Conscious Kitchens

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From Inspector to Consultant

📃 Pre-inspection audits
🔓 Reopening post-covid
♻️ Zero waste LET'S MEET!

My name is Amy, Food Safety Consultant & Sustainability Expert with more than 10 years of industry experience internationally. I proudly present my brain child 'Conscious Kitchens', which was born from working closely with food businesses as an EHO and my passion for sustainability in the food sector. I have seen the fear that comes with inspection time for food businesses and I want to eliminate that fear. My aim is to empower and educate food businesses so you won't ever dread inspection time again. I also want to introduce a more sustainable way of thinking to the food sector, and assist those on their journey to becoming more sustainable. Whether you own a restaurant, café or takeaway business, I am here to support you and help promote a proactive approach to food inspections and food safety!

09/01/2026

A new year has officially begun, and I’m so ready for everything ahead, but not without a quick throwback to some of my favourite moments from last year.

🌱 Receiving the Sustainability & Green Business Award at the Malahide Business Awards 2025. This was without doubt one of my biggest highlights. To be recognised by a community I care so deeply about meant more than I can put into words.

🚀 Starting development on our soon-to-launch Zero To Landfill online portal
This platform is going to make it even easier for businesses to track their savings, impact, and progress. I wanted to build something that finally takes the guesswork out of tracking waste, savings, and impact.

🏫 Seeing Zero To Landfill spread beyond restaurants.
This year I didn’t just work with cafés and restaurants. I was welcomed into daycares, golf clubs, offices, and other workplaces where food (and therefore waste) plays a role. Watching the movement grow across sectors has been incredible.

🎤 Being invited as a guest speaker at events like Climate Action Week and the Sustainability Summit…as well as podcasts and radio shows like Liz Dillon’s Conscious Living on . Talking bins on air still makes me giggle, but honestly, I love every second of it.

I feel grateful, energised, and ready for everything 2026 will bring. Here’s to another year of reducing waste, supporting Irish food businesses, and continuing the momentum we’ve built together.

02/01/2026

Using a probe thermometer? Great. Now make sure you’re doing it right:

✔️ Clean and sanitise before and after each use (no wiping with cloths)
✔️ Air dry before use
✔️ Use two separate probes (one for raw, one for cooked foods) OR sanitise thoroughly between uses
✔️ Calibrate regularly and store in a clean, dry place
✔️ Log all checks as part of your HACCP system

EHOs check more than just your readings - they check your systems too. Small steps like this can prevent cross-contamination and show you're serious about food safety.

31/12/2025

As I wrap up the final day of the year, I’m taking a moment to look back at what truly mattered in 2025: the work, the people, and the real impact created inside Ireland’s food businesses.

This year, Conscious Kitchens worked with cafés, restaurants, golf clubs, food trucks, and crèches, that were ready to rethink how they handle waste. Not with grand gestures, but with practical, daily systems that actually stick.

And together, we achieved something worth celebrating:
🥳An estimated 306,100 KG of waste diverted from landfill this year.
🥂306,100 kg kept in the right streams.
✨ 306,100 kg not buried.
🎉306,100 kg proving that small actions add up.

To every business that committed to Zero-to-Landfill with me this year, thank you. You didn’t just tick a sustainability box. You led with intention, you trained your teams, you changed habits, and you showed that better systems create better kitchens.

Next year, I’m excited to continue this work, reducing waste, improving systems, and helping more businesses move towards a cleaner, smarter, more sustainable way of operating.

Here’s to clarity, to purpose, and to even bigger impact in 2026. Happy New Year, and thank you for being part of this movement.

24/12/2025

Wishing all the food businesses, chefs, café teams and hospitality staff a calm, steady, and successful Christmas season 🎄

This industry works harder than most at this time of year, and I’m grateful for every business I’ve supported in 2025, from helping them transition to Zero-to-Landfill to pre-inspection guidance, and everything in between.

Here’s to a new year of smarter systems, less waste, and kitchens that run with clarity and confidence. Merry Christmas and thank you for being part of this journey 💚

19/12/2025

When I walk into a café, the coffee station tells me almost everything I need to know about the business, and I can audit it in under five minutes.

Here’s what I look at first:

🔍 Allergen controls: are alternative milks labelled? Is there a clear process to prevent cross-contact?
🔍 Wiping cloth habits: are cloths sitting in dirty water, used for multiple surfaces, or left on the counter?
🔍 Cross-contamination risks: are phones, cash, and food handled in the same workflow?
🔍 Milk handling: are jugs washed between uses? Is milk being re-steamed? Are best-before dates clear?
🔍 Fridge temperatures: is the milk fridge cold enough and logged correctly?
🔍 Pastry storage by the till: are items covered, protected, and displayed safely?

Most cafés don’t need a complete overhaul, they just need a sharper system at the coffee station, because that’s where food safety and workflow meet. If you want help getting your café pre-inspection ready, you can always book an audit and I’ll go through it step by step with you.

18/12/2025

In quick-service food businesses:
🔪 45% of waste is prep waste
🍽️ 23% is customer plate waste
🧊 32% is storage waste

That final number, storage waste – is a silent profit killer. It points to poor rotation, incorrect temperatures, and mismanaged grab-and-go fridges. 🥶📉

Much of the food waste in quick-service restaurants is predictable – and avoidable.

Once you understand the patterns, you can redesign the system to protect both your margins and your food safety.

If you want help identifying where your own waste is coming from, you can always book a waste audit and I’ll walk you through every opportunity in your business.
source: savourfood.ie

16/12/2025

Did you know these 3 surprising food-safety facts for Irish B&Bs?

👉 You can use eggs from your own hens if you keep fewer than 50.
FSAI allows unstamped eggs from your own flock of under 50 hens to be used in your breakfast service. Over 50 hens = eggs must be stamped and graded.

👉 You can serve homemade jams and preserves.
As long as they’re made safely on-site, stored correctly, and included in your food safety plan, homemade jams are fully allowed. They're considered low-risk when prepared hygienically.

👉 You can serve foraged foods with caution.
You may use wild berries, herbs, or plants if you can confidently identify them and ensure they’re safe and uncontaminated. If you’re unsure, you can’t serve it.

12/12/2025

After auditing hundreds of food businesses, I’ve noticed the same three habits in every well-run kitchen, regardless of size or style.

1️⃣ Cleaning is a system, not a task.
Clear schedules, assigned responsibilities, correct products, and consistent sign-offs. Nothing is left to chance, and nothing is “someone else’s job.”

2️⃣ Food safety is built into the workflow.
Strong kitchens don’t wait for inspections. They label correctly, store correctly, check temperatures daily, cool foods properly, and keep hygiene standards high, every single shift.

3️⃣ Staff know the standards, because they are trained well.
Training isn’t a once-a-year event. Teams are shown how to do things, reminded often, and supported until good habits become the norm.

4️⃣ Bins are used properly - every waste stream, every time.
Recycling, food waste and black bin systems are clear, convenient, and consistent.
Labels make sense. Placement makes sense.
And staff follow the system because the system actually works.

Simple systems. Consistent habits. Clear expectations. That’s what keeps kitchens safe, clean, and inspection-ready.

If you want your kitchen operating at this level, book your pre-inspection audit today.

11/12/2025

Every kitchen has fridges. Not every kitchen has a system that keeps them running safely. This carousel shows you how to build one that holds up, even on the busiest days 👉

09/12/2025

The black bin isn’t just a bin, it’s the clearest indicator of how well your business is managing its waste, its training, and its costs.

In the best-run kitchens, the black bin is almost empty. Not because they magically produce less waste, but because every other waste stream is set up correctly: clearly labelled, strategically placed, and effortless for staff to follow.

That level of control is never accidental. It comes from leadership, culture, and a system that respects both food and the people working with it.

If you want your black bin to reflect a better-run, more profitable kitchen, book your waste audit and let’s get your systems working smarter 📊

05/12/2025

Portion size isn’t just a customer-experience decision, it’s one of the biggest drivers of food waste and profitability in a food business. Getting it right is a balance, and it’s entirely achievable with a few simple checks.

Here are practical ways to know if your portion size is dialled in:

📌 Watch What Comes Back on the Plate.
Plate waste is your most honest feedback. If the same item keeps returning half-eaten, you’re serving too much. If plates are wiped clean, but guests are ordering extra sides, you may be serving too little.

📌 Weigh It Once, Repeat It Often.
Choose a standard portion weight and commit to it. Train your team with weighing scales until it becomes muscle memory. Consistency reduces cost, speeds up service, and guarantees the same experience every time.

📌 Use the Right Serving Tools.
The wrong spoon, ladle, or scoop size leads to variation. Assign specific utensils for each dish, and label them. In the best kitchens, equipment controls portions, not guesswork.

📌 Track Your Plate Waste for One Week.
A one-week waste diary tells you everything:
• which dishes create the most leftovers
• which portion sizes need adjusting
• where your profit is leaking
This one exercise saves businesses thousands every year.

📌 Ask Your Staff, They Always Know.
Front of house teams hear the comments. Chefs see what gets scraped into the bin. Your staff can spot a portioning issue long before accounting does.

04/12/2025

Pairing colour-coded labels with a visual prep board brings structure back into production planning. Staff can see quantities, dates, and priorities at a glance, reducing errors, unnecessary batch production, and food being discarded because the team wasn’t aligned.

A colour-coded labelling system isn’t just about organisation, it’s a simple, powerful way to reduce waste, improve food safety, and make inspections smoother.

SWIPE 👉 for my guide on how to implement a system that actually works in a busy kitchen.

Address

Malahide Marina Village
Malahide
K36CX99

Website

https://www.conscious-kitchens.com/

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