Catering staff at the West Suffolk Hospital are ready for the festive season after baking around 7,000 mince pies for patients, visitors and staff.

Kitchen staff at the hospital in Bury St Edmunds started their mammoth task in mid-September and have been making about 300 pies each day using a total of 140kg each of mincemeat and homemade pastry.

Around 800 will be given to patients at Christmas and on New Year's day, with others sold to visitors over the holiday season in the Courtyard Caf� and staff in the Time Out restaurant.

However, the vast majority will be eaten off site, with staff ordering dozens of mince pies to take home for their families.

Veronica Hall, catering manager at the hospital, said: 'Our mince pies have always been popular, and we end up making more each year for our patients, staff and visitors to enjoy. We fit in the baking around our usual day job, so start making the pies early on so that we can get them finished in good time for the festive season.'

'We give out pies to the patients along with their roast turkey lunch on Christmas Day. It can be hard for people to spend the festive season in hospital, so it's nice that we are able to offer them some traditional food to enjoy.'