The Fridge Failed Overnight: What Now
I’ll never forget standing in a secondary school kitchen at 10:30 AM, watching a frantic catering manager stare at a…
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.
The Complete Guide to Kitchen Health and Safety
I’ve spent sixteen years walking into kitchens where the air is thick with the smell of industrial degreaser and the…
Checking Fridges Twice a Day and Recording It
I’ve walked into enough school kitchens to know that when I ask how fridges and freezers should be monitored, I’m…
Dropping Good Food and Bad Food Language
I was standing in a school kitchen three years ago, watching a midday service descend into chaos because a trainee…
You Can’t Cook Your Way Out of Funding Shortages in Local School Meal Programs, So Stop Trying to Do Everything and Start Protecting the Essentials.
I remember standing in a kitchen in East London three years ago, the air thick with the smell of industrial…
Stop Wasting Time on Useless Scrubs: the Realistic Guide on How to Wash Fruits and Vegetables Correctly to Actually Reduce Risk.
I’ve walked into enough school kitchens during the mid-morning rush to know that nobody has the time or the inclination…
The Complete Guide to Commercial Dishwashing
I’ve stood in the middle of school kitchens during the lunch rush, where the steam is thick enough to breathe…
Stop Replacing Your Gear Every Six Months: the Unglamorous Truth About Maintaining High Quality Cookware and Pans.
I’ve spent enough time in school kitchens to know that there is a massive, expensive lie being sold to people…
Stop Trying to Perfect the Menu and Start Mastering the Basics: How to Actually Implement Safe Food Handling Practices for Outdoor Picnics When You’re Short on Time and Gear.
I’ve spent sixteen years walking into kitchens where the paperwork is pristine but the reality is a disaster, and I’ll…
The Kitchen as a Teaching Resource
I’ve sat in far too many budget meetings where people talk about “how catering supports the wider curriculum” as if…