Some people find Christmas a lonely or difficult time, and during the festive period a warm meal, a hot drink, and good company can give people a little more joy and hope than they would otherwise feel.

If your group is planning to reach out to those who struggle, here is how your kitchen can best serve the community. From soup kitchens to Christmas dinners for the elderly, you can make sure your kitchen is ready and equipped to handle a busy festive calendar.

Equipment for catering at scale

Once you have settled on what kind of catering you will be doing, you will obviously need to ensure that you have what you need to produce the food and drink you want.

For example, if you are going to run a soup kitchen, you will need soup pots or soup kettles with sufficient volume to make and hold enough for all patrons. If you are ambitious enough to plan Christmas dinners for large groups, then you will need a lot of hob and oven space, plus enough baking trays, saucepans and frying pans to produce the menu. Not to mention storage for ingredients.

It is also important to consider servery. Do you have a place and equipment to hold food for service or self-service? If not, what is the solution?

There is often a design answer to difficult logistical questions around the kitchen, and if you need to find more space to operate or accommodate equipment, then the design experts at Steelplan are always happy to discuss the options and suggest approaches for efficient layouts. Call 0208 254 0090 or email [email protected] to speak to a design advisor.

Durable kitchen surfaces that are easy to clean

A communal kitchen can quickly deteriorate with heavy use, and a busy festive calendar can easily accelerate that.

The biggest risk comes with cheap materials like vinyl-wrapped MDF, which are not robust enough to handle semi-commercial environments like church or community kitchens.

The best way to maintain a clean and usable space is to choose a kitchen that is hygienic and durable by design. A polyester powder-coated mild steel kitchen carcass and a stainless-steel worktop is ideal. It is wipe-clean, and more than able to withstand long-term heavy use.

It offers the added bonus of helping to create a warm, welcoming space for volunteers and guests, as the mild steel can come in a range of colours to suit the taste and character of the group.

Layout for ease of use

Your Christmas calendar may see lots of volunteers using the kitchen at the same time in order to cater at scale. If you layout is not designed for that, then they might find it difficult and stressful to work in the kitchen.

You will need a kitchen that is laid out for efficiency and a logical flow of people. Again, Steelplan are happy to advise on how to achieve that, and we’re just a phone call or email away (0208 254 0090 or [email protected]).

Your kitchen renovation might include a solution that allows flexibility. For example, mobile kitchen islands can offer extra worktops should they be needed, and can be wheeled out of the way when space is at a premium. You then have a kitchen that you can adapt to changing seasons, circumstances, and users.

Call or email the Steelplan team if you want to renovate your kitchen in time for the festive season, or you have any questions about semi-commercial kitchen design or materials. We’re always happy to advise. Email us at [email protected] or call 0208 254 0090.