Chefs in the UK, who are no longer working because of the lockdown, are using their talents for the greater good to provide meals for health workers and the vulnerable as the country battles the coronavirus outbreak.
Nadeem Hussain, co-founder of soup kitchen The Breaking Bread Trust, said three restaurants in his local area of Harrow, north London, had got in touch to offer their services.
Taste of Lahore, Toros Steakhouse and Punjab Grill are working with The Breaking Bread Trust to provide 120 hot meals a day to vulnerable people in the community and to staff at Northwick Park Hospital.
“There’s an estate in our area with vulnerable and elderly people in dire need of help,” Mr Hussain told The National. “At a time where businesses are being crippled, it’s so great to see these restaurants are thinking of the wider community.”
Morrocan chef Khalid Dahbi and founder of the KD Foundation has started an initiative to provide meals and personal protective equipment to police, paramedics and homeless shelters.
Restaurants and cafes have been ordered to shut across the country to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The public have been told they must stay at home unless they are travelling to work or going out for essential shopping or taking exercise.
Doctors, nurses, paramedics and other health workers have experienced empty shelves in supermarkets after finishing long shifts so volunteer initiatives like have become vital to ensure the National Health Service is fed.
In central London, Michelin-starred chef Larry Jayasekara is leading a team of 20 chefs at riverside restaurant Pont de la Tour to make 1,000 lunches a day for health workers at University College Hospital.
The meals are being funded by two entrepreneurs, who have donated £2.5 million to the project.
Fourteen restaurant chains, including Dishoom and Leon, have joined forces with actors Damian Lewis, Helen McCrory and Matt Lucas to launch a new campaign to provide meals for critical care staff in London.
The #FeedNHS initiative aims to deliver 5,600 meals a day to five major hospitals in the capital, which has seen the highest number of coronavirus cases in the country.
Outside of London, Vermilion restaurant has been providing meals to North Manchester General Hospital.
"We salute the heroes of our NHS who are making a huge contribution in this time of crisis," the restaurant wrote on Twitter.
On Friday, the government announced a £3.5m fund for organisations redistributing safe surplus food to those who need it during the coronavirus outbreak.
The extra funding comes amid fears of a surge in food waste after shoppers in the UK began stockpiling products.
