adults with a diagnosed learning disability and a Youth Physical Disability service.
Owned by AcalisCare, Balhousie Care prides itself on its person-centred approach to care and inclusivity: putting people right at the heart of everything they do.
Their person-centred approach to care, innovative practices and close community links have made them a trusted name in care and earned them a swathe of awards.
In 2022 alone, BCG took home three Courier Business Awards, including the prestigious Business of the Year, a Great British Care Award, a Scottish Care award and an s1Jobs Shine Award. In 2023, Balhousie Care were finalists in four categories of the UK-wide Housing with Care Awards, winning the award for Supported Housing Innovation. They also achieved four finalists in the 2023 Scottish Care Awards, winning the Training, Learning and Staff Development Award.
