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Suggestions please (warning - long post).

incorporating Recipes and Cooking
Peanutte
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Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#257625

Postby Peanutte » October 13th, 2019, 9:50 pm

At a local Church we prepare - once a week - a dinner for people who are homeless or 'vulnerably housed' (mostly in dodgy bedsits).
We cater for 30.
All the food is fresh and freshly cooked. *
The volunteers get there at 6pm and dinner is served at 8pm. There is one, large oven and five burners of various strengths.
In order to help one of the cooks, I am sometimes asked to provide dessert.

These are what I have done so far:-

- Trifle. For my family, I use frozen berries/sponge fingers/jelly/custard and squirty cream. I tried this for the homeless group but they unanimously prefer tinned fruit. This is pretty easy since I can prepare it all at home and carefully drive in with the glass dishes in the boot. Always popular.

- Angel Delight. I make this up at the centre. Easy. All gets eaten - no waste.

- Apple and blackberry crumble. I mostly prepare this at home. I cook the fruit in the dishes. Put the crumble on top and part cook it at home. Trouble is that when we try to finish the cooking we are also effectively heating the fruit through as well. It was over-cooked and the crumble went a bit solid - it was more like a biscuit topping. Served with custard it got eaten - no complaints.

- Apple and blackberry with a spongy topping. Similar to the crumble - I panicked because I didn't think the sponge was cooked properly - it went a bit dark but it did cook through - served with custard - and was enjoyed by helpers and guests.

That is the extent of my skills. Can anyone suggest anything else please? Clearly, something I can fully prepare at home is more reliable. And I am limited with cooking at the centre because the main meal is being cooked as well. I did a trial run of lemon meringue pie at home (made from scratch like my mum used to) - but there was such a lot of work - I would be better off buying 8 frozen ones from Iceland. And as I am not used to cooking for 30 people, it does need to be fairly straightforward.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Apologies for the long post - thank you for reading this far.

* (For some, it's the only 'square' meal they get all week. Other organisations hand out sandwiches and hot drinks, which is great - but not the same as sitting round a table and being served a hot meal and pudding. We put plates of bread and butter on the tables and this is frequently gone as soon as they sit down and before the meal is served. Some have not eaten all day.
A friend asked me how we know they are genuinely needy. I peered out from the kitchen the following week - our guests are the flotsum and jetsum of society. There is no question as to whether they are genuine.)

AsleepInYorkshire
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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#257634

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » October 13th, 2019, 10:38 pm

I've been working in a city centre for the last 15 months. At the deprived end. There are a lot of souls who get through the day on alcohol. It's soul destroying to witness. I hasten to add I don't judge. But for the grace of God, there go I.

I couldn't tell you what to bake or cook for them. But I wonder if there's a way of organising the local supermarket to help? I think I read that Morrisons don't throw food away if it goes past it's sell be date? I sort of envisage apples and grapes and stuff which perhaps could be given for the following day or used in an apple and blackberry crumble?

It's ironic - ask me to build a school or a house and I can hit the road running and deliver up a 1,000 pupil school in less than 2 years. But ask me to organise a bit of food and I haven't got a clue.

AiY

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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#257802

Postby UncleIan » October 14th, 2019, 3:54 pm

Peanutte wrote:At a local Church we prepare - once a week - a dinner for people who are homeless or 'vulnerably housed' (mostly in dodgy bedsits).
We cater for 30.
All the food is fresh and freshly cooked. *

Any suggestions gratefully received.


Well played you. That's really great.

A few random thoughts...sorry if some of them are teaching granny to suck eggs. I'm now thinking about when we do mass catering for Explorer Scouts...

Could you use a cool box to help keep things warm? Use its insulating properties in reverse, fill with your hot puddings, take to the dinner. Of course, some device to stop them falling over or mushing into each other, but the more full it is, the longer it'll all stay hot, could even put hot water bottles in to help, as the opposite of ice packs!

If you want a real cheat, supermarkets do large jam or chocolate roly polys in the cake section, served with custard is a winner.

How about fairly simple steamed puddings? Cooking them all at once might be tricky at home, but they're pretty simple to make.

pineapple (or apple, or pear) upside down cake.

Dorset apple cake

Brownies

Tray bakes

Actually, there's lots of cake that could be served cold or warm with custard.

Would cheesecake involve a zillion tubs of spreadable cheese? Could you make it as a tray bake? Mind you, we're definitely more in "... with custard" season than fruit salads and cheesecake.

sg31
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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#257818

Postby sg31 » October 14th, 2019, 4:48 pm

Peanutte, sorry I can't help with your problem but I just want to say "Well Done" for your efforts and those of your colleagues.

The idea of approaching the supermarkets sounds sensible. I know our local Tesco makes a big thing about supporting local voluntary groups who feed those in need by supplying what would be waste food.

servodude
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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#257930

Postby servodude » October 15th, 2019, 5:21 am

I have friends that do work with a charity that sources food for this kind of thing.
They're in australia at https://www.fareshare.net.au/ but there might be something near you of a similar vein

As for suggestions, I can't cook dessert (or bake)
- so I do crumbles with whatever fruit I can get mixed 50:50 with apple: berries, rhubarb, apricots, all great!
- doesn't have to be good fruit; it's a great way of using up stuff instead of letting it go off (we stew the fruit and freeze until needed)

What I do to get round the not being able to cook aspect is make the crumble from the cheapest shortbread biscuits I can find
- crush them in to submission with a wooden rolling pin
- lightly toast the crumbs with a bit of coconut, brown sugar and butter
- cover the stewed fruit with it
- put it in an oven for a while

- sd

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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#257980

Postby UncleEbenezer » October 15th, 2019, 10:04 am

I generally don't make desserts. But on rare occasions, usually when I have some fruit that wants cooking ... a crumble or pie might be on the menu, but you already do those ...

Have you considered Lemon Fool? Or indeed any fool? At its simplest (but delicious), you just fold lightly stewed fruit into well-whipped cream with a food blender. In this season pears (optionally with ginger or vanilla) go particularly nicely, though they do produce a slight texture. Though since you mention blackberries, I should add a warning: don't try those in a Fool nor any other recipe involving a liquidiser!

But more to the point in your situation, why not involve the Clients themselves? OK some of them might be a bit scary or just uncommunicative, but someone might have great ideas and culinary skills?

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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#257998

Postby psychodom » October 15th, 2019, 11:02 am

The MOD's Manual of Catering Service, JSP-404 might be of use here for recipes geared up for catering for large numbers.
(Part 3 - Pastries has many dessert recipes)

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov ... rvices.htm

Cheers,

-Dom

Howard
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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#258004

Postby Howard » October 15th, 2019, 11:20 am

I asked Mrs H for a suggestion as she has occasional experience of volunteer cooking for 30+ and having agreed with your approach in the past, she suggested that bread and butter pudding is a good dish which is easy to prepare and cook and will go down well as a hot winter pudding.

regards

Howard

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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#258135

Postby johnstevens77 » October 15th, 2019, 9:42 pm

Milk puddings: baked rice, boiled semolina, creamed rice and macaroni come to mind. Serve as is, or with stewed fruit and vary the flavours using quality extracts/essences.

john

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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#259076

Postby Peanutte » October 20th, 2019, 12:05 pm

Thank you all for your suggestions - I love the 'Manual of Catering Services'. But all really helpful.

Apologies - Some of this is 'off topic' but here goes.

I must stress that I am only a volunteer - the 'Drop In' as it is called is run by local churches and is a registered charity - so I am not involved with decision making. Some of the volunteers - including me - are not church goers.

The Salvation Army in the next town also do a hot, sit-down meal once a week. (Different night to us obviously.)

The churches also provide night shelters in January/February/March (the coldest months) for homeless guests who are referred by the LA Housing Department. These are in local churches on a weekly rota. Evening meal and a (camp) bed in a safe, warm church hall. And breakfast. I don't cook at these - I sleep over once or twice a week on a rota.

This is in addition to the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (night shelters) set up by the LA's when the weather is particularly cold. There is also an emergency (winter) night shelter run by another charity.

For those of you who suggested contacting local supermarkets etc. There are two main local groups and some ad-hoc ones who do soup and sandwiches from vans. I passed one on Monday evening just off the High Street with at least 30 'customers'. I think these groups get the surplus sandwiches and cakes from local shops.
(One of the charities does a hot meal in a town centre car park on Sunday evenings - 'all welcome' sort of thing. Usually chicken which is easy - and the organiser gives the left-overs to the stray cats. Nothing goes to waste.)

Our local Foodbank is well run and well supported. Their website lists food they need and foods they have enough of! (They also say they do not need any more volunteers!) I think (but am not sure) that they get surplus supplies from local supermarkets.

Anyway, thank you again for reading and your encouragement.

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Re: Suggestions please (warning - long post).

#263535

Postby Gaggsy » November 11th, 2019, 5:00 pm

Howard wrote:I asked Mrs H for a suggestion as she has occasional experience of volunteer cooking for 30+ and having agreed with your approach in the past, she suggested that bread and butter pudding is a good dish which is easy to prepare and cook and will go down well as a hot winter pudding.

regards

Howard


My mother used to make puddings for 6 of us regularly. Bread pudding was a favourite and I'm sure easily scaled up for 30+.
Mostly sliced white bread, sultanas and sugar if I remember rightly. Delicious hot or cold and served on its own or with custard or double cream.

Rice pudding also a favourite (with or without the skin on top according to preference).

Bananas and custard. mmm! the best way to eat bananas!


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