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Sophie was dedicated to improving hospital food for children. She described it as "disgusting," which was significant coming from a child who loved food.

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During her treatment, we found that hospital food wasn't child-friendly or served at times when Sophie wanted to eat. Chemotherapy often made her nauseous, and meals would arrive when she was feeling ill. When she felt like eating, typically late at night, the kitchen was closed. This led to Sophie refusing hospital food and only eating after being discharged.

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Our research at Portsmouth hospital revealed that the food was prepared by a caterer in Wales and simply reheated before serving. Even the chips were microwaved.

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We are working with the Chief Nursing Officer, her NHS team, and Phil Shelley from the NHS Food Review to implement changes. Hospital food should be nutritious, made with high-quality ingredients, and freshly cooked.

Changing the quality and standard of NHS food is a significant challenge. We want to expand the range and options of food for children so they can enjoy meals while in the hospital.

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In April 2023, I spoke about Sophie’s experience at the National Catering Conference in Birmingham, attended by representatives from hospitals across the UK.

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In May 2023, I met with Nick Vadis from NHS Food Supply to discuss improving children's food. He suggested creating a cookbook. A year later in May 2024, a children's cookbook produced by NHS Food Supply Chain and Foodbuy UK was published. This is the first cookbook for NHS chefs, focusing on children's food. Sophie's Legacy charity chose two recipes to have the logo on: a pancake dish and a Mexican dish, both of Sophie’s favourites. The book, titled "More Please," also emphasises the need to feed parents. It is a valuable tool for NHS chefs and will be distributed to all hospitals with on-site chefs.

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