About the service 

Quite often when you are feeling ill or low in mood, food can become a necessity and rather than something that is enjoyed or shared as part of a sociable activity.   Reduced appetite and lack of fluids can in turn lead to additional health problems.  Co-operative Care Colne Valley can help with all the tasks associated with enjoying a well-balanced diet, from shopping and meal planning to meal preparation and serving. 

We have a number of food and cooking options available to suit all budgets and levels of need.  Whether the service is needed on a regular basis or simply to assist whilst a regular carer is unavailable, we can help bring the enjoyment back into cooking and eating.   

Although we are more than happy to offer a full meal preparation service for our most vulnerable or dependent members, we would like, where possible, to help and encourage our members to get back in the kitchen and get involved with their own meal planning and preparation.   

How the process works

We will need to carry out an initial visit to your home to get a better understanding of what your needs and preferences are and ensure the cooking facilities are safe for our staff to use.  Once we have a good understanding of the level of support needed, we can then start to work with you or a family member to design a personalised food and cooking plan, tailored to meet your own needs and preferences taking into account any special dietary needs or allergies. 

What is on offer 

• A ready meal or a sandwich is great now and again but if you prefer a cooked meal, we provide a service that helps you to enjoy a variety of nutritional meals throughout the week. Our staff are all trained to be able to make a wide range of tasty and healthy meals. 
    
• Alternatively, if you would like to get back into the kitchen, our team can assist you maintain or rediscover your love for cooking. 
  
• Why not give batch cooking a go, eat healthily and save money at the same time?  Our batch cooking service can be done alongside one of our shopping services as a regular weekly activity or just on as and when basis.   Batch cooking can be an enjoyable and rewarding activity that helps you stay in control of your meal choices and your budget. Our batch cooking services is a supported service that will help you with preparing and cook your favourite recipes.  We will then help to portion and store your meals, so they are ready to enjoy when you are. 

• For those people who have a specific dietary need and/or would just like to start to make healthy eating choices, we can help you look at the variety of food options available to support you in achieving healthier lifestyle choices.   
    
• If you need assistance to split and potion food for freezing, decanting, or refilling this service can be added to one of our supported shopping or cooking services                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
• Shared batch cooking can be a great way to enjoy cooking whilst making new friends.  We like to encourage our members to get out and about and share the cost and learning associated with batch cooking.  If you would like to join one of our local cooking groups let us know and we will try to match you with like-minded members. 

Our commitment to you 

• Your Staff Members will have completed a robust recruitment and selection process, provided references and completed a DBS check (The DBS enables us to make safer recruitment decisions by identifying candidates who may be unsuitable for certain work, especially involving children or vulnerable adults, and provides wider access to criminal record information) before they will be matched up with you.
  
• Your Staff Members will have received comprehensive training including Food safety and will be signed off as competent by a Manager before they will be able to support you with your care.
  
• For supported cooking activities, we will always try to match you with your preferred member of the team