Following an announcement from the health service executive on Friday night, the life of a chef in Mayo has become a little more complicated. The preparation of all sauces and soups are not affected as a temperature of over 100c kills the presence of Cryptosporidium parasite in the water. All foods have to be washed in cooled boiled water, which means, all herbs, lettuce, fruits and salads!
Vegetables and potatoes are fine as they all reach the 100C temperature when cooked. Ice cubes made from cooled boiled water are ok, but we can buy them in already frozen from a supplier. The kitchen boils, blast chills and cools 200-300litres of water per day, but the main concern in the hotel is drinking water for the 100+ guests, which you can imagine is no small task. Bottled still and sparkling water has been bought in, and guests need cooled boiled water in their rooms, for everyday functions, like cleaning their teeth, etc.
On the plus side, all staff have taken the boiled water problem on board and strive to not make sure that the guests are looked after with very little difference than before the ban came into place. The authorities have informed us that the ban may last over a month, so let’s hope that they can get this sorted so that the county doesn’t lose any tourist trade.
As this boil notice affects a large percentage of the county, I hope that all business’s and indeed households, read, understand and take the appropriate actions to safeguard their customers and their families.
