Celebrity Chef Flips On HMS AMBUSH

It was Shrove Tuesday this week so what better way of testing the galley facilities onboard the submarine HMS Ambush, than by asking celebrity chef James Martin to do the honours and cook pancakes with a nautical rum sauce.

Submarine service chefs are renowned for the quality of food they serve up whilst away on operational duty. The submarine can be away for up to 90 days at a time, so while the fresh fruit, vegetables, and dairy products don't last, the chefs on board have to be masters of invention.

James Martin commented, "I never realised that submarines were as big this. I never realised that it took this amount of work to complete one. The equipment in this galley is second to none; it's definitely been designed to last".

Royal Navy chef Andy Patton, who is currently serving onboard HMS Turbulent, was on hand to assist in the testing by cooking a typical lunch time meal of beef stroganoff and rice. Andy commented on his experience: "The galley is so much bigger than any other galley I've worked in over the past 11 years. Items such as fridges and freezers are much closer to the galley, which will make life that much easier while away at sea."

HMS Ambush, currently being built at BAE Systems Submarine Solutions, Barrow-in-Furness, is the second of three submarines under construction at the shipyard. Through an innovative approach to building submarines, modules are now constructed off the boat. Once each module is complete and tested it is then shipped into the pressure hull. This process has enabled BAE Systems to de-risk the programme significantly.

Through innovations such as this, HMS Ambush's sister vessel, the first of class HMS Astute, will be launched on 8 June 2007, seven weeks ahead of schedule.

Facility manager Nigel Curry said, "We are delighted to be in the position of testing the galley ahead of schedule – it wasn't even due to be completed until the end of May."