“I think this is the warmest it’s ever been in here” - What it’s like to work in a pub kitchen on the hottest day of the year

“No, I haven’t taken a temperature check, but just take a look at my forehead”, says Frankie, the chef de partie at The Church Inn pub in Cheadle Hulme, as he wipes his brow. Professional kitchens are typically hot environments, but today, as temperatures in the UK passed 40C for the first time ever, chefs, kitchen porters and serving staff really felt the heat.

For many of us, the option to stay indoors with the windows closed, curtains drawn and fan whacked up to its highest setting, has provided some much-needed respite, but for the team at The Church Inn, it’s service as normal, which means “lots of water, ice lollies and plenty of breaks”. Frankie is joined behind the stoves by chef Halifa and kitchen porter Christina, who are, despite the unprecedented temperatures, in relatively good spirits.

“I mean it’s normally pretty hot in here, especially during the summer, but on days like today, you do feel it,” says Frankie. “It’s all fresh cooking so we have the stoves on all day and we’ve also got the heat lamps on the pass, so obviously that’s very hot anyway.

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“We do run around a bit here on a normal day but on days like today you have to slow it down and take a steadier pace - we’ll get through it though. Lunchtime is between 12 until around three, so that’s when we’re busy and then we’ve got a lull around three until five. So we can take a rest, have a sit, grab a bit of lunch, and plenty of water.”

The family-run pub and restaurant is Cheadle Hulme’s oldest pub and is a firm favourite with locals. During the summer of 2020 the pub expanded into its car park to create a covered beer garden and coffee shop, allowing them to keep