A TASTY milestone has been reached by a group aiming to bring people together round the dinner table.

Our Community Kitchen (OCK) was set up more than two years ago in a bid to tackle social isolation throughout Haddington.

Originally, the group brought people together to enjoy a hot meal but, with the coronavirus ensuring more and more people were staying at home, they changed their model.

Now, more than 1,000 piping hot meals have been delivered to the doors of people in the community.

Elaine Gale, founder of the group, was delighted to reach the milestone and thanked everyone involved.

She said: “The whole community is amazing, it is just overwhelming.

“Community support has been completely incredible and really overwhelming.

“Earlier this month, we were celebrating 1,000 free hot meals being delivered to local people.”

A resilience team, headed up by Chris McEwan, vice-chairman of the town’s community council, was formed as coronavirus restrictions came into place.

Volunteers have collected shopping and prescriptions, with Our Community Kitchen, based within Haddington Bowling Club, creating a team of volunteers who have been dishing up freshly prepared meals to be delivered throughout the town.

Social distancing restrictions have been put in place at the bowling club to allow volunteers to cook a range of hearty dishes, including chicken casserole, tuna pasta bake and corned beef stovies with red cabbage.

The dishes are then delivered to people from throughout the town, with every step taken to ensure the meals are piping hot.

Glowing reviews and passionate feedback have also been left with the group, who send out the hot meals three days a week.

Ms Gale added: “It just goes to show you how simple hot food is making people cared for, thought about and loved.”

Various groups had made donations to support the cause, including the community council, Haddington and Lammermuir Area Partnership (HALAP) and Haddington Business Community Partnership.

Representatives of the groups and members of the public have also come forward to offer their support. However, it is not just meals that are helping to put a smile on people’s faces.

Ms Gale added: “We’ve got a newsletter goes out every fortnight with the meals. We also have the Rotary Club delivering the Courier to everyone, which was really lovely.

“That goes out to everybody’s home that a meal was delivered to. We have been doing kindness calls so we will be calling people at home and just asking how they are and seeing if there is anything we can do for people.”