Creativity and quality top the menus in the Army catering competition

Chefs taking part in the Army’s field and catering competition have shown there is so much more to Army food than boil-in-the bag ration packs.

Exercise Army Sustainer, the annual flagship catering competition organised by 167 Catering Support Regiment RLC, saw the Army’s talented chefs go head-to-head as they were tested to their culinary limits.

Held at Prince William of Gloucester Barracks, 15 culinary categories comprising individual and team events assessed the chefs’ creativity, adaptability, expertise, and timings. Teams representing the Danish Home Guard and the Royal Army of Oman also took part in the competition.

The hard-fought battle for the title of Senior Army Chef of the Year went to Sergeant Young, an Army Reservist with 167 Catering Support Regiment. The competition pitted the Army’s best culinarians against one another in a timed contest that saw the chefs having to prepare two plated portions of a starter, a main course, and a dessert of their choice.

An elated Sergeant Young said: “I’m delighted to win. I kept the menu simple, but the dishes elaborate.

“I had great support from my friends and colleagues who helped me develop my dishes in the run up to the competition.”

I wasn’t expecting to win. When I heard my name, I was a bit shocked.

Private Hepburn

His winning menu was leek and potato soup served with glazed tiny square potatoes, cheddar and sundried tomato bread with chive butter and asparagus ice cream. The main course of roast chicken dinner was served with roast potatoes, baby carrots, parsnips, broad beans, mangetout peas, a stuffed shallot in a red sauce and gravy. The dessert was a chocolate fondant with raspberries, raspberry coulis and fresh cream.

Sergeant Young said: “I made lemon and thyme butter to put under the chicken skin which helped keep it moist. It also had resting time, which is important to allow the juices to go back into the meat.”

The title of Junior Chef of the Year went to Private Hepburn from 2nd Battalion The Royal Yorkshire Regiment (2 YORKS). His main course was sticky Guinness pork fillet with fondant sweet potato, butternut squash puree, corn on the cob and salty asparagus. This was followed by a dessert of sticky ginger cake with caramelised pineapple and summer fruits, coconut, and rum ice cream with a lime syrup.

He said: “I wasn’t expecting to win. When I heard my name, I was a bit shocked. There was a lot of talent and I know a few of the guys - I was up against a lot of good chefs.”

Individual categories included an Open Skills Poultry Award won by Corporal Finch, 2 YORKS and the Open Skills Fish Award went to Private Lalramzailawma, 2 YORKS.

The Centre Piece, Novelty Cake and Celebration Cake categories were a feast for the eyes, featuring elaborate sculptures with beautiful and intricate flowers spun from sugar that highlighted food presentation skills.

First place in the Novelty Cake category went to Corporal Rogers from 167 Catering Support Regiment and Major Evason-Goddard was awarded first place in the Celebration Cake category.

The Commanding Officer of 167 Catering Support Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Dyas said: “Food is an essential element of life and good food can be a mood lifter: it can turn a difficult day into a good day. 

“When people eat together, they build relationships. If you can all sit together and talk over a nice meal you start to build the camaraderie that the Army is so well known for.

“This competition is the perfect platform to showcase and recognise our chefs - the unsung heroes working behind the scenes. Our chefs can be relied upon to produce the absolute best. Much of the food produced here today could go up against some of the top-level chefs in the civilian world.”