Blog Archive - July 2015

Firepit Fridays - Camp Fire Cake

Posted on 31 July 2015

 

Here’s a chocolate cake you can make on a BBQ. Seriously. Courtesy of Firepit Fridays – a little bit of summer fun from the lovely ladies in our development kitchen, Jess and Rosie.

Check out the recipe below:

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Big Day Out

Posted on 21 July 2015

 
 

Late last month we got together all our shop teams from across the country for a Big Day Out to say “thank you” for the remarkable job they do.

What a day it was.

A funky venue in hipster filled Shoreditch.

Some talks about purpose, our brand and Best Companies.

Lots of awards.

Some extremely creative poster making.

Lots of stalls to ‘shop’ in by the food team, EPOS, BCorp, Brand.

Oh yes and then there was beer. Lots of beer.

The event rocked but that only happened because all the people in the shops rocked and made it special. Thank you so much to everyone for making the effort to come.

 

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Becoming a B Corporation

Posted on 13 July 2015

At COOK, we believe there is a better way to do business than the conventional capitalist approach that pursues profit at all costs. This is why we became one of the UK’s first certified B Corporations, a global movement of companies that believe in business as a force for good in society.

From the founding of COOK in 1997, the ambition for the business was about more than money. Our goal was always to create a company that was good for shareholders but also good for others who came into contact with it – employees, communities, suppliers and customers. While we were fighting to survive (and it was touch-and-go for quite some time), we found it difficult to put this ambition into a set of principles or guidelines by which to manage the company. 

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Take COOK on Holiday

Posted on 9 July 2015

 

Let’s face it, a self-catering holiday is often a contradiction in terms. While mum or dad is self-catering, everyone else is resolutely all-inclusive – expecting food on demand; a well-stocked, 24 hour bar; and a comprehensive entertainment programme.

To give everyone a rest this year, why not take your own COOK?

A cool box with ice packs will keep our meals frozen for the journey, and you won’t have the hassle of having to work out what to eat on your first night.

Alternatively, order a delivery to your holiday home to take care of the catering.

 

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The Living Wage

Posted on 6 July 2015

Today COOK has become an official Living Wage employer. At our Kitchens and in our company-owned shops everyone will be paid at least the Living Wage of £7.85 an hour (or £9.15 if they’re working in London). Very few retailers and manufacturers pay the Living Wage. We happen to be both which makes us doubly unusual.

So why are we doing it?

Our purpose at COOK is to create a remarkable food business that’s a force for good in society. That means paying people properly so they don’t need to depend on state handouts to survive and also making sure everyone shares in our success (we’ve also got a profit share scheme for all staff).

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Q&A with Elvis & Kresse

Posted on 5 July 2015

Meet Elvis & Kresse. They’re two of the most remarkable and lovely people we know. They reclaim “heroic” materials that are destined for landfill and create beautiful, useful things out of them. See below for the recent Q&A with them.
 

1. How did you and Elvis meet (just being nosy)?


We met on a boat in Hong Kong. He was dressed as Superman and introduced to me as Elvis - I didn't have any other choice after that!
 

2. What came first for you: a passion for design/business or for sustainability?

For us the material, the problem, always comes first. We find things that have no other hope, they are destined for landfill; everything we do after that is geared towards rescuing that material and solving that problem.

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