LONELY and vulnerable Redditch residents had a Christmas meal to remember thanks to a local chef cooking up the treats – on her day off.
Chelsea Adams is normally working flat out at Christmas time, but for the first time in eight years she found herself with time off in the run up to the big day.
But rather than sitting back and putting her feet up, the 28-year-old sous chef at The Orangery in Ipsley was in her mum’s kitchen cooking up a host of festive meals for elderly vulnerable people in Redditch.
Mum Sam works for Kingfisher Care and together mother and daughter hatched a plan to give some of Sam’s clients a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.
“I don’t normally get any time off at all over Christmas,” said Chelsea, who started at The Orangery this year.
“I was really grateful to The Orangery but I thought, as I’m off it would be really good to do something nice.
“With my mum we decided to cook some Christmas dinners and deliver them to people who don’t have anyone.
“We bought all the food and a friend gave us some crackers and someone else some chocolates,” added Chelsea, who moved back to Redditch at the start of the pandemic after working in Birmingham.
The Thursday evening before the big day saw them prepping everything in Sam’s kitchen before cranking up the cooker and getting everything done.
On the menu was turkey, stuffing, carrots, roast potatoes, pigs in blankets and yorkshire puds.
The meals were then delivered to the delight of the clients.
“Someone else dressed up as an elf, just to bring a bit of Christmas cheer to people who have no one,” said Chelsea, a former pupil at Kingsley College, now Tudor Grange Academy.
“It all went down really well and we’re hoping to make it an annual event if we can.”
