New Oven Sparks Culinary Creativity and Troop Spirit

Thanks to generous grant funding from The Connaught Trust, Newport Army Reserve Centre has been able to purchase a brand-new oven – and it’s already making a huge difference!

Our chefs had been eagerly awaiting the day they could put the new cooker through its paces and show off their culinary talents to the rest of the troop. That day finally came at the end of April, when they organised a fantastic social evening just before we returned to training in May. Supervised by Cpl Bishop, LCpl Ripley prepared a delicious homemade lasagne with garlic bread, followed by a crowd-pleasing tiramisu for 17 hungry members of the troop. The food went down so well that several people went back for seconds – and even thirds!

Since then, the oven has been in regular use on drill nights, giving our chefs the opportunity to refine their skills by preparing a variety of meals. Most recently, they impressed everyone with pizzas made completely from scratch – a big hit with the troop at the end of the evening.

The addition of the new oven is already having a noticeable impact on our unit. It’s not only enabling the chefs to develop their trade during drill nights, but also helping to boost morale and foster a stronger sense of camaraderie as the troop come together to enjoy a shared meal. In fact, we’ve even seen an increase in drill night attendance since the oven came into action!

Looking ahead, the chefs are keen to see how many they can cater for with the new equipment and are exploring ideas for a larger event to really put it to the test.

Once again, a big thank you to The Connaught Trust for supporting our unit with this fantastic piece of equipment.

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