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Sophie was passionate about improving hospital food for children. She described it as "disgusting"—a powerful statement from a child who genuinely loved food.

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During her treatment, we quickly realised that hospital meals were not child-friendly and were served at times that didn’t align with when Sophie actually felt like eating. Chemotherapy often made her nauseous, and meals would arrive when she was too sick to eat. By the time she felt hungry—typically late at night—the kitchen was already closed. This led Sophie to stop eating hospital food altogether. She insisted on being tube fed and would only eat once she had been discharged.

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We’ve since been working with Phil Shelley from NHS England to drive change. Hospital food should be nutritious, made with high-quality ingredients, and freshly prepared. Improving the quality and standard of NHS food is a significant challenge, but one we are committed to tackling. Our goal is to expand the range and variety of food options available to children in hospital so they can enjoy and actually want to eat their meals.

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In April 2023, Charlotte shared Sophie’s story at the National Hospital Catering Conference in Birmingham, attended by hospital representatives from across the UK.

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A month later, in May 2023, Charlotte met with Nick Vadis from NHS Supply Chain to discuss how to improve food for children. One idea that emerged was to create a dedicated cookbook. A year later, in May 2024, the NHS Food Supply Chain and Foodbuy UK published the first NHS cookbook focused entirely on children’s food. Titled "More Please," the cookbook includes two of Sophie’s favourite dishes—a pancake recipe and a Mexican dish—both featuring Sophie’s Legacy branding. The book also emphasises the importance of feeding parents alongside their children. It has been distributed to every hospital in the UK with on-site chefs and is now a key tool in helping NHS chefs cater to children’s nutritional needs. Its success has led to the production of a second cookbook, "Even More Please," currently in development. Charlotte has worked closely with Nick and the NHS Supply Chain team on both books.

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Charlotte was honoured to serve as a judge for NHS Chef of the Year in both 2023 and 2024. In these competitions, chefs were challenged to prepare two meals suitable for children in hospital. Charlotte shared Sophie’s story, helping the chefs understand the real-life impact of their food.

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In April 2025, Charlotte was once again invited to speak at the National Hospital Catering Conference in Birmingham, where she discussed the urgent need to improve hospital food for children. She emphasised the importance of offering more appealing and varied meal options, making food fun and engaging, and giving children autonomy over what and when they eat—rather than having to make rushed decisions from a limited list provided by staff. Charlotte pointed out that children’s palates have evolved thanks to better school meals and more diverse dining experiences, and NHS menus should reflect that.

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Also in April 2025, Charlotte was approached by Apetito, a major provider supplying food to over 600 UK hospitals. They expressed interest in collaborating to enhance their children’s food offering. In May 2025, Charlotte visited Apetito’s headquarters in Trowbridge, and the early discussions have been very promising. This partnership has the potential to bring about significant improvements in children’s hospital meals nationwide.

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While there is still much work to be done, there are hospitals already leading the way. One standout example is Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, which Charlotte visited in September 2024. There, each ward has its own chef, and on the children’s cancer ward, patients can press a doorbell to order food whenever they feel ready to eat. They can choose exactly what they’d like, which not only reduces food waste but also gives children a sense of control. Charlotte believes wholeheartedly that Sophie would have eaten during her hospital stays if she had access to that kind of experience. It shows what is truly possible within the NHS when child-focused care is prioritised.