Suggestions for pureed food thinking about Wiltshire Farm Foods - any experience/tips

[WingsofDestiny]

I've been following this board for a bit and found lots of helpful information so thank you all. Not an elderly but my dd has Bvftd/MND which was young and rapid onset so the learning curve in the last year has been devastating. Swallowing is now very difficult, lots of choking and unable to chew - no peg feeding because of her dementia and poor prognosis and so dd now needs soft food. Her dh is braving the hours of driving to come and stay for a couple of days, mainly a bit of a break for the grandchildren who are young. I'm worried about food for dd and see that Wiltshire Farm foods do a puree range, and wondered what it was like.

I'm a bit out of the loop as not seen them since before Easter but want to do my best for what may be the last time she comes to us.

I can’t help you with this question @WingsofDestiny but I just want to wish you well with the visit it sounds like an incredibly difficult time for you xx

I believe Parsley Box also does pureed versions with each ingredient pureed separately and piped to look (approximately) like the original dish, rather than all mushed together.

Unlike the Wiltshire ones, those are shelf stable - so handy if you're short on freezer space.

Much appreciated @lizzyb @NoBinturongsHereMate

I'll check out Parsley Box too. As far as I know they haven't tried pureed ready meals, I try to do my own research as a tiny bit of help. My dd's dh has no spare time for anything except trying to keep up as best he can.

My parents.have used the non-pureed Parsley Box meals. Verdict was that it's obviously a ready meal rather than a gourmet dinner, but quite acceptable. Considerably better than expected from something you can keep in a cupboard.

Wiltshire Farm Foods is very good and they form the purée food into the shape of the original food to give visual appeal. It’s worth trying out the different brands though to see which is preferred and most suited for taste.

i know lots of places do pureed but I vote for Wiltshire Farm Foods. The foods are good I have eaten lots of it myself used to cheekily take some out of dads freezer when he was alive! the pureed food we had for my late fil and was ideal. the range of food is wonderful and they do a really good range soft pureed etc and a wonderful range of savoury and sweet meals.
the customer service is second to none as well. the driver used to happily put dads food away and always stop for a chat too

I’m so sorry your family has to go through this!

I have no experience with ready meals but I find that a good hand held immersion blender in a stainless steel saucepan/measuring jug plus a tiny bit of olive oil or water can make a really smooth purée. I completely understand the need for ready meals because you already have loads to deal with but I can also imagine how occasionally having the same as everyone else or a puréed version of a known comfort food might be psychologically soothing.

From what I can see Parsley Box don't do puree unfortunately. DD's dementia is so far advanced that she can't really express her likes and dislikes, last time I saw them she was still eating cake with difficulty but I think it is now the sloppy stuff. She has also developed a very sweet tooth. In an ideal world I would try and make from scratch but we are in the throes of a new kitchen and also will try to get to the beach if possible so as eating out is not really possible this time round looking at easy wins. Only seeing them every few weeks I am always a bit behind the curve.

Good to see that Wiltshire Foods gets a vote, if she could eat those it might help at home for the time she is still able to stay there (her dh is phenomenal).

I couldn’t read without sending you all a virtual hug, I can’t imagine how difficult this is for everyone. In terms of meals. My Nextdoor neighbour swore by Wiltshire foods for the puree as she felt like this at least tried to make it look more interesting and the delivery drivers were great so I would definitely give them a go.

That is so tough for your family and I hope you get sorted. My MIL is in a home with purred consistency food as her swallow is gone, so we are not providing food but a suggestion I would make is to do a roast dinner beef or lamb really work and do roast potatoes and roast veg and you can purée and portion it easily with a nice gravy mixed in with the meat and potatoes and veg can be done separately or together with the gravy, it freezes and reheats very nicely and can more or less be done in one oven tray.

I'm very sorry to hear about your daughter.
My mother was on pureed food for the last couple of years of her life and also developed a sweet tooth (it's quite common with dementia). The care home used to puree everything for her including cake and desserts. I'm sure you can buy ready-pureed desserts but you could also buy normal cake and add cream and/or custard to puree it.

For trips out, meal-replacement drinks might be easier than food. Either the medical type like Ensure/Fortisip or just things like the ready-mixed Huel bottles. You can pick up the latter in Boots and a lot of supermarkets these days.

And for beach trips, a soft whip ice cream is a touch of normality.

Puréed Ready Meals, Home Delivered Puréed Meals | Made For You (itsmadeforyou.co.uk)
I have had these for my late husband.
I used to give him Slimfast type drinks for his breakfast with some Protein Powder in them which he seemed to like.
He also had dementia and lots of the time he never really knew what the flavours were but always ate his food. When he was in hospital he was the only one who would eat all of his food as the others complained they got a salmon meal most days but he didn't really care as long as he got fed.😄
I had a cookery book published by a NHS trust, will see if I can find it on my old laptop.
Edit - I would buy ready mashed potatoes and veg from M and S as they were better pureed than I could get it.

I came on to recommend 'it's made for you' too. Their customer service is amazing. They call to arrange deliver, tell you the drivers name and an accurate arrival time. The driver then has a little chat with my dad and doesn't rush away. Then you get a phone call later to make sure everything is as it should be and if there are any problems. As previous posters described, the food is pureed and shaped, which is exactly how our SALT described it should be. Nice range of food and puds too. Can't fault them to be honest.

Just been off mixing plaster and come back to see more kind replies and helpful suggestions which I will take on board and really appreciate the virtual support. It's a really hard thing but I'm always conscious that I'm not the one facing the day in day out strain. Thoughts with others facing loved ones disappearing to debilitating disease.

so sorry to hear about your dd

just wanted to offer another recommendation for Wiltshire and their customer service and friendly drivers although no experience of the pureed meals

Unfortunately, Made for You doesn't operate in my area but possibly it does in dd's home area and they have some very helpful info on their website. I had no idea there was a standard for dysphagia or that shaped look a like puree meals were a thing. Good to know there are resources like this.

I think I will definitely give Wiltshire a go this time, it's worth a try as dd is fading away.

I have a relative on a pureed diet, she didn't like the Wiltshire farm food pureed meals ( but she is fussy!).
These tips may help going forward. Basically we batch cook then puree with stick blender different veg separately and freeze in silicon moulds then turn out and keep in bags in freezer ( broccoli, carrots, swede, cauli etc). These can then be taken out individually and microwaved as needed. For meat, eg chicken,beef, pork etc cook as normal, put in fridge to cool for couple of hours. Cut into small cubes then wizz with stick blender, until sandy texture. It'll keep like this in fridge for 2-3 days, so you can do several days at once, then mix with gravy when you need it. She has frozen mash too can add butter or gravy so it's loose enough. Tesco do a microwavable root vegetable mash as a good alternative
Yogurts, mousse, apple puree and custard etc as sweet snacks, blitzed (with stick blender) beetroot, blitzed hard boiled eggs with salad creme or mayo. You can buy thinks like ready done guacamole too as a snack. Hope this helps if she doesn't get on with the pre made ready meals.

I was told it encourages the patient to eat the food if it is shaped. You can buy the silicone moulds for home use but are about £20 each. It depends which level of Dysphagia has been diagnosed - there are about 6 levels and my husband eventually was on next to the highest one which made using a ordinary blender a little difficult as it wouldn't make the food soft enough.
This is the recipe book from NHS (downloadable) https://connect.humber.nhs.uk/resource/dysphagia-recipe-book-dorset-healthcare-university-nhs-foundation-trust/

I suppose it depends on the reason the person needs pureed food as to whether it matters if the food is 'shaped'. It made no difference to my mother (with severe dementia) as she had lost any concept of what a slice of cake or a chicken leg was, never mind what shape it should be. It was just taste and texture which mattered.

And if they tried to feed her veg like broccoli the carer ended up wearing it! Byy the time she was on purees she would only eat sweet tasting foods.

I think dd herself is beyond understanding food shapes, she gets confused between drinks and food but for the children and dh the tenuous semblance of normality is something to hold on to. Hard to believe it's less than eighteen months since dd was working full time planning her next career move.

I will give the homemade ideas and recipes a go on my visit to them if I get the chance.

I'm really grateful for these ideas.