HILS – Regeneration Kitchen Rollout for Meals on Wheels

Client Overview

Client

Meals on Wheels

Location

Hertfordshire,

Hertfordshire Independent Living Service (HILS) delivers hot meals to vulnerable residents across Hertfordshire and expanded into West Sussex and Hampshire in 2022–2023. This expansion prevented service interruption when previous providers exited these regions. HILS operates as a not-for-profit, supporting elderly and vulnerable people with nutritious meals and vital community services.

Introduction

This case study highlights how Hertfordshire Independent Living Service (HILS) successfully expanded its Meals on Wheels operations into West Sussex and Hampshire by transitioning from van-based reheating to modern kitchen-based regeneration. The project delivered long-term operational benefits, including improved efficiency, standardised processes, and scalable infrastructure—ensuring uninterrupted service to vulnerable residents while supporting future growth.

Challenges

Ford site was a shell unit with minimal infrastructure

The West Sussex location at Ford Airfield consisted of a bare industrial shell with no existing kitchen, office space, or food service infrastructure. The team needed to create a full commercial kitchen and operational base from scratch.

Power capacity upgrades required

The Ford site’s existing electrical capacity was insufficient for powering commercial catering equipment. HILS had to work with SSEN to assess and implement a full power upgrade to support ovens, hot holding units, and ventilation systems.

Existing Hampshire site had space but needed expansion

The Hampshire location (Itchen Abbas) had some infrastructure in place, including offices and a walk-in freezer, but the existing kitchen was too small to support the increased demand. HILS had to evaluate whether to extend the current kitchen or install a larger one elsewhere on the premises.

Must align with HILS’ no-oil, no-fat cooking model

All equipment and kitchen designs had to be compatible with HILS’ commitment to healthy, grease-free meal preparation. This affected extraction requirements, eliminated the need for grease filtration, and informed the choice of ovens and kitchen layouts.

Goals

Modernise

Transition away from van-based reheating to site-based kitchens for improved efficiency and sustainability.

Standardise

Create consistent operations and improve meal quality across all sites.

Scale

Ensure new facilities can accommodate more ovens and staff as demand increases.

Comply

Maintain HILS’ no-oil, no-fat cooking model and align with health and safety regulations.

Maintain

Optimise

Reduce installation complexity and operational costs through smarter equipment and layout planning.

Solutions Provided

To overcome these challenges and achieve their goals, HILS implemented a comprehensive solution designed to modernise operations while maintaining service continuity.

Moffat CR20 regeneration ovens for reliable, high-volume reheating

Installed across both sites to handle large volumes of frozen meals with consistent, efficient performance.

Hot holding cabinets, sinks, and handwashing stations

Added to ensure meals remain at safe temperatures, support staff hygiene, and maintain compliance with health standards.

Kitchen extraction and layout planning

Designed ventilation systems focused on heat extraction without grease filtration, thanks to HILS’ no-fat cooking model. Planned kitchen layouts for optimal workflow and future expansion.

Coordination with contractors and utility companies

Worked closely with building contractors for kitchen fit-outs and with SSEN to upgrade power capacity where required.

Flexible infrastructure for future scalability

Designed facilities to accommodate additional ovens and increased meal production as demand grows.

Before

After

Results

Avoided service disruption

Ensured continuity of hot meal delivery throughout the transition, with no interruption in service to vulnerable residents.

Regeneration model standardised across regions

All sites now operate using a consistent, kitchen-based regeneration process, improving food quality, efficiency, and staff training.

Future-ready kitchen infrastructure installed

Both locations were equipped with scalable kitchens designed to accommodate more ovens, increased output, and growing community needs.

HILS now has scalable, efficient operations at both sites

The upgraded facilities give HILS full control over meal preparation, enhancing reliability, sustainability, and operational capacity across all regions.

Testimonial

The regeneration ovens transformed our ability to deliver hot meals reliably and at scale. It’s a model we trust, and bringing it to these new sites is key to the future of our service

Operations Lead

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