The recipe to reduce risks in your cookery school

Like the delicious dishes you teach students in your cookery school, there is a recipe to reduce the risk in any food business. In our last blog, we covered the legalities and facilities you need to consider in the set up of your cookery school. Now you are up and running you’ll want to provide a healthy and happy environment for your students to discover the joy of food.

To start…

  • All staff and students must maintain good personal hygiene by:
    • tying long hair back
    • removing any rings or other hand jewellery
    • covering all cuts and grazes with blue plasters (so it can be seen if it drops into food)
  • Any staff that display signs of illness, such as diarrhoea or vomiting, should not handle or prepare food until they are symptom-free for at least 48 hours.
  • Always ensure hands are washed after:
    • handling raw food such as eggs.
    • blowing your nose or sneezing.
    • visiting the toilet, smoking or eating.
  • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and hot water. Dry hands with a clean hand towel rather than a tea towel or an apron!
  • As well as keeping hands clean, you should wash and replace used kitchen cloths, sponges and tea towels frequently. Damp sponges and cloths are the perfect places for bacteria to breed.
  • Make sure students use different chopping boards or work surfaces for preparing raw food and ready-to-eat foods, meats, salads and vegetables.
  • Cleanse all surfaces and utensils that have been previously used to make other dishes. Take particular care where they have come into .any food known to cause allergies.
  • Avoid slips and trips by cleaning up spillages immediately.

The main ingredients…

  • Buy your food from a reputable supplier, preferably just before you need them. Check that they are well within their ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates.
  • Store dry goods in sealable food grade containers, away from raw foods.
  • Segregate raw and cooked food storage in fridges, freezers and in general storage.
  • Keep chilled goods under 8°C until needed; this includes any products containing cream or butter icing.  
  • Thoroughly wash any salad and vegetables before adding to dishes. This removes any traces of soil and reduces the risk of E. coli contamination.
  • Use a probe to test the core temperature of meats. Make sure they reach a minimum of 63°C during cooking to kill bacteria. Always stir thoroughly soups and sauces to ensure they are evenly cooked before serving.

Before you get the bill…

John Morgan Partnership has worked with cookery schools for many years. Working alongside specialist insurers, JMP can blend a bespoke policy to suit your business. To find out more about our cookery school insurance menu contact us today.


 

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