Qingdao galley hosts French cookery masterclass

London Chef  Lawrence Lingard, who is sailing aboard Chinese entry Qingdao in the Clipper 2013-14 Round the World Yacht Race, has taken part in a cookery masterclass with local Brest chef Jerome Denniel, who demonstrated how to cook a typical Breton seafood stew in the galley.

The French Aux Vieux Greements chef cooked on board the Qingdao yacht to demonstrate a dish the crew could easily cook while at sea when they leave France on Monday for Brazil.

Lawrence said: “As we have a fishing rod on board and our skipper has had luck on the previous race catching fish, I am hoping we will be able to cook up this tasty dish again on the race. It is a one pot dish which is important when we are heeling over at 30 degrees; it’s essential that the menus are as simple as possible.

“As I travel round the world, it is great to meet other chefs and learn and get inspiration from them too.”

Lawrence, owner of Simplicity Restaurant in London, showed French chef Jerome Denniel round the Qingdao galley and makeshift pantry to give him a taste of life on board.

Jerome said: “It is a beautiful boat, but certainly is quite a challenge to cook in the small galley compared to the big kitchen I usually have.”

Lawrence is the victualler for Qingdao and is responsible for planning all the menus, ingredients and getting supplies in ports of call during the round the world voyage.

The crew then tucked into the dish that had been flambéed below deck to add to the flavour of the fish and bisque sauce.

On Monday they will head out of Brest for Race 2 to Rio de Janeiro. The start is timed for 1330 local time (1130 UTC).