Prepared meals are one kind of resource that could be invaluable to people who are self-isolating or in quarantine.
The most efficient meal preparation process is for volunteers to, alone or in small teams, make large batches of food. This can then be distributed to anyone who needs it.
If you decide to cook a batch of food, contact the admin team. We will arrange someone to pick it up and distribute meals to people who want them.
This page is not about what you cook, but how you cook it. So no recipes here. We'll leave that to your creative culinary genius. Instead, we're going to go through a few important food safety points to make sure that what you are cooking has as little possibility for contamination as possible. If you don't think you have the resources/ability to do this safely, perhaps this task is not for you!
Before you start cooking, please consider whether it is possible for any surfaces to have been contaminated. Bags brought in from outside can contaminate benches and cooking surfaces. Please wipe down any surfaces you will be using with a disinfectant spray.
Start by taking the ingredients out and washing everything that has been in contact with the outside world in hot water with soap (even things you wouldn't normally, like a bag of rice or a can of pineapple).
Make sure all your cooking utensils are carefully washed in hot water with soap.
Make sure you make a plan for yourself about how you will manage hand washing. Personal hygiene when cooking and handling containers is incredibly important and can be hard to keep track of. It is important to realise this and make sure you stay mindful. Every time you touch your phone or your face or anything that hasn't been sanitised, wash your hands. Perhaps you and your cooking buddy can make a game out of it.
We strongly recommend the use of PPE (masks and gloves) when cooking food where possible.
Cooking processes should be self-directed and you can choose any recipe you want. However, you must disclose every ingredient you include in the meal. Further, we desperately do not want to risk being involved in the delivery of meals to people with anaphylaxis or trace-sensitive coeliac disease without absolutely guaranteeing that those meals will be trace-free. If you don't know what this would entail, do not assume that you can prepare nut-, lactose- or gluten- free food without research and careful consideration.
Only touch containers with washed/gloved hands and place as quickly as possible in a clean (freshly washed or yet unopened) bag.
Cheap plastic containers can be purchased in most supermarkets or online.