How To Guides
How to Hold A Virtual Cook-A-Long
Love cooking? Miss having guests to share your latest recipes. Get them involved by hosting your very own virtual cook-a-long
Your Fundraising Pack
Are you famous amongst your friends for a particular dish or have a fantastic family recipe that you could share? Why not host a virtual cook-a-long where, in return for a donation, you will share your secret ingredients and methods with close friends and family and enjoy a dinner party with a twist.
Choose a date to host your cook-a-long
Find a day that will work the best for you to have as many family and friends involved as possible, you will want to be the host with the most after all! Think about whether there is any preparation of ingredients that may need to be done beforehand (marinating etc.) and make a note of cooking times just to give your guests an idea of how long you will need them for.
Set up your online donation page
JustGiving allows people to donate towards your cook-a-long without using cash. They can pay securely online knowing that their donation will be going directly towards our lifesaving services. To find out more on how to set up a JustGiving page, take a look at our handy guide.
Decide which platform to host your cook-a-long
There are a number of free online platforms out there for you to choose from – Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts & Whatsapp to name a few. Once you’ve decided on the platform that works best for you, send an invite to your friends, family or work colleagues with the time, date and the name of your chosen platform. Allow enough time for them to download the app and create a log in, if necessary, and also don’t forget to let them know well in advance about the ingredients they will need.
Get cooking!
Youve set your date, decided on your platform and your friends and family are ready. Now it’s time to get cooking. Offer step-by-step instructions on prepping the meal and cooking times to your friends can follow along with you.
Bon Appetit
Once you’re done and the food’s been plated up, sit together through the video call to enjoy your masterpiece. Compare notes on what you think to the dish and any tweaks you may make for next time. Decide between you who ranks the best on tasks and presentation to announce the cook-a-long champion.
Shout about it on your social media
Let people know what you’re doing for Charity and give the winning chef a shout out. Don’t forget to tag us in any of your posts as we would love to see your support.
Hints and Tips
- Remind your participants in between cooking breaks that this cook-a-long is helping to provide lifesaving funds for The Air Ambulance Service. Don’t be shy to remind them about your JustGiving page, your friends and family will be proud to support where they can.
- If you want to keep the recipe a surprise, just supply the ingredients list and allow enough time for them to stock up
- Make this a regular occurrence, have someone different hosting and teaching a new dish each time
Things to Remember
- Make sure your speakers and microphone work on your devices
- Make sure everyone has the right details and can access the platform you’re using
- Share your JustGiving Fundraising page!
- Don’t forget to have your recipe and ingredients prepped and ready!
- Have fun!