UNIONS, staff, health watchdogs and patients have all defended hospital food in Blackburn after it was described as "slop".

Nurse research fellow Samantha Pollitt from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston had been reported as saying the food by TV gourmet Loyd Grossman had been described as slop and 20 nurses had said the menu was not working.

But the university then issued a statement saying her comments had been taken out of context and were reported inaccurately.

Staff and patients at Queen's Park Hospital in Blackburn praised the food, although the Indian menu came in for mild criticism for a lack of variety.

Edith Goody, 75, of Great Harwood, said: "It is very good really. I don't like cheese and I have been able to find plenty of things without cheese. The plaice has also been excellent."

Ismail Sange, 68, of Blackburn, said: "The food here is all right. I have tried some Indian and some English food, but the Indian food is nearly always the same. I have asked for something different. But, as a Muslim, I have been able to get Halal food."

John Kirkbright, 83, of Accrington, said: "It isn't five-star-hotel food, but it isn't that bad either. It varies enough and I have been happy with it."

And Nigel Robinson, chief officer with Blackburn Community Health Council, said he was angry at the comments, after his members had been working with the trust to prepare the new menus which will be introduced in January. "I am absolutely appalled at the comments that have been made describing the food as "slop". I find them unacceptable and this person should check her facts. We have worked very hard on getting the right menus and we know that we can't please all of the patients, but we have been trying very hard to get it right."

Current menus at the hospital do not include the new recipes by celebrity chef Loyd Grossman, but some sample menus have been tried by a selected nutrition panel.

Beverley Aspin, UNISON steward and ward sister, said: "The meals are very nice and very well received by patients. We have not noticed any problems, and the only problems we have is with food for staff overnight, which we have brought to the trust's attention."

Christine Barker, ward sister, who said her favourite meal was cheese and onion pie, said: "The majority of the patients are quite happy with what they get. Obviously, there will be a few who aren't, but everybody's tastes are different."

Marilyn Hall, clinical nurse specialist in gynaecology, said: "The food given to the patients is the same as the staff's. We have not had any negative comments as far as I know. There will be a wider choice when the new menus are brought in."

Helen McDonald, from the outpatients department, said: "We do not serve food directly to patients, but plenty of our patients pop in for lunch before their appointments, which is a good sign."

Mike Hall, facilities manager at the hospital, said the trust had been working hard to put the new menus together, and had been taking all patient comments into account.

The Loyd Grossman menus will be offered as a chef's special along with the normal range from January at Queen's Park and Blackburn Royal Infirmary.

A spokesman for the University of Central Lancashire said: "The article confuses the research findings presented on the Loyd Grossman initiative, with the informal discussion within the audience at the end. Even the research findings from the study are inaccurately reported and misquoted.

"No reference to any specific trust was made during the presentation."

The special menus were unveiled in May in a £40million government drive to overhaul hospital food.