Catering Department
2 Ck Alviar, Messman Sibuyo, Ch Cook Deniega, Messman Aldea
In the deck department, officers work a pattern of four hours on, eight hours off every day; though sometimes they can get a watch off if the captain or the Chief Officer relieves them for that period. This makes it possible for them to get leisure time and a break from the normal day.
In the engine room, it’s normal for engineers to keep day-work hours, and they work six-and-a-half days a week, with the machinery operating automatically when they’re not in the engine room. When deep sea, Saturday afternoon is a half day off.
But there’s one department that can’t take a day off, or a half day, even at anchor or in dry-dock - the catering department.
Meals have to be prepared three times a day regardless of who’s working or not working in the other departments. And the ship’s galley is a busy place, with work starting long before most of the day-workers are out of their beds. This continues until after the last man has been fed for the evening, with the galley staff only taking a short break in the afternoon after lunch and before the dinner service.
On British Trader there are four staff employed in the catering department - a Chief Cook, a Second Cook, and two Messmen or stewards. The Chief Cook is the lynchpin of successful catering on board the ship.
Messmen Sibuyo and Aldea
The two cooks work within the galley only. The messmen have other duties, also responsible for ‘hotel services’: changing linen, making up the beds and cleaning cabins and public rooms.
The preparation of food on a ship is a challenging business. There must be sufficient variety and nutrition to keep everyone fed, healthy and happy as if the food is not up to scratch it can have a disproportionate influence on morale.
Most of the officers will settle for fruit juice, cereals or toast or croissants for breakfast, though the ‘full English’ may be ordered by anyone who wants it. Yogurt and fresh fruit are also made available.
For lunch, there is an a la carte menu from which we choose our meals in advance. It’s very extensive. There are also cold cuts of meat, a selection of cheeses, a variety of salads, fresh fruit, juices again, and freshly baked bread rolls courtesy of the Second Cook who is the ship’s baker (there’s no nipping down to the shop for fresh bread when you’re out at sea).
The evening meal is usually from a set menu. It will consist of home-made soup, a fish course, an entrée such as spaghetti bolognaise, or sweet and sour pork, or some other smaller dish, then the main course, for example roast pork, with two or three vegetables, roast and creamed potatoes, and gravy. There is also the usual choice of salads and cold cuts and a cooked pudding or fresh fruit to finish. Or, of course, cheese and biscuits.
So, it’s a pretty extensive selection and you’d be hard-pressed not to find something you liked.
Then, just in case you get peckish at night, there’s food put by that you can snack from when you need it.
Once the crew and officers are fed, and the Cook can take off his apron and hang up his hat, the Messmen start their part – cleaning up and setting out the tables for the next meal.
Somewhere in the day the Chief Cook also has to find time to compile the menus for the coming days, and to prepare stores orders for the next port.
There is also the task of conducting an inventory of the stocks on board every four weeks so that we know how much it’s costing to feed all 32 people on board. He’s a busy man.
And when all is done for the day, and the caterers leave the galley, they get a night’s rest, ready to start all over again the next morning. It truly is a never-ending job, often under-valued - but very essential!