They are among more than a dozen chefs who have volunteered to help after restaurants were forced to close. They work for Yotam Ottolenghi’s London restaurants as well as the River Cottage and Jamie Oliver chains.

Schools remain open to children whose parents work in protected parts of the economy such as the NHS and emergency response teams and the food industry.

At the same time, regular school catering teams have been hit by illness and staff self isolating, leading to demand for those with cooking skills.

A spokesman for the Dorchester confirmed that the hotel was providing and covering the cost of catering for the children of key workers who are still attending Manorfield Primary School in Tower Hamlets.

Danielle Glavin, of the charity Chefs in Schools, said: “In some of the schools we’re working in, more than 50 per cent of kids are on free school meals. And for some of them, it’s the only hot meal they’ll get in a day. We’re determined to keep this going.”

This week on the menu for the children at Manorfield was vegetarian paella with mixed green salad and a lemony herb dressing.