From Dutch roots to award-winning food innovation, Mellors serves up over 130,000 delicious, nutritious and inclusive school meals everyday
Mellors Catering Services (Mellors) was founded in 1995 by Tim Timmerman and his son Mark, emerging as an independent, family-owned contract caterers from Mellors Bakery, which began in 1840 in Southport, England. Originally from Holland, Tim was a baker by trade and moved to the UK on an exchange program, later starting his own company by purchasing the bakery. Today, owner Mark Timmerman operates the catering company with CEO, Tony Trainor, attributing its quirky culture to a deep-rooted Dutch heritage – a competitive advantage Tony describes as inimitable.
“Our culture and our history are unmatched,” Tony tells Food Chain. “It cannot be copied. The quirkiness of our Dutch legacy is what makes us a unique, fun, school meals provider. We shy away from being too corporate, while remaining friendly and professional. Offering bespoke, tailored menus designed to meet in-dividual tastes and preferences, ensuring we serve fresh, tasty, and nutritious meals for schools and educational settings – leaving taste buds tingling!” Mellors operates in over 360 sites across the North, Midlands and South of England, displaying impressive growth since its humble beginnings over 30 years ago.
Not only has Mellors expanded geographically, but one of its key strengths is its flexibility to adapt to the evolving needs of its customers while continuing to provide great-tasting food for everyone. More recently, Mellors has also enhanced its remit to include culturally diverse menus, reflecting the communities it serves.
“We believe that everyone should have access to the same delicious and nutritious lunch choices.” Tony adds. Indeed, the company has invested in research to establish transparent halal sourcing, focusing on traceability and instilling trust in customers. “Islam is the fastest growing faith in the UK,” adds Tony. “Our ambition is to be the gold standard in inclusivity.”
Mellors recently launched Moonlit Meals to help better serve students observing the holy month of Ramadan. As Muslim students fast in the daytime during Ramadan, this new initiative gives them the option to take home groceries and cupboard essentials to support home cooked meals as part of evening celebratory feasts. “Rather than just being a school meals provider, we’re looking at ways to diversify and go one step further in supporting students and their families,” Tony continues. “Our Moonlit Meals package enables students to utilize their free school meal allowance with groceries, such as dates, chopped tomatoes, potatoes and rice. The initiative has received over 4500 requests already this year.”
Prioritizing employee wellbeing
Alongside diversifying offerings, Mellors’ menu innovation centers on exploring new high street products, particularly in further education, where customers may dine elsewhere at lunchtime. Embracing creativity and new ideas, the company launched ‘Crafted by Mellors’, a signature collection of four exclusive dishes, adapting dishes from the original Mellors Bakery recipe book. “Dating back to the 1800s, Mellors bakery recipes are incredibly unique to Mellors,” reveals Tony. “With our ‘Crafted by Mellors’ range, we have taken some of these early recipe ideas and given them a modern twist.” A classic scone-turned-churro has become one of its most popular items among pupils. “We knew secondary school children weren’t likely to choose a scone, so we had to make that recipe relevant, interesting and exciting. We turned it into a scone churro called The Twist, served in a cone with either cocoa-based chocolate sauce, or jam and cream. They absolutely love it.”
Furthermore, Mellors recently unveiled its new Tuk Truck – a vibrant, mobile street food experience, that
visits Mellors schools across the UK, bringing new flavors from around the world straight to schools. Tony purchased and converted a Renault Master low loader box van: “Our Tuk Truck is fully self-contained with cooking equipment and a generator,” he explains. “We have a dedicated Tuk Truck chef who manages the truck as it travels between schools on a booking basis, showcasing authentic street food dishes from around the globe. We’ll often spend a week on site, so that people can try dishes they’ve not tasted be-fore.”
As a provider of fresh, nourishing meals, Mellors weaves its FRESH mantras into everything it does – an acronym which propels company culture. “The ‘R’ stands for ‘running it like it’s your own business’ and encourages employees to think about making the right decisions for the company,” shares Tony. “It’s not necessarily all about cost and money. The ‘S’ stands for ‘stuff’ – as in ‘getting stuff done’. It’s all about motivation and proactivity. These mantras are what drives our success.”
The company’s regional structure also provides competitive advantages. “Some rival companies might look after very large patches, whereas our area managers have a small number of sites close to where they live, offering localized support,” Tony explains. “That work-life balance is critical because we don’t want people to burn out.” The company implements an annual Rest and Relaxation Week every August, an initiative formed during the Covid-19 pandemic when annual leave entitlement was accumulating. “We thought it would be beneficial for everybody if we closed the office down and gave staff a collective week off when schools are closed, when they’re not being contacted and can rest without worrying about emails.” With employee wellbeing high on the agenda, Tony and Mark also spend nine weeks every year handwriting Christmas cards to all 1900 staff members, including personal messages to each individual. “It’s those little touches that make a difference,” Tony highlights. “There are people who have been in this business a long time because of the unique Mellors culture – over 30 years in some cases.”
Organic growth
Now in the second year of its current strategic plan, the company is targeting sustainable growth to reach 500 sites by the end of 2029, which Tony describes is ‘on track’, while recently scooping a trio of awards: Contract Caterer of the Year, Best Marketing, and Best People Development. “It was a hat-trick of results,” he says. “These awards drive momentum, creating excitement internally and with existing clients. It demonstrates we’re a recognized leader in education catering, while maintaining our strong, family focused approach.”
Mellors sets itself apart by blending innovation with tradition – serving authentic street food from around the world, Moonlit Meals during Ramadan, and heartfelt Christmas messages. This combination of Dutch quirkiness and inclusivity gives the company a clear competitive edge in education contract catering. “Expansion is definitely important, but not at the expense of our values,” concludes Tony. “We aim to build strong, long-term partnerships with clients who share those values. As we grow, maintaining our close-knit, supportive culture across all sites is a top priority. Of course, we want to keep innovating with menus and shaking up school meals, but preserving our culture is just as crucial as we grow.”