MEALS FOR 2500 MEN

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27055, 2 June 1953, Page 8

MEALS FOR 2500 MEN

ARMY SERVES FOOD IN 14 MINUTES

In less than 15 minutes 2500 troops in Hagley Park yesterday afternoon were served a meal of beef stew, fruit salad, fruit cake, apples, and tea. The Army had set aside 12 minutes for the issue of the food to the men who had assembled for the Queen’s Birthday parade; the operation took two minutes longer.

During the week-end cooks at Burnham prepared 15cwt of potatoes, peas and carrots for the stew, which was cooked early yesterday morning and brought into Christchurch. Plates, cups, knives, forks and spoons were issued to the men as they lined up at four assembly points for their food, which was served by compulsory military trainees. Before the dirty crockery and cutlery were taken back to Burnham they were sterilised by the use of steam from a traction engine, which was stationed in the trees by the small lake in the park. For the meal, which was served at noon, and eaten while the troops sat on the ground, the Army caterers provided 170 gallons of stew, 400 21b tins of fruit salad, 60 51b slabs of fruit cake, 2500 bread rolls, 24 cases of apples, and 180 gallons of tea. For the tea they used 64 gallons of milk, 1841 b of sugar, and 241 b of tea.