With the growing acceptance that nurses should be relieved of non-nursing duties an increasing number of central plate and tray services are being considered by Hospital Management Committees. One such service is the Regethermic system, an innovation from France. The King's Fund was asked to promote an experiment with the use of this service at the Royal Homeopathic Hospital and report on its effectiveness and compare it with their present system. Briefly it can be said that there is a saving in nurses time and other ward staff; that work hours in the kitchen are also reduced; that the appearance and palatability of food is improved; and that in a multi-storey building the lift need only be used at convenient times. On the other hand the introduction of a selective menu brings problems, and the risk of bacterial infection is increased. Finally the degree of success, as with other systems, depends ultimately on the level of management and the co-operation of departments.