home meals service

The way people are shopping is changing, and with that in mind we must strive to keep up with your expectations. Thanks to our wonderful customer feedback we have made some changes to our website! Don't worry though, we have been working hard to keep it as user friendly and efficient as possible. No longer will you struggle to find meals that you fancy thanks to our new and improved shopping categories.

This is a large, mainly unspoken about topic; it is estimated that it affects 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 in the UK. Malnutrition defines both under and over eating, however the majority of cases in older generations is the former. This is commonly due to being too tired, not being able to go and get shopping, or having no interested in food in general.

When you’re keeping an eye on everyday spending, you don’t want to needlessly throw food away too soon. But at the same time, you don’t want to risk eating something that might have gone off. One of the main problems is, we’ve become so reliant on ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use By’ dates on packaging, that we’re less confident about relying on our own judgement on whether food is fresh or not. Older people’s immune systems also tend to be less able to recover from food poisoning. This makes knowing how to store food safely and for longer vital to avoid becoming ill. 

Summer's finally here and we’re dreaming of sparkling blue seas, olive groves and a table set with delicious Mediterranean food. Renowned as one of the healthiest diets in the world, there couldn’t be a better time to give it a try. From juicy, sun ripened tomatoes and salad drizzled in olive oil to succulent seafood, traditional dishes enjoyed in southern France, Spain, Italy and Greece are full of the nutrients needed for healthy ageing. In fact, people who follow a Mediterranean diet tend to have a lower risk of developing age-related health problems including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and even Alzheimer’s.

Our rich history has had a great impact on the food we eat - there are recipes dating back hundreds of years that have graced family tables for generations often influenced by visitors from far flung places.  Here’s our pick of the best British dishes and some of the traditions that go with them.

For many of us, healthy eating is about keeping our bodies strong and feeling good – especially as we age. What’s more, enjoying a balanced diet can actually help us look and feel younger, too. Whether by giving us the energy we need to get out and about, or by keeping our skin in tip-top condition, a healthy diet packed full of nutrient-rich ingredients can help keep us young – inside and out. Even making small changes to your day-to-day diet can give your health and energy levels a boost, and help take care of your appearance.

If you've thought about trying a diet with less meat there are plenty of benefits to going vegetarian or even just cutting out meat one day a week. Meat Free Mondays are a great way to incorporate vegetarian meals into your diet and make a difference to your health and to the environment. Health benefits There are many health benefits to eating less meat including having a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Vegetarians tend to have lower cholesterol and eat less saturated fat than those who eat meat every day and following a more plant based diet often makes it easier to maintain a healthy weight. Because of these health benefits, vegetarians and vegans also live longer on average than those who eat meat every day. Watching the pennies Eating veggie can be kinder to your pockets with lentils, pulses, fruit and veg often cheaper than buying meat. And there are plenty of tasty meat substitute products available these days, making it easier than ever to enjoy meat-free versions of your favourite meals.

As we age it is important to look after our bones and our joints, as we can be more prone to problems like osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. The most common type of arthritis in the UK, osteoarthritis affects the cartilage between our joints and is most likely to occur in the knees, hips and small joints in the hand. Your weight can have an impact on the osteoarthritis of the hips and knees as it increases the pressure on them. If you are watching your weight why not try smaller portions with our popular Mini Meals range? This range has some of our favourite dishes but in a smaller portion so you don't feel like you are missing out on your usual tasty meals from Oakhouse!

The best way to keep your heart healthy is through your diet and we have explained some of the easiest changes you can make. Heart-healthy lifestyle habits will also benefit your general wellbeing whilst reducing your risks of heart disease and lowering your cholesterol levels. Fruit and vegetables should make up a third of our diets so you should be having at least 5 portions a day. This can be hard so why not try adding frozen vegetables to dishes? We have some great choices like Broccoli and our Baby Carrots. Always aim for a colourful plate; variety is the spice of life and with a larger variety means more of the good things like fibre, vitamins and minerals. Eating more fibre will also help lower your risk of heart disease, aiming for 30 grams a day from a variety of sources like Wholemeal Bread, Oats, Wholegrain Cereals, Potatoes with their skins and of course fruit and vegetables. Cutting down on your saturated fat is always a great way to lower your cholesterol levels - using leaner cuts of meat and lower fat dairy varieties will help so try using skimmed rather than whole milk.

The Oakhouse Extra Mile Award Winner During the month of September we asked you to nominate your local driver if they had gone above and beyond for the Oakhouse Foods Extra Mile Award - we are very pleased to announce that the winner was Tracy Mann from our Reading branch! We had an overwhelming response with over