Inspiring Woman Spends Isolation Cooking 80 Meals a Day for Vulnerable People

(TMU) — We can only imagine that there’s some surprising things people do while on lockdown at home. Take Sophie Mears for example, a mum of four living in Bridport in Dorset, UK. Sophie has been cooking up a storm and preparing free food parcels for people unable to leave home during the pandemic.

However, local council officials were ready to strip the cloak from the shoulders of the 33-year-old hero because she needed a food hygiene certificate to continue operations, and due to the lock down they were unable to visit her home for an inspection.

Sophie refused to hang her cloak in the dark wardrobe just yet. Instead, she pleaded with authorities and by putting their heads together they agreed on a plan to do a “virtual inspection.” Not only did Sophie’s kitchen pass with flying colors, she earned a five-star food rating and is able to continue cooking and preparing food for the vulnerable and elderly members of her community.

Sophie works in the administration at a local school and started working at home when the lockdown came into force. But she realized that many people would be in need and she wanted to help.

She first joined her local Facebook community support group and volunteered to help when a member of the group mentioned a family in need of a meal. Before long, Sophie had a team to support her including someone dedicated to checking the messages on social media to ensure everyone needing meals would get them. Gary, her partner, is tasked with bagging the meals and organizing delivery by a team of up to eight volunteers.

Sophie explained:

‘’It started a few weeks ago, somebody said there was a family in need of a meal so I provided a few bits for them and it just grew from there. Now I’m cooking a roast dinner for 80!

My kitchen is not massive, it’s just a normal family kitchen. I’ve got several slow cookers so I have those going through the night and then in the mornings I do the bits I can’t do in the slow cookers.

My garage has turned into a storage area with a couple of fridges and a chest freezer; people have just been amazing with donating all sorts.’’

The community rallied together with donations of food and money to help cover Sophie’s costs for making healthy, hearty meals like soups, stews, chilly, lamb hotpot, and cottage pie.

According to Sophie, her children, Charlie and Connor (age 9), Jacob (age 8), and Evelyn (age 4), have been really good at allowing her to do so much cooking while they do schoolwork or play quietly.

Sophie continued:

‘’I have worked in catering in pubs and restaurants before and I’ve always enjoyed cooking.

I’ve quite enjoyed finding new things to cook and I’ve learnt to do vegan and vegetarian too.

The support has just been unbelievable and it just fills my heart with joy to know when I sit down at night for a meal with my family, I’ve been able to help somebody else have that too.’’

Sophie spends up to 10 hours in her kitchen cooking and preparing between 60 and 80 meals daily for around 30 deliveries with the help of family and the support and donations from members of the community.

Not all superhero’s wear cloaks—and in Sophie’s case, an apron will do just fine.

“I don’t feel like I’m doing anything special, just cooking,” she said modestly.

We reckon the recipients of her hearty meals may beg to differ and see the hero’s cloak disguised as an apron!

By Jade Small | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com