Win a Big Chopper – A Fun Solution for A Potentially Serious Problem & A Shout for Charity

This giveaway has now closed.

Firstly, lets talk about food poisoning.    I know it is not a fun, sexy, or particularly enjoyable topic, but it is an important issue for everyone.   I doubt that there is a person reading this that has not had food poisoning at some stage of their lives.     I had a suspected bout a few weeks ago after going out for lunch.   I had the most miserable 6 or 7 hours of sitting on the loo, with my head in a bucket, whimpering (I did not have the strength or energy to cry) with pain.   Thankfully it subsided as rapidly as it appeared, but left me so weak I could not stand unaided for another day, and I did not gain the strength to leave my flat for a further 2 days.    Food poisoning is (quite literally in many cases) poo; in extreme cases it can be life ending, and those with weak immune systems are especially at risk.  There are around 850,000 cases of food poisoning a year, many are caused by cross contamination, where cooked foods, or vegetables come into contact with harmful bacteria from raw meat and fish.

I volunteer for The Food Chain; a fantastic charity that provides nutritional services to men, women and children who are chronically sick with HIV.    One service the Food Chain provides is a hot Sunday meal, delivered every week.    Every Sunday teams of people gather in professional kitchens across London to cook.  It is fantastic fun, and I highly recommend having a look at their website and and considering getting involved.   When cooking for people with weakened immune systems food hygiene is obviously exceedingly important; before you are let near the kitchen all volunteers have to complete an online food hygiene course, so I am very very aware of the importance of good food hygiene.

Secondly; onto the Big Chopper, which I first saw at the BBC Good Food Show, they have kindly sent me one to review and let me have another one to give to my readers.   The Big Chopper is a fun but safe way to prepare food at home, one coloured board for meat and one for veg (meat and two veg).   The fact that it is, shall I say anatomical(?), in shape makes it fun.   The idea came about after a joke made at a BBQ, but it is a solution to a very real problem, and by having it in your kitchen makes you mindful of good food hygeine.

Made of tough polyproylene, it is dishwasher safe and (unlike so many products) is made in the UK.  Both boards are generous, but not oversized.  I think that it is a great gift for a cook (especially for someone leaving home for the first time to remind them about food safety), or for a flat warming present.    It possibly is not the most suitable gift for your Grandmother, but I can see this raising a smile and some puns on Christmas Day, and would be perfect to be used at summer BBQs.  I’ll be bringing my Big Chopper out in my kitchen on a regular basis.

You can get your hands on your own Big Chopper for £22.99 from Seriously Functional, simply add the following code “CHOPPER1L3Q35ZX” on the checkout page and you will receive a £5 discount on all orders of £22.99 and above (the normal price for The Big Chopper)

More information on good food hygiene  is available on the Food Standards Agency website.    Have a good food  but safe food this  Christmas.

GIVEAWAY RULES

This giveaway is open to all readers over 18 with a UK mailing address.  The winner will be chosen using an online randomiser and announced in a subsequent post.   When commenting please leave your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win.

For a chance to win please comment with a Big Chopper related pun (no really rude words please – I reserve the right to edit)

For a second chance to win please tweet “Win: Get your hands on a Big Chopper from @fussfreeflavour & @thebigchopper http://bit.ly/eNrJ8U” and comment to tell me you have done so.

For a third chance please follow The Big Chopper on twitter and comment to tell me you have done so.

I’ll even throw in extra entries if you follow me (@fussfreeflavour) on Twitter and comment to tell me you have done so.   And even more entries for liking my facebook page, and the Big Chopper Facebook page, and commenting to tell me you have done so.  Again, if you already like / follow me or The Big Chopper comment for an extra entry.

Many thanks to Seriously Functional for my free Big Chopper and for providing a prize for the giveaway.

See all my giveaways here.