food donations

Spices

Spices are vital to the food we cook in our kitchen. In Calais we have a spice store that the best kitchens in the world would be jealous of. Crates of paprika, harissa, chillies, sumac, turmeric, nutmeg etc etc. You name it we probably have it...

We use these spices to make spices mixes which form the base of our curries but also for our rices, condiments table and even to make spiced tea.

One classic spice mix we use is Berbere. Berbere is a spice mix that is central in Eritrean and Ethiopian cooking. Using spices mixes like this ensures the curries we serve have a cultural relevance and the familiarity of home.

Producing dishes that reflect the communities we serve is a cornerstone of the RCK ethos.

A challenge to all the spices lovers out there, can you name all the spices in the last photo??

Vegetables by the ton

Cooking over 14,000 (July 2022) vegetarian meals in a month requires a significant amount of vegetables.

Once a week we place a vegetable order. This order is determined by our current stock levels and what kind of food we expect to cook that week.

In July alone we went through:

- 1900kg of onions

- 1200kg of potatoes

- 640kg of carrots

- 240kg tomatoes

Our vegetable order costs around ~£1.5k a week. We are only able to continue our work through the support of our community. Placing vegetables orders in advance requires us to be confident of our future income. This is why reoccurring monthly donations play such an important role in the stability and longevity of RCK.

Individual reoccurring donations of £5/month collectively have a massive impact and ensure that we are able to continue serving warm food to those that need it. If you are interested in finding out a bit more about where donations go or signing up to a reoccurring donation please head to our justgiving page!!:

A Day in the Life of RCK

Each day we go out on several food distributions in Calais and Dunkirk. This requires extensive preparation and coordination across the whole kitchen team.

The distribution leads for the day inform the mains and carbs chef how many meals they are expecting to distribute in each site (the numbers are based on previous distributions and other factors such as weather and if other organisations will be in the area the time).

The prep lead is responsible for ensuring that the correct quantity of vegetables is prepped for mains. This means the kitchen works non-stop to get the food out on time while trying to produce as many additional sides/extras for the condiments table as possible.

During the morning the distribution leads will brief the distribution teams. These briefings focus on 3 points, the practicalities of how RCK runs a distribution, volunteer security and safety and finally field etiquette (how RCK behaves while on distribution).

The final job before leaving for distribution is to pack the vans. We pack the vans with; a hygiene create, tables, bins, spices, water/tea/coffee, plates, cups, spoons etc.

The team then drives to distribution sites and distributes the fresh food produced in the kitchen that day. Once finished the team head back to the kitchen, clean down the vans, tables, cool down any remaining food (to ensure it is a safe temperate before going into the fridge). For the distribution teams the day finishes with a debriefing which looks at practical/logistical areas to improve, any emotional responses/thoughts from the distribution that people may want to share and finally signposting to some resources that RCK has to help with volunteer welfare.

Thank you Ahmad Tea UK

Serving hot, sweet tea to people on the move gives the message of welcome, love and solidarity in every language

Big thank you to Ahmad Tea UK for this huge donation of teas, which have kept our tea service going over the last weeks, on all our distributions in Calais and Dunkirk.

Donate if you can every penny helps!