Line up you ‘orrible little lot – and start cooking on the double!
That’s the order from the British army for Salford’s annual Big Day Out family fun day outside Salford Civic Centre, Swinton on Saturday September 17.
City Mayor Paul Dennett, Councillors Sammie Bellamy and Ann-Marie Humphreys, with colleagues from sponsors West Way Nissan will take on a team of students and tutors from Salford City College’s hospitality department.
Both teams will be given a 10 man ration pack – which provides everything 10 soldiers need for a day’s meals – and two hours to come up with a tasty meal, working inside a field kitchen.
Tom suggested A Full Metal Jacket Potato, can any one better that?
The teams will be supervised by army chefs from 103 Regiment Royal Artillery and 75 Engineer Regiment.
Soldiers from 3 Medical Regiment, 6 Military Intelligence Regiment, 156 Regiment Royal Logistics Corp and 127 Company Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers will also be at the event showing off various trades in the army and aiming to recruit both reservists and those interested in a full time career as well as challenging people to have a go on the inflatable assault course. There will also be a musical interlude provided by members of the 103 Regiments Corp of Pipes and Drums.
City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “I love cooking but I’ve never tried to make a full meal under army conditions! I know we will be up against tough competition from the students and their tutors but Councillor Bellamy is a trained chef so I hope we can put up a fair fight.”
John Barry-inglis, chef and lecturer in hospitality and culinary arts at Salford City College, said: “This is going to be a really exciting encounter for our students and our staff.
“We are looking forward to being taken out of our new, comfortable, custom built kitchens, and plunged into the unknown in an army field kitchen.
“We hope that our students can do us proud against a regal Salford City Council team!”
The Big Day Out runs from 11am to 4pm and is an action packed, fun, free day out for all the family. The army band will get the event off to a musical start followed by stage performances from local singers and bands.
Salford Allotment Federation and Incredible Edible will build pop up gardens for the day showing how easy it is to grow your own in small spaces and you can also find out how to make your own wine and meet the birds and the bees.
Youngsters will be kept entertained with a whole range of activities including inflatable super slides, storytelling, magic tricks, an interactive musical workshop with a BBC Philharmonic trio or make a flying car puppet at the arts ‘n’ craft workshop from The Lowry, inspired by Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
And there’s a magical, juggling fairy on site who is inviting children to dress up as fairies and join her for a fairy party at 3.15pm on site as well as a chance to dress in old fashioned costume and pose at the Agecroft Miner’s bench with two real life miners.
There’s also a climbing wall, free facepainting – with glitter face paint for grown ups (small charge) – free indoor fitness classes, computer coding workshops, robots, a digital driving simulator, golf, rugby and football tasters, stalls and free microchipping for dogs as well as a dog agility course.
There’s a good range of food and drink to enjoy and an afternoon tea tent with cakes by Monton based Vintage Ambience or people are welcome to bring their own picnics to eat on the lawn. Budding bakers can learn how to decorate cupcakes from the experts and there’s an online cake competition, the Great Salford cake off!
