Best and Worst Food
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Never mind the quality, feel the width.
When the 16th Entry of Boy Entrants were inducted, 22 May 1952, we handed in our Ration Books!
It took some time to accept the size of the meals that we received.
Then there was the matter that in the NAAFI we could buy sweets and chocolates without coupons!
Thing was, on 10/- a week, we couldn't afford any
It took some time to accept the size of the meals that we received.
Then there was the matter that in the NAAFI we could buy sweets and chocolates without coupons!
Thing was, on 10/- a week, we couldn't afford any
I might have recalled this before, but its worth another iteration.
Met Office Leeming and also Topcliffe, 0500 hours, autumn routine, mid 1960s.
Observer, having sent off the 0500 ob. carts off over the airfield and returns with great bag of 1 minute old mushrooms. Perfunctory rinse.
Meanwhile LB has frying pan on, and coffee brewing.
Fried egg, bacon, tomato, mushrooms , buttered toast and coffee for two in SMetO's office at 0515. No tablecloth and candles but ................. !
Brief weathership/ duty pilot c. 0600, him probably subsisting on tea and toast or indeed fresh air.
I got the impression my audience was somewhat distracted.
Met Office Leeming and also Topcliffe, 0500 hours, autumn routine, mid 1960s.
Observer, having sent off the 0500 ob. carts off over the airfield and returns with great bag of 1 minute old mushrooms. Perfunctory rinse.
Meanwhile LB has frying pan on, and coffee brewing.
Fried egg, bacon, tomato, mushrooms , buttered toast and coffee for two in SMetO's office at 0515. No tablecloth and candles but ................. !
Brief weathership/ duty pilot c. 0600, him probably subsisting on tea and toast or indeed fresh air.
I got the impression my audience was somewhat distracted.
The aircrew feeders at Scampton and Waddington were brilliant.
The pilots kitchen at Jever provided exactly what we needed.
The small Q shed kitchen at Wattisham was particularly good on the mornings when the firecrews kindly left us freshly gathered field mushrooms.
Nothing matters very much, most things don't matter at all.
The pilots kitchen at Jever provided exactly what we needed.
The small Q shed kitchen at Wattisham was particularly good on the mornings when the firecrews kindly left us freshly gathered field mushrooms.
Nothing matters very much, most things don't matter at all.
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Originally Posted by Busta
The small Q shed kitchen at Wattisham was particularly good on the mornings when the firecrews kindly left us freshly gathered field mushrooms.
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Quite stimulating climbing the Jacobs Ladder down the side of a bloody great ship with a 24-pint slab tucked under your arm, before getting into an RM fast-thing back to the jetty!!
..
Last edited by NutLoose; 27th Aug 2013 at 18:15.
A few years ago, I used to go twice a year on exercise at St Mawgan.
Worst food - any meal in the Mess there.
Best food - the food in the mobile kitchen in the HAS site just up the road that had been set up for the troops.
We used to try any opportunity or excuse to eat in the HAS but were firmly told 'you're living in the Mess, you're eating in the Mess!'.
Worst food - any meal in the Mess there.
Best food - the food in the mobile kitchen in the HAS site just up the road that had been set up for the troops.
We used to try any opportunity or excuse to eat in the HAS but were firmly told 'you're living in the Mess, you're eating in the Mess!'.
I remember doing a trip with some "bits" that needed servicing at Alamagordo, and we night stopped Albuquerque. Breakfast in the early morning at the Mall accross the car park from the hotel (at Co pilots recommendation) was two of the biggest Chilli dogs I have ever sat in front of, with what seemed a bucket of Coke. Hot, damn hot, and a change from the usual fare of a Brit. ISTR that about two hours outbound I committed the GEs greatest sin. I used the elsan, "el ringus stingus" was painfully in evidence. Never had the urge for such a breakfast since then.
Smudge
Smudge
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Leuchars, mid 90's
Main mess, did a good line in trays of exceedingly nice hand made cakes that never got involved in any form of 'work order' upgrade negotiations that might have taken place when a routine work order may have become a priority or even a gold plated urgent work order thingy when head slop may have mentioned blackfriars...
Same place, same time... The feeder out on the 111 Has Site, the chef used to raid the main mess for spices and other cheffy type goodies and really knew how to use them. Did a nice line in things chicken, amazing in fact just what he could do with a chicken...
Same place, same time... The feeder on the 43 Has Site, somehow chicken just wasnt the same in there....
On scheme, picture... It's wet... your cold... the snow has changed from snowstorm to f*k me it's a blizzard proportions and to cap it all everyones very tired having been up 3 days solid doing bridge gallops and chucking in the odd tactical minefield for good measure...
You return from the days activities to find the 'chef' (Section 432 Driver in his day job) has done a full service on the pack and managed to make dinner from a 10 man rat pack all at the same time...
The rat pack got opened and tipped into a steel washing bowl (everything less the tea bags, coffee and sweets) enough water was then chucked in to make it sloppy and give a sort of stew effect and the whole sorry mess then boiled up for 1/2 an hour while being stirred with spanner/ladle/screwdriver (in fact, whatever comes to hand tbh)...
Amazingly, it tastes brill and was the way the RE's cooked as a section/troop when in the field
Main mess, did a good line in trays of exceedingly nice hand made cakes that never got involved in any form of 'work order' upgrade negotiations that might have taken place when a routine work order may have become a priority or even a gold plated urgent work order thingy when head slop may have mentioned blackfriars...
Same place, same time... The feeder out on the 111 Has Site, the chef used to raid the main mess for spices and other cheffy type goodies and really knew how to use them. Did a nice line in things chicken, amazing in fact just what he could do with a chicken...
Same place, same time... The feeder on the 43 Has Site, somehow chicken just wasnt the same in there....
On scheme, picture... It's wet... your cold... the snow has changed from snowstorm to f*k me it's a blizzard proportions and to cap it all everyones very tired having been up 3 days solid doing bridge gallops and chucking in the odd tactical minefield for good measure...
You return from the days activities to find the 'chef' (Section 432 Driver in his day job) has done a full service on the pack and managed to make dinner from a 10 man rat pack all at the same time...
The rat pack got opened and tipped into a steel washing bowl (everything less the tea bags, coffee and sweets) enough water was then chucked in to make it sloppy and give a sort of stew effect and the whole sorry mess then boiled up for 1/2 an hour while being stirred with spanner/ladle/screwdriver (in fact, whatever comes to hand tbh)...
Amazingly, it tastes brill and was the way the RE's cooked as a section/troop when in the field
Victor B1a
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Nasi Goring.
cliver029,
Tis indeed a small world. There was a cook at Church Fenton in 1971 who had been posted back to the old country from Tengah (when 74 Packed up I think). His Nasi Goring was to die for. Many of we students ordered it fresh on a daily basis. Had to be the same guy. I have never tasted a better one.
My worst was in the "Greasy Spoon" at Valley a few years later.
It was called "steak". It was black and could not be cut with a steak knife.
I didn't actually taste it for fear of losing teeth.
Tis indeed a small world. There was a cook at Church Fenton in 1971 who had been posted back to the old country from Tengah (when 74 Packed up I think). His Nasi Goring was to die for. Many of we students ordered it fresh on a daily basis. Had to be the same guy. I have never tasted a better one.
My worst was in the "Greasy Spoon" at Valley a few years later.
It was called "steak". It was black and could not be cut with a steak knife.
I didn't actually taste it for fear of losing teeth.
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The Heritage Centre at Waddington has recently laid hands upon the Messing Suggestions Book from 1960! The staff have not had much time to digest most of the information, but a quick glance through revealed that one of the complaints was about the standard and paucity of the breakfast cereals... the reply apologised and gave a long standing strike at the Kelloggs factory as an excuse.
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Worst:
Anything at Linton on Ouse at the moment, though the lunchtime reheating of the unused breakfast bacon/sausage on a Pizza is pretty rank!
Best:
Now let me think . . . . .
Anything at Linton on Ouse at the moment, though the lunchtime reheating of the unused breakfast bacon/sausage on a Pizza is pretty rank!
Best:
Now let me think . . . . .
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Sapper you forgot to mention that the steel bowl was placed on an engine block or exhaust to cook it with the engine running.
Initially I thought I was having my leg pulled with the engine cooking storys.
Until I was I saw a foden chicken dinner being cooked during a 6 hour convoy to exercise. It was brilliant. And certainly proved the phrase anyone can be uncomfortable in the field. But with a bit of effort and skill it can be pleasant.
They even had different spots to cook different things on the foden.
Only time things got a bit out of hand was when one BDO got a bit of a strop on about cooking things on the steam generator contraption. But I reckon that was more to do with the fish starter than the rabbit. Either that or she was a vegie.
Initially I thought I was having my leg pulled with the engine cooking storys.
Until I was I saw a foden chicken dinner being cooked during a 6 hour convoy to exercise. It was brilliant. And certainly proved the phrase anyone can be uncomfortable in the field. But with a bit of effort and skill it can be pleasant.
They even had different spots to cook different things on the foden.
Only time things got a bit out of hand was when one BDO got a bit of a strop on about cooking things on the steam generator contraption. But I reckon that was more to do with the fish starter than the rabbit. Either that or she was a vegie.
For me the best was a close call between the vegetable curry served on the Nimrod or the wonderful food served in the contractors mess at ASI where I used to eat as a part time contractor when off shift during the late 80's airbridge.
By far the worst was the (airmans) mess at ASI, true the chefs did the best they could with what was supplied by most meals still tasted $@*!.
By far the worst was the (airmans) mess at ASI, true the chefs did the best they could with what was supplied by most meals still tasted $@*!.
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Sapper you forgot to mention that the steel bowl was placed on an engine block or exhaust to cook it with the engine running.
The tin would go off with a bang followed by a couple of bodies popping out the mortar hatch collect the surving tins before they followed...
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Back in the 70's, one of us Transporters feeling cheated because the V force got steaks and we didn't, wrote:
"Why don't we get steaks like the V force?" in the Luqa Officers' transit mess suggestions book.
The next day one of the said steaks was found stapled into the book with the words:
"If you can eat this one, you are welcome to it!"
The V force member was invited to purchase a new book without gravy stains.
"Why don't we get steaks like the V force?" in the Luqa Officers' transit mess suggestions book.
The next day one of the said steaks was found stapled into the book with the words:
"If you can eat this one, you are welcome to it!"
The V force member was invited to purchase a new book without gravy stains.
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the worst: any food at the IJC Kabul mess halls Dec 11 - May 12. Christmas Day fare was just simply binned by the brits.
the best: BBQ RC West Feb 12 with wine. BBQ RC East Mar 12 not with wine!!
And any meal down at Bastion when able..!
the best: BBQ RC West Feb 12 with wine. BBQ RC East Mar 12 not with wine!!
And any meal down at Bastion when able..!
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By far the worst I ever experienced was the 'soup of the day' at Machrihanish which changed colour and taste only very slightly each day, depending on what had not been eaten the night before, and unsurprisingly whose ingredients were never precisely specified.
With only 2 regular livers-in, the arrival of our mob for a month and the adjustment to the catering arrangements must have seemed like heaven to those poor souls.
CS
With only 2 regular livers-in, the arrival of our mob for a month and the adjustment to the catering arrangements must have seemed like heaven to those poor souls.
CS
Wensleydale, what a shame you don't have the book from 1970 when the food strike occurred. The arrival of the late WO Paddy Shannon soon retrieved that situation. Waddo then became "the place" to dine for the JRs. The subsequent SIB investigation failed to uncover the ringleaders of the strike. Other notable chefs in my life, the late Neil Chinnery at Church Fenton, with his Field Catering Unit (before MCSU) who worked absolute miracles with a few quid and loadsa waffle. Finally M****n E*****h at Wegberg and Marham, due to his lack of height,known as "The Gastronome". A man who took the greatest of pride in his craft and ensured his customers were the absolute top of his priorities.
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What as in everyone refused to eat in the mess? Lol cannot see what you could charge them with.