PIP form question 3a and 3b: preparing and cooking food

This two-part question is about how your condition makes it harder for you to cook or prepare a simple meal for one person. It covers how your condition affects your ability to carry out straightforward tasks needed to be able to cook and what support you need. In this guide, we run through how to answer the question and give some basic examples to help you.

What does being able to prepare a simple meal mean?

This question is about your ability to carry out tasks such as:

peeling and chopping
putting food on a plate
opening food packaging like tins
turning on taps
heating food in a microwave or on a hob

It doesn’t include:

food presentation
carrying items around the kitchen in pans etc.
carrying food to where it will be eaten
bending down
using an oven
any dietary requirements
your ability to eat and drink; this is covered in PIP question 4

How to answer PIP question 3a

The first part of the question is a yes or no answer – does your condition affect you preparing food, or prevent you from doing so? If you struggle with any of the tasks listed above, check ‘yes’.

You should also check ‘yes’ if you take rest breaks when preparing or cooking, need to use an aid like a stool, have a prosthetic limb or rely on someone else’s help.

Include details of any help you need when answering the next part of the question.

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How to answer PIP question 3b

This is the most important part as your answer may affect whether you’re awarded PIP.

You should explain exactly how your condition affects your ability to prepare and cook food and answer with as much detail as possible.

What should I mention?

Include details about any support you have in the kitchen whether that’s from another person or an aid, how you’d cope without that support, if you’re at risk of hurting yourself or having an accident when preparing or cooking food, and what support you need that you don’t have.

Help from aids or someone else

Mention every aid you use in the kitchen, including things you might think are obvious, and say if you’ve been told to use them by a health professional.

Explain how each item helps you and what would happen if you didn’t use it. Also list any items your condition stops you from using.

Mention if you still experience symptoms - such as pain or tiredness - when using your aids, even if those symptoms are reduced.

You can also use this space to explain what support you would find helpful that you don’t currently get, including prosthetics, adapted cutlery or chopping boards, or a perching stool.

If you have someone that helps you in the kitchen, mention it here. If a friend or relative helps you, explain why, in what way and how often.

Examples

A friend might remind you to prepare food three times a day and help you physically. They might explain how to cook a meal and help you with each step, or just a couple, such as making sure food has been cooked for long enough. They might only need to help you on bad days or supervise you to stop you from hurting yourself.

You might need to take regular breaks when preparing food, including sitting down to reduce your symptoms. It might be that an aid, such as a perching stool, would help you so you can sit down and continue to prepare food without a break, but you don’t have one.

What if I’m at risk of hurting myself?

Explain what might happen without help e.g. you might hurt yourself or have an accident. This might be the case if you become easily confused or find it hard to concentrate.

You should mention how often you hurt yourself or have accidents, even if it’s rare. Say if there’s anything you can do to reduce the risk of injuring yourself.

If there isn’t, explain that and what could happen if you were to hurt yourself or have an accident.

Examples

Your condition might mean it takes you twice as long to cook or prepare a meal as a typical healthy person. Or you might be more likely to hurt yourself or starting a fire.

For example, if you’re prone to sudden seizures, you may be at risk of injuring yourself while cooking.

What if I have better days than others?

How you feel and what you’re able to do on a bad day might be completely different to someone else with the same condition, so it’s important to describe your own personal experience as accurately as possible.

Explain how your condition varies e.g. it might be that on good days you can get by without help.

Say how often you have bad days and if there are more bad days than good days.

If your condition fluctuates and it’s hard to be precise about how many bad days you have, that’s okay. You can estimate and explain why you can’t be entirely accurate.

DWP will base its decision on whether to award PIP on how your condition affects you most of the time.

Examples

During a typical week, you might have five bad days and two good days, or four bad days, two better days and one good day. On bad days, your symptoms may mean you struggle to prepare any meals and need support from someone, or you might be able to prepare one meal without help.

You might be able to make your meals, but your symptoms might affect your ability to do other activities on your PIP form, such as being too tired to dress and leave the house.

Example answer

I can’t prepare meals due to pain, muscle weakness and tremors. I don’t have good and bad days because my condition is progressive and is gradually getting worse.

I drop things frequently. On one occasion, I dropped hot food on myself when trying to move it to a plate. I got second-degree burns and had to go to hospital. I was also told to let someone else make my meals because I'm at risk of injuring myself.

I can’t use the microwave or hob because of my muscle weakness and tremors, and I don’t have the strength to peel or chop. My husband does all of these things now.

If you need help filling in the rest of your PIP form, continue to our guide on question 4.