The Men Who Feed the North Sea - Kev Geddes & Stephen Henry

Both started their careers as Army chefs before making the move offshore. Between them, they have spent more than two decades feeding crews across production platforms, drilling rigs and accommodation vessels.

We spoke about what really goes on behind the scenes in an offshore galley.

From feeding more than 550 people offshore, to dealing with food complaints, Christmas dinners away from home and the strange requests they receive on a daily basis, this was a brilliant conversation and one that highlights just how important catering is to morale offshore.

Because if there is one thing every offshore worker looks forward to during the day, it is meal times.

00:00 Intro
00:20 Introduction to Kev and Stephen
01:32 How two Army chefs ended up offshore
04:21 What an offshore chef actually does
06:46 Feeding more than 550 people offshore
08:41 Why offshore workers eat so much
11:35 The biggest challenges of offshore catering
13:27 Delayed boats and running out of fresh food
15:43 Drilling rigs versus production platforms
19:42 Why food is so important for morale offshore
23:35 The funniest requests they've received offshore
25:01 When meals go badly wrong
29:55 Reusing leftovers and reducing waste
30:26 Dealing with complaints and negative feedback
36:35 The offshore workers who can never eat enough
38:26 Why offshore food costs more than people think
40:42 The new offshore weight policy
43:57 Healthy eating offshore and changing habits
49:43 The smoked mackerel curry story
52:08 Birthday cakes and special requests
54:06 Favourite meals to cook offshore
55:35 Christmas and New Year offshore
58:02 Their proudest offshore moments

If you've worked offshore, I'd love to know:

How important is food to morale on board?

And what is the strangest meal combination you've ever seen someone put on a plate?