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Crunch time for award-winning Jenny!

- 14 Feb 17

Chocolate crunch with pink custard is the dish Jenny Arnold credits for helping her get the job of feeding staff at Bovis Homes' Bishop's Cleeve office, and nearly 20 years later the pudding is still on the menu and as popular as ever!

Catering Manager Jenny, who lives in Twyning near Tewkesbury has not had a single day off sick since joining the company in 1999 - and has been recognised for her dedication to the job with a Lifetime Achievement award from the home builder's Western region.

"Everyone at the regional office knows Jenny," says her line manager Alison White. "She has an incredible memory and remembers everyone's names, which is great for new starters as it makes them feel very welcome.

"She also knows everyone's likes, dislikes and dietary requirements and always tries to accommodate them. Her meals really keep us going for the rest of the day, and it's lovely to see Jenny's happy, smiley face at lunchtime!"

Starting with Bovis Homes when the office moved its office to Cleeve Hall from Lansdown Road in Cheltenham, Jenny, was given the responsibility of feeding the staff at lunchtime. With help from her part-time assistants Di and Susan, Jenny, who will turn 70 at the end of the year, now feeds around 100 hungry staff every day over two sittings in the office's restaurant.

"When I first started, we didn't have anything. I had to sort out the whole kitchen - all the equipment and menus - everything!" says Jenny.

Previously, Jenny worked part-time as a Catering Manager at Drakes Broughton C of E First and Middle School in Pershore for 18 years. She left to start a full-time job at Whitbread Brewery in Gloucester, but left shortly after when she got the job at Bovis Homes.

"I was asked if I could do fish Fridays and when I mentioned chocolate crunch and pink custard as a pudding, the interviewer's eyes lit up," says Jenny. "I'm sure that it was this that got me the job!"

With her big birthday coming around at the end of the year, Jenny says that retirement isn't too far away, but she would still like to come back to help.

Jenny said: "I do really enjoy it here - it's like catering for one big family!"