Birmingham city council is asking meals on wheels recipients and suppliers to suggest their ‘dream dish’ in an effort to ensure the service reflects the changing nature of the city. The calls for menu suggestions is part of an on-going consultation on the service with the aim of delivering meals to more than half a million extra people.

The city council said meals on wheels had come a long way since their inception in 1947 when the Women’s Voluntary Service started delivering food to people who were housebound or who had been left without kitchen facilities by wartime bombing. The main stay of the menu then was pie and mash and the council said that while traditional English classics were still firm favourites, Birmingham’s changing population had led to increased requests Caribbean dishes and Indian food.

Councillor Sue Anderson said: “We want to get the changes right, so we need to know what people would like to eat. The consultation meetings that I have attended so far have been extremely interesting. We have had requests for both soup and Chinese food, which the current menu does not offer. I have even had a lady complain that there was not enough Scottish food on offer. By providing a different menu we hope to see an extra 600,000 vulnerable people across the city accessing the meals service.”

The consultation on how adult social care services are delivered forms part of the City Council’s Adults and Communities business transformation programme. People who want to make menu suggestions can do so online or by calling the council.