FIFTY-SEVEN navy chiefs from around the world sat at the table of Admiral Lord Nelson on board HMS Victory last night — and saluted him with Bordeaux wine.
The decision to go for French wine for the dinner party in honour of Admiral Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar followed a selection process of three different wine varieties.
With too many guests to fit into Nelson’s dining room, the 54 chiefs and three deputy chiefs gathered for their banquet on one of the Victory gundecks. They included top brass from France, Spain, the United States, Russia, Iraq, Qatar, Italy, India, Ghana, Lithuania, Algeria, Australia and Brazil.
To meet all the cultural requirements, the navy chefs provided a menu that consisted of three simple courses: timbales of smoked fish as a starter, corn-fed breast of chicken with cepes (Porcini mushrooms from France) as the main course, and raspberry charlotte russe, followed by coffee and port.
Navy sources said that the galley on board HMS Victory could not cope with a large dinner. So the food was cooked ashore and taken on board.