Such care went into rebooting the menus of Kingston Hospital that it took about a month to get the right type of sausage.

A tastier and more varied set of menus was launched at the Galsworthy site hospital after departments clubbed together to work out what would be best food practice over six months.

Patients now get fresh cake every afternoon, ice cream at any point in the day and the option of toast – a food banned in most hospitals.

The children’s, maternity and general menu has been increased and enhanced, with countless taste tests for noble volunteers before being rolled out in all 18 wards.

By each patient’s bedside is a menu with a coded guide next to each dish. If you fancy a meal that is soft, vegetarian or high in fibre – the code will help pick out exactly what you want.

At meal time, a nutrition specialist stands at the head of a piping hot, or sufficiently cold, trolley, making sure each menu matches each tray of food and the calorie and nutritional intake is just right for a good recovery.

A line of volunteers then deliver each tray to the right bed.

So far, it has been quite a hit.

Surrey Comet:

A 95-year-old patient, Margaret Rogers, had just finished a lunch of chicken casserole, mashed potato and soup, when she was quizzed about her meal.

Before tucking into an ice cream, she said: "It was better than I expected. I wasn’t expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised.

"I was warned by several people it was awful but I can’t say I thought it was awful.

"I’ve eaten all my meals, I’ve gobbled them all up."

Surrey Comet:

The Surrey Comet sent in a willing, and quite hungry, volunteer this week to taste a sample of the current autumn and winter menu, to see if it is really as good as it sounds.

Despite all the inventive and flavour-filled new dishes which adorn the autumn and winter menus, the most championed new item is the addition of toast.

I did not try the toast but can quite happily take the team’s word that it is a success.

Although - having had a brief inpatient experience recently at another hospital which served toast after I woke, woozy and giddy from anaesthesia - I fully appreciate how important buttered toast is when you are not feeling completely well.

Surrey Comet:

After delivering some patients their chosen meal, I settled down to sample chicken casserole, chicken oriental soup, bacon, leek and mushroom pasta bake, various mixed vegetables, sticky toffee pudding and custard as well as an eclair.

I enjoyed my meal thoroughly, and not just because I was sitting down to eat with eager faces from various hospital departments hoping I would give a glowing review.

The food smelled good, tasted good and looked good. I could have done with slightly thicker custard, but to be honest - any custard is good custard.

Head of nursing Berenice Constable is also happy with how patients, friends and relatives have responded to the changed menu.

She said: "It’s been very well received. It [wanting to eat and enjoying eating food in hospital] does have a huge impact on healing and general wellbeing in hospital."

  • Have you been a patient at the hospital and tried the new food? What did you think? Send in your thoughts to newsdesk@surreycomet.co.uk