• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs/Events
  • About
    • Published Articles
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

Cooking for the NHS and key workers during the Covid19 lockdown

May 22, 2020 7 Comments Filed Under: Desserts and sweets, Food, London, Recipes, Vegetarian

  • Msmarmitelover cooking for the NHS and Whittington Hospital workers receiving the meals pic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com

I volunteered for the People’s Army for the past three weekends to provide meals for Whittington Hospital in Archway, North London, UCH hospital in Central London, and the Marie Curie hospice in Belsize Park. The Asian supermarket Wing Yip donated ingredients for the main course. As I’m strictly self-isolating, the ingredients were delivered to my door and the People’s Army picked up and delivered the meals.

The first week I made 50 main courses of stir-fried vegetables in coconut milk with udon noodles, 25 portions of cake (blood orange loaf, apple and cinnamon, banana and poppy seed stollen) and 25 lentil soup.

  • cooking for the NHS pic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com

Since I shut my supper club in mid-March due to the lockdown, I’ve only been cooking for one person – me. So I was a bit out of practice. But it was exhilarating to feel useful once again, to feel properly physically tired. My self-esteem has taken a battering due to no work, no income (about £500 earnt so far this year) and being alone. I’m fortunate in that I have a garden – planting seeds, mowing the lawn, watering- have kept me sane. I’ve done a stock-take of ingredients in my pantry.

Hazel Jhugroo, a 29 year old mother of an asthmatic boy, 9, is the founder of the The People’s Army. Despite being stuck at home due to her own disabilities, “I’m quite isolated generally. I couldn’t bear the thought of other people being isolated, not getting enough food”, she acted quickly, amassing a team of 150 volunteers and mobilising The Angel Church to lend their kitchen.

The People’s Army now produce 600 meals, spread over four days a week, which they hand out to vulnerable members of the Angel church community, the Hornsey Lane Community Association, Elizabeth House, Whittingdon Hospital, and the Metropolitan Benefit Cottages, almshouses for people over 75 years old. “I spoke to the warden there who told me ‘ they can’t get out’. Leave it with me, I’ll sort it out” promised Hazel.

“I’ve had help from Perch Smokehouse in N16, who only opened in January of this year, the Black Cat Cafe, a vegan cafe in East London, who gave me all their leftover stock, fashion designer Regina Pyo and her husband chef Jordan Bourke, who donated profits of £1,600 and Guardian food writer Felicity Cloake who has cooked for us.”

“I’m a community person, I’m sociable. I spent the last year caring for my mum who had cancer. She died in October. I did this for her really. ” Nonetheless, Hazel does believe some good will come out of the Corona virus lockdown: “While all this is going on, the pollution is disappearing, which is great for my son, and while I may sound like a mad hippy, I feel the earth is healing”.

Stir fried veg in coconut m ilk with udon noodlespic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com
Print

Stir fried veg in coconut milk with noodles

I used udon noodles, but any noodles will work, dried or fresh. Or rice of course.
Course Vegetarian asian, Vegetarian main course
Cuisine Asian, Chinese, Thai
Keyword noodles, udon noodles, vegetables with coconut milk, Vegetables with noodles, Vegetarian dishes

Ingredients

  • 1/4 white cabbage, finely sliced
  • 3 red peppers, seeded, chopped into fine strips
  • 4 spring onions, thinly sliced, dark part kept separate for garnish
  • 2 large carrots,cut into batons
  • 250 g button mushrooms, finely sliced
  • 3 tbsp vegetable, sunflower or ground nut oil
  • thumb fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp Thai 7 spice
  • big splash dark soy sauce
  • bunch fresh coriander, separate stems and leaves
  • 2 sticks lemon grass, finely chopped
  • 6 lime leaves, fresh or frozen
  • 1 tbsp sea salt, or more, to taste
  • 400 g coconut milk, check side of tin to make sure there aren't too high a percentage of thickeners
  • 800g fresh udon noodles or other noodles. If using dried noodles, use 100g per person.
  • toasted sesame oil to garnish
  • 2 birds eye chillis, finely sliced
  • 1 lime, quartered

Instructions

  • Prep all the vegetables into separate bowls, ready for stir frying, keeping the dark part of the spring onion and the coriander leaves separate for garnish.
  • Add the oil to a wok on a high heat then add the ginger, garlic, spice, then in order, add the fresh vegetables, continually stirring. Add the dark soy sauce.
  • Place the coriander stems, lime leaves, lemon grass, salt into the blender with a third of the coconut milk. Blitz until green.
  • Add this green liquid to the stir fry.
  • Prepare the boiling water and add the noodles. Fresh ones only take a couple of minutes to cook. Drain and divide into bowls.
  • Add the rest of the coconut milk to the stir fry, add the coriander leaves, keeping a few back for a final garnish.
  • Divide and tip the stir fry mix on top of the noodles in each bowl, garnishing with coriander, a few drops of toasted sesame oil, a little chili and a wedge of lime. Serve hot.
blood orange loaf pic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com
Print

Blood Orange loaf

You can use any citrus for this but I had stored some blood oranges from before the lockdown in my fridge and they turned a simple lemon drizzle cake into a sunset hued loaf. This is adapted from a fantastic recipe by Ravneet Gill.
Course Afternoon Tea, Cake, Dessert, Teatime
Cuisine English
Keyword Blood Orange Cake, Lemon drizzle Cake

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 225 g caster sugar
  • 75 g salted butter, melted
  • 100 ml creme fraiche
  • 180 g self raising flour
  • 3 zest of blood oranges
  • 1 zest of a lemon

Syrup

  • 75 g caster sugar
  • 3 juice of blood oranges
  • 1 juice of lemon

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180C
  • Beat the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy
  • Mix the butter and creme fraiche and add slowly to the mixture
  • Add in the flour and zest
  • Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 40 to 50 minutes

Syrup

  • Put the sugar and juice into a saucepan and heat until dissolved.
  • Remove the cake from the oven and make holes all over the top of the cake.
  • Pour in the syrup
  • Garnish with thin slices of citrus and icing sugar

Please donate to the crowdfunder

Email: thepeoplesarmy@hotmail.com

Ask for support or volunteer at the website
Twitter: @peoplesarmyldn
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepeoplesarmyldn/
Facebook: Peoples Army Islington Covid19 Support Group

Recent posts

Queens of Kelp, from the Outer Hebrides

June 4, 2023

midsummer supper club June 17th 2023 Msmarmitelover

My next supper club: midsummer June 17th

May 28, 2023

I organised a street party for the Coronation

May 10, 2023

Previous Post: « My Corona lockdown and cupboard essentials
Next Post: Sean’s loaf & instructions how to make sourdough from scratch. »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Samantha Alleyne

    May 23, 2020 at 5:44 am

    Really enjoyed the summer wraps very delicious, healthy and crunchy,thanks for the refreshing yeast, security@UCHL EUTON also potato and rosemary soup wasn’t half bad Thank you very much. Just for remembering us ms marmite lover.

    Reply
    • msmarmitelover

      May 24, 2020 at 10:58 pm

      You are most welcome Samantha x

      Reply
  2. Josephine

    May 25, 2020 at 10:15 am

    Hats off to you and Hazel and everyone involved in The Peoples Army, bravi!!! Mentioned you in my latest blog post: https://frascaticookingthatsamore.wordpress.com/2020/05/25/the-marmitelover-blog-volunteering-to-cook-for-the-nhs-and-key-workers-during-covid19-lockdown/

    Reply
    • msmarmitelover

      May 25, 2020 at 10:21 am

      Hi Josephine,

      Thanks so much for mentioning me on your blog…. x

      Reply
  3. Sarah

    May 25, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    I love the look of your stir fry could I leave out the Thai 7 spice or use something else instead as I dont have this.

    Thanks in advance!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. The MarmiteLover Blog: Volunteering to Cook for the NHS and Key Workers during Covid19 Lockdown | Frascati Cooking That's Amore says:
    May 25, 2020 at 10:13 am

    […] Cooking for the NHS and key workers during the Covid19 lockdown […]

    Reply
  2. How hospitality has pivoted to survive the Covid lockdown: meal kits, zoom tastings and a delivery supper club says:
    March 5, 2021 at 4:43 pm

    […] been able to host one supper club in 2020. I’ve pondered creating something similar to the food boxes I did for the NHS last March and April. Many restaurants have pivoted to take-away and others to […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 My next supper club 17th June london tickets £50 BYO book here: https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th #london #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer
For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries For tonight’s event I had to push the boundaries. Here is how to prepare goose neck barnacles or percebes which are a very expensive and rare delicacy, hunted down from cliffs. It’s quite dangerous to forage them. #canapes #eventcatering #satanicfood #percebes #grossfood #seafood #devilsfood
Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here h Midsummer supperclub 17th June book tickets here https://msmarmitelover.com/product/midsummer-supper-club-tickets-june-17th at London’s pioneering supper club. Tickets £50 BYO. Scandinavian inspired summery food. #supperclub #msmarmitelover #midsummer #northwestlondon #londonevents #popups
Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy cir Tina sweating through a gig at Brixton academy circa 1987 pic: kerstin Rodgers #rip #tinaturner #rockphotographer #kerstinrodgers #teenagephotographer
Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on Attended an incredible talk with @frenchpete_1 on war photography in the Ukraine . Go to the exhibition @thebppa @thebargehouse in SE1 last few days 
Had to stop filming cos I was told off. The photographers would be less forthcoming if they were filmed I was told. 
Anyway @frenchpete_1 should be followed by a camera crew cos he’s a star.
For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pas For yesterdays lunch I made a blue cheese puff pastry quiche and a little one with less blue cheese & no salt for my 7 month old granddaughter. She absolutely loved it. I’m enjoying seeing her experience and explore new foods with baby led weaning. Avocado, strawberries, kiwi & buttered crumpets are a hit. Pasta less so. Who is this child? Are we even related? #babyledweaning #quiche #homemadepuffpastry
Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The natio Nice to be featured as The Great Read in The national newspaper again. These are the stories I love to do: I go off on an adventure, take my time, interview people (especially women), photograph them in their environment and create recipes on site. This story cost me a lot more than I made as I had an accident and lost my excess. My own damn fault though! Loved loved loved having a campervan. Thanks for lending me it @camperdays.international and sorry about the hole in the side.  https://www.thenational.scot/news/23505593.foraging-seaweed-western-isles/
My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @l My terrace on a sunny May morning. The builders @lk.general.building left yesterday. They’ve been working since January. I had the awning installed, the encaustic Minton tiles removed and put back with green grout. The terrace was causing damp so this had to be done. My calamondin plant is looking lovely. The benches which I repaired with hard wood & I repainted using a mix of 2 colours. The marble table I bought in Suffolk at a car boot. Everything is still dusty & I’m waiting for the window cleaner to arrive.
Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine f Last but very heartfelt thankyou to @cideriswine for their contribution of these beautiful dry ciders for the coronation street lunch. Gorgeously illustrated labels. #stcuthbertsrd #kilburn #london #cider #artisanaldrinks
When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. When it comes to vodka I much prefer potato vodka. It’s smoother. Artisanal distillery @devoncovevodka contributed some bottles to my coronation lunch which gave everyone a feeling of being at a classy party. Thanks so much. And also @rawfoodanddrink for arranging. If you want to read my blog post about how and why I organised this event, copy and paste this link: https://t.co/GWNNW2XKba #coronationstreetparty #biglunch #community #kilburn #london #forthepeoplebythepeople
I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now I’ve been a fan of @luscombedrinks for years now. They sent a selection: elderflower bubbly, st. Clements orange 🍊 Sicilian lemonade, @belvoirfarm_uk lemonade, which were all delicious and just the tickets for the fortuitous mini-heatwave that occurred on the Sunday coronation lunch. #thankyou #community #coronation #streetparty #biglunch
Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! T Our street party. Double page spread in The Sun! Tiny bit in the guardian. Decent pic in the Mail and The Star credit @asproider #coronationlunch #kilburn #stcuthbertsrd #kingscroftrd #fordwychrd #templarhouse
My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, s My coronation quiche with Broad beans, tarragon, spinach, cheddar. I used crème fraiche and blind baked puff pastry shells. I was up at 11 last night making these for todays street party, which featured in the mail, telegraph, mirror, metro courtesy of photographer Gavin Rodgers @asproider
Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebr Seaweed foraging at Spring tides in the Outer Hebrides with @outerhebrideanforager Fi bird. She’s cutting sea spaghetti. I drove my campervan @camperdays.international from london to the Hebrides- using my gas stove to cook foraged and local ingredients. A real food safari. With the sea spaghetti I made a sea spag vongole with giant parlourdes picked up from the sand at the same time. Great fun, beautiful weather and, the day of the full moon, a wonderfully low tide. This was on south Uist.
More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-ba More flavours, the flavour thesaurus is a plant-based version of the original. Beautifully constructed, designed and written by @nikisegnit it’s vegetarian rather than vegan but recommended for both. She widens the sensory vocabulary around plant flavours in this book- encouraging new delicious sounding combinations. Now she includes new categories such as flower & meadow, caramel roasted, zesty roost- just the words make me salivate. #foodbooks #bookstagram #newbooks
Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainman Yesterday I attended @marmaladeawards @dalemainmansion I found out so much about marmalade. I’m going to make it this winter. I found out the worlds best maker is Japanese, in fact I was most impressed by the Japanese marmalades in general. Everyone wore orange. I must have tasted 50 marmalades. I met Paddington’s sister, karen jankel who is michael bond’s daughter, born in the same year as Paddington. She gave a charming talk on Paddington, mentioning how the queen insisted on having real marmalade sandwiches in her @launerlondonofficial handbag during the shoot. The house itself is Tudor and Georgian. I stayed in my campervan from @camperdays.international in the car park, cosy in the rain. Another freewheeling adventure. #yorkshire #marmalade #travel #food #ontheroad #campervan
I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a I had a piece in @thetimes on Sunday about being a vegetarian rather than a vegan. How I still need butter. And how restaurants & plane meals are now vegan rather than vegetarian. But, there are still more the double amount of vegetarians as vegans in the UK. I’ve written a vegan cookbook V is for vegan (link in bio) and am a big fan of vegan foods. I’ve not eaten meat for over 40 years. This is a sustainable diet, in terms of longevity. Vegans that I knew from the early noughties have reverted to meat eating. #newpuritanism? #vegetarian #vegan #foodwriter
Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a Scrambled croft eggs (bright yellow yolks) with a seaweed that tastes just like truffle. Just done a little kelp foraging at low tide with @thetempleharris’ Amanda Saurin. Isle of Harris. Turquoise sea, white sand, cloud hovering just above. @camperdays.international @roosterpr
I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to I went to Wembley in north west london to talk to Sophie of @tobia.teff she uses the iron-rich, gluten free teff grain from her homeland Ethiopia. She showed me how to make injera, the Ethiopian flatbread which is fermented. She also talked about the coffee ceremony, 3 cups, which they pair with toasted barley or, currently, popcorn! I’d love to visit Ethiopia and find out more about their ancient food culture, history, 3.5k year old monarchy and religions.
Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @bre Doing a spring budget recipe cooking demo for @brentcouncil Willesden library. I’ve been doing this a few times a year for the last few years. Wouldn’t it be great if they had a kitchen set up permanently. Libraries are community centres and could be used to teach how to cook from scratch.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2023 msmarmitelover