Investigating a Complaint Properly
I remember standing in a school kitchen three years ago, the air thick with the smell of overcooked pasta and…
Author: Ottoline Achebe-Kirkwood
Almost every serious food safety incident I have investigated was preventable by something small and boring that nobody had time for. I write about the controls that actually reduce risk — allergen communication, temperature discipline, cleaning that follows a sequence — and I am honest that a kitchen serving four hundred meals on limited staffing cannot do everything. Tell me what you can realistically sustain, and I will tell you where to put it.
Moving Kitchen Records From Paper to Digital
I’ve walked into enough school kitchens to know that the moment I see a pristine, three-inch leather-bound binder sitting on…
A Food Council That Changes the Menu
I’ve sat through countless meetings where administrators present glossy, expensive digital platforms designed to track student satisfaction, as if a…
The Complete Guide to Food Education
I’ve sat in enough staff rooms to know that when someone mentions a “complete guide to food education,” you usually…
The Complete Guide to Pupil Food Feedback
I’ve spent half my career standing in echoing school corridors and steaming kitchens, watching staff struggle to juggle a hundred…
A Temporary Kitchen During Building Works
I’ve spent enough time standing in the mud at festival sites and cramped event marquees to know that most manuals…
Explaining a Menu Change Before It Lands
I remember standing in a school kitchen three years ago, watching a frantic midday service where the supplier had swapped…
Reducing Waste Without Under-serving
I’ve sat in far too many school kitchens at 1:30 PM, watching a staff member scrape a mountain of perfectly…
Waste Management Inside and Outside the Door
I remember walking into a primary school kitchen during a Tuesday lunch rush—the peak of the chaos—and the first thing…
The Complete Guide to Dining Hall Management
I’ve spent sixteen years walking into kitchens where the air is thick with steam and the sound of clattering trays,…