An Cosantóir

38 | what i do CORPORAL MIChAEl (ThE BRIQo) MURPhy BY CPL NOEL COSS VIPs or operating a field kitchen in the Glen of Imaal. Here in the Ceannt Catering Centre, we had a very busy few weeks in May feeding up to 3,000 troops and members of An Garda Síochána, who were part of the secu- rity operation for the visits of Queen Elizabeth II and US President obama. Working under pressure is a part of daily life here for the military chefs, kitchen and front of house staff and deadlines are constant as meals have to be ready at the designated times and to the highest quality, regardless of the numbers booked in for a particular meal. T “we could be feeding anywhere from 250-800 troops, which makes us the busiest dining complex in the Defence Forces” Timing is very important, as troops may have to be back on a course, on duty or on a training exercise at a specific time. on any normal day here in Ceannt, we could be feeding anywhere from 250-800 troops, which makes us the busiest dining complex in the Defence Forces. A typical day for me, as the stores NCO begins early and comes with a lot of responsibility. I have to make sure that the health- and-safety guidelines pertaining to the raw materials supplied to our chef’s in the kitchen are stored properly, fresh and in date. I work closely with the cook sergeant and assist him and his duty chefs in making up the bill of fare, two-weeks in advance and that the appropriate ration allowance per man is issued. As a qualified chef myself, I know from experience what they are looking for and how different types of rations can be stretched to feed more. They say an army marches on its stomach and that certainly is true. A soldier without food is like a soldier without a weapon and ammo - he or she would just not be 100% operational. It’s our job to see that our troops’ requirements are met from the allowable rations. A soldier in training is entitled to 6,000 calories a day, but for account- ing purposes, we work on expenditure. The daily allowance to feed a soldier is €4.80 at the moment, though I believe this rate is currently under review. A soldier on a rostered 24-hour duty is entitled to an extra 25% of the daily allowance for a supper ration. The importance of sufficient, nutritious food to the morale and the physical performance of soldiers cannot be overstated. For example, the difference you see in soldiers after they receive a good hot meal while out on exercise or on the ranges on a freezing cold day is striking. Things like that make the job of a Defence Forces chef important, satisfying and worthwhile. Corporal Murphy joined the Defence Forces in 1990 and served with the 3rd Infantry Battalion. In 2000, Michael moved to the Service Sup- port Unit and qualified as a military chef with the Defence Forces School of Catering and he went on to complete the junior catering manage- ment course. An Cosantóir June .dfmagazine.ie www 2011 SERVICE SUPPoRT UNIT, DFTC he Defence Forces slogan, a life less ordinary for me is certainly true, as no two days in the life of a military chef are ever the same. Today, I might be ‘bulk’ catering for the troops, while tomorrow I could be cooking for WHAT I DO

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