Before the camp

Suggested Timeline of Tasks and Duties

6 Months before

a) Set up the kitchens e mail address and agree a rota to check it

b) Update neighbourhood kitchens contact list and introduce your team to neighbourhoods. Arrange to have regular contact with them and share contact details.

c)Contact known neighbourhood kitchens with a questionnaire and tat list. Check in with them about capacity and any equipment and skillsharing needs. Give them copies of food hygiene regulations and a copy of the ATC skillsharing book with lots of advice in about practical matters. Share the anarchist teapot guide and other useful kitchen links.

d) Begin recruitment of the kitchen co-ordination and hot water team at the earliest possible time.

e) Make the team available for questions, and have a known contact person

f) Do an inventory of the central kitchen equipment and replace any equipment lost or broken and expand the capacity if needed with extra burners and pans.

g) Contact the structures person with the site group and make any equipment needed known to them. The central kitchen area needs a medium-large white marquee for cooking and eating space, a large white wedding marquee for the food store and a smaller washing up shelter.

h)Source local to the site wholesalers and make price and credit enquiries: CHECK WHEN THEY NEED THE ORDER BY.

3 Months before

a) Write the dried goods food order, with help from last years records. You will need one initial order and another top up order ( at least one) later in the week from a local supplier. It is best to draft these together and account for later needs, and have back up suppliers in the area. This will take a long time and a good head for numbers so allow plenty of time for it.

b)Once written check in with neighbourhoods about what provision they can expect and indicate to them what provisions they will need to supply for themselves. Usually these are luxury goods and some spare gas capacity.

c)Check the order with finance people and experienced kitchen folks for mistakes and missing items.

d)Begin enquiries about storage and delivery of the order to a safe space in the vicinity of the site. Suppliers do not like not knowing where they are delivering to so it is helpful with squatted sites to liase with local people and the networking/outreach group to find a suitable space nearby.

e)Arrange transport for the central kitchen from Leeds to the site. It needs to be large enough for the kitchen and enough food stores for two-three days. Make sure you also arrange transport back at the end of the camp.

f)Arrange a meeting with kitchen reps from all neighbourhoods at one of the gatherings and give plenty of warning: This is an opportunity for skillsharing, troubleshooting, a capacity check and advance warning of problems and gaps.

g) Recruit new central kitchen co-ordinators and volunteers from outside the
team: People and groups new to the camp often like to work in the central kitchen, and it is good to send a recruitment call out to the main list.

h)Make sure you have recruited a foodstore co-ordinator for onsite and engage their help in the later stages of ordering and provisioning.

i)Check in with perishable goods and fuel suppliers to check when they need the order by to have stuff on site at the beginning of the camp. You should expect to have to buy some fresh provisions for the set up period and then have the main order on site for the camp.

1 Month Before

a) Maintain regular contact within the team and with neighbourhoods. Make sure any final needs for information and support are met and that you know when to expect neighbourhoods on site so you know capacity and cover for the first few days of the camp. Tell them how much to charge people for food and how to get the money to you, when kitchens meetings are, and where you will be on site and what you will be doing.

b) Confirm the existence of a safe food store location near to the proposed site. Arrange a suitable delivery and take away date with the owners of the space.

c)Send in the final dried goods order to the supplier and give the supplier the address of the safe space when possible.

d)Arrange for transportation of this food onto the site at an appropriate time

e)Prepare fresh goods and fuel orders to be sent in, usually the week before the camp, you will often have to tell them the site location literally days before they deliver. This is stressful and be prepared for mutinous suppliers and have back ups ready.

f)Have a strong set up kitchen crew in place and ready to be onsite as soon as the site is taken. Do an inventory of equipment and do last minute checks.