The kitchens of a central London hotel were taken over by an army of volunteers a week before Christmas Eve, to cook what might be the capital’s biggest Christmas dinner this year, churning out over 2,700 meals.
In the industrial scale event on December 17, huge trays of roast chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, parsnips, sprouts and gravy were packed up by local residents, MPs, business owners and good samaritans.
“These meals will be distributed through the network of food banks, and some local volunteers will be able to deliver those meals to people who need them, including people who are isolating,” organiser Ibrahim Dogus told The Big Issue.
Chefs at the Park Plaza Hotel in Waterloo churned out tens of thousands of sprouts and gallons of gravy from the hotel’s kitchens, as volunteers put together the food parcels. Local businesses rallied together to fund the operation which will feed thousands of people across London.
With the UK entering what has been called a “pseudo lockdown” due to the rapid spread of Omicron, many are grappling with the prospect of spending the festive period in isolation or away from loved ones.
The meals were delivered to social events and food banks accross the city, and will be available for people who are homeless, elderly, isolating or struggling to put food on the table in the run up to Christmas day.