I RECENTLY spent some time in Hereford County Hospital after quite a serious car crash. I was very lucky and was attended excellently by the accident and emergency people, and professionally and calmly treated by the ambulance crew.

But I do have a beef. No pun intended, but I have a bone to pick with the catering at the hospital.

I found the food atrocious. If you threw it in the river, the fish would throw it back. We live in Herefordshire, home of the best beef, potatoes and apples. Anything will grow in our rich, deep soil.

How is it, then, in our nice, clean hospital, we are served up amorphous brown cubes of mystery meat? Pie crust welded to the plate, cauliflower florets (grey/yellow and disintegrated by heat), lumpy custard and rock-hard crumble?

Where’s the hospital garden (see Lisbon hospital), where are the herbal teas, fresh salads and pure apple juice?

PAUL DABIN HMP Hewell, Redditch