Ramsay restaurant team joins the navy

Verre by Gordon Ramsay executive chef Matt Pickop [centre] conducts a chocolatey cooking demonstration with two assistants from HMS Cumberland's compa

 The kitchen team from Gordon Ramsay’s Dubai restaurant Verre, located at the Hilton Dubai Creek, got a taste of naval life on a recent visit to British vessel HMS Cumberland.

The ship, which was in port in Dubai for two weeks earlier this month for maintenance work, hosted eight chefs from the Verre by Gordon Ramsay team — including executive chef Matt Pickop, who held a cooking master-class on the flight deck showing the ship’s company how to whip up a chocolate fondant dessert.

Pickop explained that the trip had been organised after the ship’s logistics officer Lieutenant Commander Wayne Middleton had got in touch with him, regarding organising a cooking class at Verre for some of the crew during their stay in Dubai.

“I do get a lot of requests, but this one really struck a chord with me because my dad was in the navy,” he explained.

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“I grew up as a navy lad, so this was something I wanted to be a part of — it was really an honour.

“So I asked Wayne if my guys could come on board the ship, see what it was like outside the four walls of the kitchen, and I offered to combine that with a bit of a cooking demo. That’s what I’m all about really — all the things I do are to be fun, give some enjoyment and be a bit educational,” he said.