Conscious Kitchens

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From Inspector to Consultant

📃 Pre-inspection audits
🔓 Reopening post-covid
♻️ Zero waste LET'S MEET!

My name is Amy, Food Safety Consultant & Sustainability Expert with more than 10 years of industry experience internationally. I proudly present my brain child 'Conscious Kitchens', which was born from working closely with food businesses as an EHO and my passion for sustainability in the food sector. I have seen the fear that comes with inspection time for food businesses and I want to eliminate that fear. My aim is to empower and educate food businesses so you won't ever dread inspection time again. I also want to introduce a more sustainable way of thinking to the food sector, and assist those on their journey to becoming more sustainable. Whether you own a restaurant, café or takeaway business, I am here to support you and help promote a proactive approach to food inspections and food safety!

30/01/2026

It’s amazing what happens when a food business commits fully to Zero-To-Landfill: the entire waste profile transforms. This food truck is a perfect example:

Here’s what their first 12 months looked like:

📉 General waste dropped from 42% to just 11%
That’s an 89% reduction in black-bin dependency, simply by using the right streams properly.

📈 Compost increased from 25% to 59%
A huge shift that shows food waste was no longer being hidden in general waste.

📈 Recycling improved from 24% to 30%
A steady rise that becomes even more meaningful when the black bin is shrinking at the same time.

📉 Refuse costs fell by 51%
A dramatic drop achieved through better sorting, fewer collections, and a system the whole team followed.

📈 24 tonnes diverted from landfill
From a single food truck. That’s the impact of a system done right.

What I love about these results is that nothing “magical” happened. No new equipment. No major operational changes. Just clarity: clear bins, clear rules, clear habits, and a team that stuck with the system.

If you’re curious what Zero-To-Landfill could look like in your own food business, I’m always here to help you get started or crunch the numbers to see how much you could save.

29/01/2026

I’ll be honest… 😤 nothing drives me mad in a kitchen faster than unnecessary glove use. I’ve seen enough gloves to last me several lifetimes, and almost none of them were doing what people think they’re doing 🤦‍♀️

Some of my favourites (and by favourites, I mean the ones that make me quietly scream inside):

😱 Gloves used to handle pastries when clean tongs would’ve worked perfectly.
😱 Chopping onions with gloves on… then touching every fridge handle in the kitchen.
😱 Making sandwiches, but never stopping to change gloves between touching doors, emptying bins and then using the odd sweeping brush.
😱 The sight of a food handler remove a pair of gloves only to reveal another four pairs underneath! The creativity in the thought process deserved some congratulations, but food safety well and truly left the building that day.

Here’s the truth: ❗ GLOVES DON’T REPLACE HANDWASHING!! ❗
EHOs prefer clean hands + clean habits over glove theatre any day.

If your team is drowning in gloves but still struggling with food safety, the fix is simpler than you think. A few small system tweaks, the right utensils, and proper handwash setup (hint: a mixer tap) can change everything.

If you want help reviewing when gloves should and shouldn’t be used, I’m always here to support.

27/01/2026

If your café uses disposable cups, here’s the cost you’re not seeing yet.
With Ireland moving further into Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), the financial burden of waste is shifting back onto the businesses that generate it.

If your packaging creates waste, you will increasingly be expected to pay for the waste it becomes, and disposable cups are a huge contributor.

⚠️ Here’s the uncomfortable truth: even now, most disposable coffee cups in Ireland are not recycled. Even the ones labelled “recyclable” or “compostable.”

👉 Standard cups: plastic-lined → not accepted in household recycling
👉 Compostable cups: only compostable in industrial facilities, and most never get there
👉 “Better cups”: still single-use, still waste, still counted under your EPR footprint

So while the branding has changed, the outcome hasn’t.
Most cups still end up in general waste, and under EPR, that cost will increasingly be yours.

If you want to reduce waste and stay ahead of compliance and packaging fees, a reusable cup system actually works:

✅Reusables remove single-use packaging from your waste streams
✅You lower your future EPR-related costs by reducing packaging placed on the market
✅ You eliminate the confusion around “is this recyclable?” entirely

Cafés that shift to reusables aren’t just “being greener.” They’re preparing for the reality of EPR, and reducing the true cost of waste.

23/01/2026

According to Savour Food’s research on Irish quick-service restaurants, most food waste isn’t happening where business owners expect it to. The data shows:

📌 45% from prep waste
📌 32% from storage waste
📌 23% from customer plate waste

The picture is clear: the majority of waste happens behind the scenes, not at the till and not on the customer’s plate. Prep routines, storage systems, rotation habits and production planning have a far bigger impact on waste (and profitability) than most businesses realise.

And the good news? These are the areas where structured systems create the fastest, most measurable improvements. If you want to understand exactly where your waste is coming from - and how to reduce it without affecting service - a Waste Audit is the best place to start.

22/01/2026

Your menu tells a story, and for certain ingredients, that story should start on Irish farms, not on a plane. Fresh Irish produce is abundant, reliable, and available nationwide. Some staples I always recommend sourcing locally include:

🫐 Fruit: berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries), apples, pears, rhubarb
🥦 Vegetables: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, parsnips, beetroot & other root veg, potatoes, onions, leeks & scallions, pumpkins and winter squash, fresh herbs, mushrooms
🌾 Grains & cereals: oats, flour, locally grown grains (where available)
🥩 Animal products: eggs, dairy, seafood, beef, pork, chicken

These are foods that make no sense to import - not when some of the best growers in Europe are right here on our doorstep.

If you’re looking for Irish growers, farmers, bakers and makers to partner with this year, head to my . It’s your guide to the finest producers across the country.

20/01/2026

One thing I hear from every business after going Zero-To-Landfill? “I can’t believe how much money we used to waste… on waste.”

Once the bins are set up properly and every stream has a purpose, the financial impact becomes impossible to ignore. Cleaner systems, clearer habits, less waste, lower costs.

It’s the shocker no one expects, but everyone feels.

If you’d like to read real testimonials and case studies from the cafés, restaurants, daycares, golf clubs and offices I’ve worked with, you’ll find them all on the website.

See what Zero-To-Landfill could look like for your business 🔗 link in bio

16/01/2026

If there’s one habit that transforms a kitchen overnight (literally) it’s the final 10 minutes of cleaning before the doors close. I see it every day during audits: the kitchens that stay compliant, organised, and EHO-ready are the ones that finish the shift properly.

Here’s what those last 10 minutes should look like:
✔ Sanitise all contact points: taps, switches, handles, blender buttons, fridge doors
✔ Empty and line bins: full bins left overnight attract pests and odours
✔ Dry all cloths: never leave them soaking in dirty water or bunched on counters
✔ Clean probe thermometers: store them dry for the morning
✔ Wipe fridge handles and prep tables: the areas everyone forgets
✔ Reset every station: boards, utensils, containers, sanitisers, towels

It’s simple, fast, and it stops overnight bacterial growth that can trigger avoidable inspection issues. A strong end-of-shift routine means the morning crew walks into clarity, not chaos. And it sets the tone for the entire day ahead.

15/01/2026

After dozens of waste audits, this has proven true every single time. Most food businesses don’t lose money on ingredients, they lose money on what happens to those ingredients once they enter the building.

When the black bin becomes the default dumping ground, it tells me:
❌ food waste systems aren’t set up properly
❌ staff aren’t sure what goes where
❌ no one is checking what actually ends up in the bin

And every one of those issues has a direct cost.

Optimising your black bin isn’t about “being greener.” It’s about tightening your margins, cutting waste-collection charges, improving staff habits, and getting your systems under control.

If you want to see what your black bin is really costing you, book your waste audit and let’s get your systems working the right way.

13/01/2026

Did you know the colour of plates and bowls can influence how much people perceive they’re being served, and even how much they eat? 🍽️

Studies show that plate colour and contrast affect visual perception of portion size. One lab-based study found that food on plates with wider coloured rims was perceived as larger: participants overestimated portion size by up to 10% when a rim was wide and coloured.

Another study reported that plate colour significantly affected the visual appeal, perceived portion size and estimated energy value of desserts, in real restaurant settings.

For those in the food-industry this means:
➡️ Choosing plates and bowls with the right contrast can help staff and customers clearly see what they’re getting.
➡️ Using bowls or plates whose colour contrasts with the food helps portions look more appropriate, which can reduce over-serving or unfinished meals.
➡️ These are not visual gimmicks, they’re subtle environmental cues that support portion control and less waste.

09/01/2026

A new year has officially begun, and I’m so ready for everything ahead, but not without a quick throwback to some of my favourite moments from last year.

🌱 Receiving the Sustainability & Green Business Award at the Malahide Business Awards 2025. This was without doubt one of my biggest highlights. To be recognised by a community I care so deeply about meant more than I can put into words.

🚀 Starting development on our soon-to-launch Zero To Landfill online portal
This platform is going to make it even easier for businesses to track their savings, impact, and progress. I wanted to build something that finally takes the guesswork out of tracking waste, savings, and impact.

🏫 Seeing Zero To Landfill spread beyond restaurants.
This year I didn’t just work with cafés and restaurants. I was welcomed into daycares, golf clubs, offices, and other workplaces where food (and therefore waste) plays a role. Watching the movement grow across sectors has been incredible.

🎤 Being invited as a guest speaker at events like Climate Action Week and the Sustainability Summit…as well as podcasts and radio shows like Liz Dillon’s Conscious Living on . Talking bins on air still makes me giggle, but honestly, I love every second of it.

I feel grateful, energised, and ready for everything 2026 will bring. Here’s to another year of reducing waste, supporting Irish food businesses, and continuing the momentum we’ve built together.

02/01/2026

Using a probe thermometer? Great. Now make sure you’re doing it right:

✔️ Clean and sanitise before and after each use (no wiping with cloths)
✔️ Air dry before use
✔️ Use two separate probes (one for raw, one for cooked foods) OR sanitise thoroughly between uses
✔️ Calibrate regularly and store in a clean, dry place
✔️ Log all checks as part of your HACCP system

EHOs check more than just your readings - they check your systems too. Small steps like this can prevent cross-contamination and show you're serious about food safety.

31/12/2025

As I wrap up the final day of the year, I’m taking a moment to look back at what truly mattered in 2025: the work, the people, and the real impact created inside Ireland’s food businesses.

This year, Conscious Kitchens worked with cafés, restaurants, golf clubs, food trucks, and crèches, that were ready to rethink how they handle waste. Not with grand gestures, but with practical, daily systems that actually stick.

And together, we achieved something worth celebrating:
🥳An estimated 306,100 KG of waste diverted from landfill this year.
🥂306,100 kg kept in the right streams.
✨ 306,100 kg not buried.
🎉306,100 kg proving that small actions add up.

To every business that committed to Zero-to-Landfill with me this year, thank you. You didn’t just tick a sustainability box. You led with intention, you trained your teams, you changed habits, and you showed that better systems create better kitchens.

Next year, I’m excited to continue this work, reducing waste, improving systems, and helping more businesses move towards a cleaner, smarter, more sustainable way of operating.

Here’s to clarity, to purpose, and to even bigger impact in 2026. Happy New Year, and thank you for being part of this movement.

Address

Malahide Marina Village
Malahide
K36CX99

Website

https://www.conscious-kitchens.com/

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