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Feeding the 5,000
Letter from SWRT
29 May 2006
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It has been said that an army marches on its stomach. It's no different for a rally team.
The Subaru World Rally Team technicians are often at the service park before sunrise and won't leave until well after 2100hrs. It's essential they're eating well to have enough energy to get through the day. A team of five people is responsible for cooking and serving food for the technicians, engineers and other event staff, plus the numerous guests that visit the service park over a rally weekend.
- The catering operation consists of catering manager Lorraine Glaister, two chefs; John Allen and Claire Coleman, Ben Griffin, who looks after front of house and Andy Stanton who drives the kitchen truck and helps with the shopping and washing up. Lorraine, John and Claire are fully trained chefs who have worked in top restaurants across the UK. John worked as a sous chef for the famous British based restaurateur Jean-Christophe Novelli while Andy was a chef in the Royal Air Force
- On a typical rally weekend the catering team will prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner for 60 team members each day. On top of that, Lorraine makes the drivers' meals for each service. Lorraine consults the team's human performance trainer, John Mills, for the right balance of protein and slow-release energy foods and will prepare dishes including pasta, chicken, fish and salads
- Team members have their own tented dining area while guests are served in the team's hospitality facility, nicknamed the Comet (communications and entertainment). The area is created from an awning attached to a team truck and has air-conditioning and internet connection, a cappuccino bar, plasma television screens showing the latest WRC coverage and a music system. The Comet can seat up to 45 people for lunch and over 100 for drinks
- The team can cater for up to 120 guests for lunch and dinner - a potential 420 meals per day. Sardinia looks it could be the busiest rally of the year so far for guests. Kristy Thompson, who coordinates the team's hospitality programme, estimates 266 people visited the Subaru hospitality over the course of the weekend.
- In Sardinia, Subaru World Rally Team guests chose from the following menu:
| Chicken breast stuffed with tomato and mozzarella wrapped in parma ham served with rustic mash and fresh pesto |
| Sesame seared tuna served on a bed of oriental noodles |
| Homemade salmon fishcakes served with sweet chilli sauce |
| Roasted pepper, red onion and goats cheese tart |
| Pears poached in spiced wine served with marscapone cream |
| Rich chocolate orange mousse |
- The hub of the catering operation is a seven tonne truck, converted into a fully-equipped kitchen, which is driven to all European events. This vehicle has running water, gas and electricity and is fitted with ovens, refrigerators and all the appliances you'd find in a professional kitchen. On long-haul events the team transports all the necessary equipment in custom-made flight cases
- The catering team also prepares food and drink for any special functions SWRT organise over the course of a rally. In Corsica, for instance, the team invited media and guests to a drinks and canapé reception. Over 100 guests attended, plus drivers, co-drivers and team management. Over 400 canapés, including prawn toasts and sun-dried tomato and mozzarella wraps, were served
- The team go through food in vast quantities. The initial shop at the start of an event is at least seven large trolleys full. In Japan, where baskets and trolleys are smaller, Andy and Lorraine filled 70 trolleys in one go. The team also make daily shopping trips throughout rally to ensure the food is a fresh as possible
- An average shopping list for one team lunch and one dinner would be:
| 40 chicken breasts |
40 tomatoes |
30 salmon steaks |
| 4 cucumbers |
6 kilos of pasta |
30 eggs |
| 12 kilos of potatoes |
1 kilo of parmesan |
4 kilos of carrots |
| 2 kilos of onions |
3 kilos of broccoli |
3 kilos of mixed peppers |
| 2 kilos of sweetcorn |
2 tins of mixed beans |
2 litres of cream |
| 1 litre of light mayonnaise |
1 kilo of mushrooms |
15 French sticks |
| 2lb of butter |
Various salad dressings |
6 bags of mixed leaves |
| HP Sauce and Ketchup |
1 litre olive oil |
15 mozzarella balls |
| 60 yoghurts |
- On top of preparing meals, the catering team will buy basic staple foods for snacks and breakfast. In just two days technicians, engineers and drivers will consume:
| 75 French sticks or 36 loaves of bread |
| 200 litres of milk (a cow only produces 30 litres a day!) |
| 1 case of apples |
| 2 cases of bananas |
| 350 yoghurts |
| 15 litres of orange Juice |
| 620 Muesli bars |
| 16 kilos of porridge oats |
- It's not just food that the team go through in huge quantities. Subaru technicians, engineers and management will use over 1,000 teabags per event and over six kilos of coffee. The team also drink over 900 litres of water, supplied by Subaru's partner Silver Spring Drinks
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2006
2005
