Safety & responsibilities

• Check the profile properly: photos, cuisines, specialities, experience and general area.
• Look at verification status and reviews — and remember a badge is not a guarantee.
• Communicate through Cook At Mine so there is a record. Contact details are blocked in chat for a reason.
• Agree the detail in writing: dishes, portions, how many meals, timings, kitchen equipment, ingredients, containers, allergies and rate.
• Use Meet Your Cook to arrange a video introduction where you want to speak before meeting in person.
• Only proceed if you feel comfortable. Both sides confirm the safety responsibilities before an arrangement goes ahead.

• Provide a safe environment and a reasonably clean kitchen or work area for the meal prep session.
• Make sure equipment the Cook will use is safe, clean and working as agreed — including hob, oven, fridge and freezer space for prepared meals.
• Describe the meal prep request accurately — dishes, number of meals, portions, timing and what you expect.
• Clearly communicate all allergies, intolerances and dietary requirements, in writing, before the day.
• Tell the Cook about relevant household risks — faulty appliances, pets, slippery floors, restricted access, anyone unwell at home.
• Supervise children and pets where appropriate, and keep them away from hot surfaces and knives.
• Take responsibility for the ingredients you choose and supply: in date, stored properly and enough for the meals you have agreed.
• Provide suitable containers for prepared meals, or agree in advance who is providing them.
• Treat the Cook respectfully and follow the arrangement you agreed, including payment as agreed between you.

Cooks are independent and are not employed by Cook At Mine, so these responsibilities sit with the Cook personally.

• Represent your cooking ability and experience honestly, and only within what you can actually do.
• Do not claim qualifications, certifications or checks you do not hold.
• Maintain good personal hygiene: clean clothing, washed hands, tied-back hair, no cooking while unwell with sickness or diarrhoea.
• Follow safe food-handling practice throughout the session, including safe cooling, storing and labelling of batch-prepared meals.
• Follow the allergy and dietary requirements the Host has communicated, and ask if anything is unclear.
• Respect the Host's home, belongings, privacy and house rules, and leave the kitchen clean.
• Tell the Host as early as possible if you cannot attend or complete an agreed session.
• Prepare the meals you agreed and behave professionally and respectfully throughout.

Meal prep happens in the Host’s own home, with the Host’s own ingredients. Cook At Mine does not inspect kitchens, supervise cooking or test food, and we cannot promise that any Cook, kitchen or meal is completely safe or free from a particular allergen. Both sides should follow sensible food safety practice.

• Allergies: agree allergy and intolerance information in writing before cooking. If a severe allergy is involved, both sides should be honest about whether a home kitchen can realistically meet it.
• Cross-contamination: keep raw meat, fish and eggs separate from ready-to-eat food, and use separate boards and utensils where possible.
• Hygiene: wash hands before cooking, after handling raw food and after touching bins, pets or phones.
• Clean surfaces and equipment: wipe down work surfaces and check equipment is clean before use.
• Ingredient storage: check use-by dates, keep chilled food refrigerated until needed, and cool and refrigerate cooked food promptly.
• Cooking temperatures: cook food thoroughly, especially poultry, mince, sausages and reheated dishes, and follow current Food Standards Agency guidance.
• Batch cooking and storage: cool prepared meals quickly, refrigerate or freeze them promptly in suitable containers, and agree with the Host how long each meal should be kept and how it should be reheated.
• Labelling: label batch-prepared or frozen meals with the dish name and the date it was made.
• Dietary requirements: confirm vegetarian, vegan, halal, kosher or other requirements before shopping and again before cooking.

For detailed guidance, see the Food Standards Agency (food.gov.uk) and, for allergy information, Allergy UK and Anaphylaxis UK.

• Keep to what you agreed, and keep boundaries clear — this is a home, not a workplace either party controls.
• Say something early if you are uncomfortable, if the number of meals or dishes has changed, or if something is unsafe.
• Either side can stop a session if they feel unsafe. Leaving is always the right call.
• Let someone you trust know where you are and roughly how long you expect to be.

• Leave an honest review. If the arrangement did not happen, record the outcome instead of leaving a misleading review.
• Report anything serious — safety concerns, harassment, discrimination, hygiene issues, no-shows, property concerns or misleading information. Reports go privately to our team.
• Block a user if you do not want any further contact from them.

You can find reporting and blocking options inside any conversation, and on a user’s profile. Our Community Standards set out what we expect from everyone.