40 Faces of Brendoncare – Doreen Antell

Pop into Brendoncare Otterbourne Hill’s Bradbury Café and you might see catering assistant Doreen Antell’s friendly face as she serves coffee and tea to the residents.

Doreen has been working for Brendoncare for 19 years, making her one of our longest serving team members. This was recognised during Brendoncare’s Annual Awards in July.

She was presented with a bouquet of flowers as a token of appreciation for her work with us.
Doreen is pictured here on the left at the front.

Originally from Portsmouth where she worked in retail, Doreen moved to Otterbourne to look after her partner’s father who was ill.

“As a sideline to get out occasionally, I did some care in the community. But I wanted to change that to see what the environment was like in a care home,” explains Doreen.

As a result, Doreen got a job at Brendoncare’s former care home, The Old Parsonage in Otterbourne, where she joined the housekeeping team.

“The home manager then said to me, how about coming to work in the kitchen. And that is what I have been doing ever since.”

Then when it opened in 2018, Doreen moved from the Old Parsonage to Otterbourne Hill, which, initially, was quite a shock to her.

“Suddenly, the number of residents for whom I was cooking doubled from 30 to 60! But I stepped up and started doing the cooking.”

Doreen is very conscious that mealtimes are very important times of the day for the residents, so she ensures she cooks dishes that they all enjoy.

Traditional:

“They do prefer plain, simple food so they are not so keen on curries and pizzas. But they do like roast dinners, sausage and mash and cottage pie – all very traditional, followed by crumble and custard, which are always very popular.”

Doreen is also very conscious of the dietary needs of some residents. “I enjoy preparing pureed food for those of them who have trouble with swallowing. I like the challenge and always see it is right for them.”

Working most of the time in Otterbourne Hill’s kitchen, Doreen’s only regret is she cannot see more of the residents during the day. “We also have residents coming over from the Mews and I love to interact with them. It really feels like being part of an extended family.

“I love the fact that Brendoncare devotes itself to looking after older people and making sure they are all happy.”

Doreen has no intention of retiring. She is already looking forward to celebrating her 20th anniversary with Brendoncare next year.