York army reserves can now look forward to top notch and varied fare thanks to a kitchen revamp organised by the RFCA.
The kitchen equipment at York’s Worsley Barracks was very outdated, without a working grill and an oven that wasn’t adequate enough to cater for the many functions and events that take place throughout the year at 4th Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment’s flagship headquarters.
Brand new facilities
But now, thanks to the RFCA, staff at the unit have brand new facilities capable of meeting the needs of a busy reserve unit.
As well as installing a top of the range team oven, salamander grill and smaller more manoeuvrable preparation tables, the team also added more storage and fitted a brand new dishwasher.
Pictured is chef and reservist, Paul Thirlwell, he said: “Before the refit we had to walk to a different store room for the pots and pans and we’ve all spent many hours washing dishes by hand, this new equipment will save us lots of time going forward.”
Professionally trained
Paul is one of the few chefs in the region’s army reserve units who is professionally trained to cater for all types of functions whether it be fine dining on a large scale or cooking up simple hearty lunches for hungry reservists after a hard morning’s training.
He said: “I’ve been severely restricted in what I could cook and serve but now, thanks to the RFCA, I can offer wider and more diverse choices to the many people that I cater for throughout the year.
“This revamp has come at exactly the right time. We’ve got some major high calibre events coming up in 2023 and I’m looking forward to experimenting with some new dishes and putting the updated equipment to the test.”
Great place to work and train
RFCA surveyor Lucy Buckley, has been overseeing the project. “I’m glad that we’ve been able to complete these works before 4 YORKS calendar of events really gets underway.
“Having a great place to work and train makes all the difference to our cadets and reserves and that’s why we put a lot of effort into making sure all our buildings and facilities are fit for purpose.”