Delivered meals

a home delivered meal

Delivered meals are available to people who have difficulty accessing nutritious meals regularly at home and who may benefit from regular contact with Council personnel. There may be many reasons why you are no longer preparing meals at home.

Kingston Council has one dedicated facility located in Bonbeach which deliver healthy, delicious meals directly to your door to support residents living within the City of Kingston remain independent and in their home. 

Supporting you

Looking after your wellbeing is our priority. A vitally important aspect of our delivered meals service is the support you will receive in the event you are not home as expected. 

Any time a knock at the door goes unanswered when meals are delivered as planned, our dedicated team follow this up with a phone call to your nominated contact person to ensure you are safe.

You can choose how many meals you would like to receive per week. Some people have meals delivered to cover the full week (delivery Monday to Friday) while others choose to order meals only one or three days per week.

You can also order multiple meals per day if you choose to, or order meals daily for the check in service. 

What's on the menu?

Our menus are carefully developed to provide you with a choice of nutritious, delicious meals. Each day of the week you can select from a range of delicious main meals, salads, sandwiches, soups and desserts.

In most cases, special dietary requirements and allergies can be accommodated. To meet your dietary needs, correspondence from your dietitian and/or GP is requested and retained on file for future reference.

If you have any additional dietary requirements influenced by your cultural and/or religious beliefs please raise them with the kitchen supervisor. Whenever possible we will endeavour to provide you with a suitable meal.

In the most recent survey, 98.71% of people rated the meals being provided as better than average or average.

Ranahans Fine Foods - our supplier

Ranahans Fine Foods are a family owned and operated company that has been operating for over two generations. With Ranahans Fine Food we are able to offer you the following benefits with your Delivered Meals service:

  • New eight week menu with multiple meal choices to select from. 
  • Long term stable supplier, giving you consistency with your meals service. 
  • Flexible menu that allows each course to be purchased separately so you are only paying for the course you choose. 
  • Appealing and tasty texture modified meal options for those with various health conditions.

When are meals delivered?

All meals are delivered Monday to Friday and include your Saturday and Sunday meal choices. You can be confident that all meals (hot or cold) have been prepared, stored and transported in accordance with current food safety guidelines, with our qualified staff following all relevant procedures.

Sample weekly menu

Our fresh meals are delivered daily and are easy to heat up. Here's a sample of the tasty and nutritious meals we now have on offer throughout a typical week:

 

MONDAY

  • Roast beef and gravy
  • Chicken schnitzel
  • Sweet potato and bacon quiche 
  • Cheesy vegetable rolls (V)
  • Raspberry cheesecake 
  • Banana cake and custard 
  • Two fruits & custard 
  • Tropical jelly & fruit 
  • Spring vegetable soup 

 

TUESDAY

  • Roast chicken and gravy 
  • Baked fish with cream and herb sauce 
  • Savoury mince & rice 
  • Roast vegetable tart (V)
  • Apple & sultana cake & custard
  • Apricots & custard 
  • Strawberry jelly & fruit 
  • Beef vegetable & potato soup 

 

WEDNESDAY

  • Roast pork, apply sauce & gravy
  • Beef stroganoff 
  • Italian meatballs & napoli source & pasta 
  • Spanish omelette (V)
  • Lamington & cream 
  • Apricot sponge & custard 
  • Apples & custard 
  • Pineapple jelly & fruit  
  • Minestrone soup 

 

THURSDAY

  • Roast lamb, mint sauce & gravy 
  • Cottage pie 
  • Tuna mornay & rice 
  • Pasta alfredo (V)
  • Lemon mousse 
  • Carrot cake & custard 
  • Peaches & custard 
  • Orange jelly & fruit 
  • Pumpkin soup 

 

FRIDAY

  • Roast turkey, cranberry sauce & gravy 
  • Chicken kiev 
  • Crumbed fish 
  • Vegetable burger (V)
  • Passionfruit cheesecake 
  • Date & pear cake & custard 
  • Fruit salad & custard 
  • Raspberry jelly & fruit 
  • Chicken & sweet corn soup 

Texture modified meals

If you have difficulty swallowing or chewing due to a health condition such as a stroke, Parkinson's disease, cancer, dementia or other condition you may need to eat what's known as texture modified meals. This is where the meal is soft and pureed prior to serving so it can be easily swallowed.

There is a risk of choking, malnutrition and aspiration pneumonia, for people with swallowing difficulties, so texture modified meals are extremely important. 

In some cases, pureed food is simply served as it is, lumped into a heap on the plate which isn't appealing to eat. As a consequence people eat less, lose weight and don't get the nutrition they need. They can also experience anxiety around food.

Our texture modified meals taste great and are also appetising with food being pureed and then reassembled so that foods look like the original form, making eating a meal a much more pleasant experience, as it should be. Here are some of our texture modified meals:

  • Roast Chicken with Gravy & Vegetables
  • Roast Lamb with Gravy & Vegetables
  • Roast Beef with Gravy & Vegetables
  • Apricot Chicken & Vegetables
  • Salmon, Lemon Sauce & Vegetables
  • Chicken & Spinach Ravioli w Tomato Sauce & Vegetables
  • Beef Stroganoff & Vegetables
  • Shepherds Pie & Vegetables
  • Rissoles & Onion Gravy with Vegetables
  • Pumpkin & Pea Pudding, Beetroot Sauce & Vegetables
  • Texture modified meal chicken ravioli

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Reducing loneliness with delivered meals

With our service we encourage a daily delivery service as we know that this reduces loneliness and reduces the chances of falls or being admitted to hospital.  It's the daily contact with a volunteer who is delivering the meal that is so vital, ensuring social contact and connection each and every day of the week.

It's also very reassuring for families to know that their loved one is being checked in on daily and they will be called if the door goes unanswered.

Research by Kali Thomas from Brown University in the United States looked at the effect of home meal delivery on quality of life, beyond providing essential nutrition.

Our research supports the hypothesis that the delivery, in addition to the meal itself, has numerous positive impacts on clients’ lives, said Dr Thomas

Am I eligible?

Delivered meals are available to people who have difficulty accessing nutritious meals at home on a regular basis. The Delivered Meals service provides nutritional meals to eligible City of Kingston residents who would benefit from improved nutrition and/or regular monitoring during the delivery process.

Is there a fee?

A client contribution (fee) is charged for each meal, dessert and soup ordered. A monthly account will be sent to you or your nominated financial representative. Direct debit payment options are available.

More information

For more information or find out if you are eligible for Delivered Meals please call 1300 819 200.

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