Day 8

A quick head count this morning relieved a few staff concerns; it appeared that everyone had survived the ‘Come Dine with Me’ experiences from last night. This is more than can be said about the state of several of the kitchens, which are slowly beginning to resemble a small war zone! Obviously washing up may need to be added to the strict assessment criteria.

A morning of culture was the order of the day as the group headed out to Harrison’s Cave, a big visitor attraction on the Island. Located in the parish of St Thomas the cave is a huge underground collection of stalactites, stalagmites and underground waterfalls set in the limestone bedrock that makes up most of the Island. Having mastered the long glass elevator down to the cave entrance the boys watched a short film about the geographical features and make up of Barbados (Miss Chapman and Mr Russell would be most impressed). They then jumped aboard the trams destined to take us deep underground. The 45 minute ride was broken up with several stops to allow for photo opportunities. It was also just enough time to get some more cricketing words of wisdom from another local expert – in this case the tram driver.  At 150 feet below ground level he proceeded to give us a full wicket report on the track at Isolations Cavaliers, our next opponents.

The rest of the afternoon was spent by the pool or in some cases preparing gourmet meals for day 2 of ‘Come Dine with Me’.  Mr Castle escorted the 4 chefs to the supermarket to collect provisions – a simple task for most, but apparently not necessarily so for 16 & 17 year old cricketers who have not cooked a meal before and certainly not had to shop for the contents in a local Bajan supermarket. Expecting to find the contents of Sainsbury’s in Park Farm, some of the group were a little challenged when the shelves didn’t quite contain all their required ingredients!! Josh Woodward turned what should have been a 10 minute trip into a shopping marathon as he struggled when unable to locate poppadums, naan bread and a tin of chopped tomatoes! Meanwhile Ben Norris was in turmoil having forgotten his phone and his only lifeline to instructions for making strawberry mousse.

Back at base camp things went from bad to worse for poor Ben when he was caught seeking advice and a whisk from the local chef in the restaurant next to the apartments. Similarly Josh was found sneaking back down to the shops (obviously he had forgotten something despite his marathon stint earlier in the day!).

Resident ‘Come Dine with Me’ adjudicator Mr Rowe had set a 7.00 meal time as part of the strict marking criteria for today’s competition. Our amateur cooks all busied themselves ahead of the judging panel’s visit. Table cloths appeared from nowhere (although the beds were looking rather bare), freshly picked flowers were eagerly placed on immaculately laid tables and some even went to great lengths electing suitable play lists to impress the judges (Mr Castle & Mr Rowe). Paddy Cox produced an excellent 3 courses featuring soup, fajitas and cake desert, whilst Jack Fackley impressed his room with steak and chips and a salad garnish! The winner though was budding master chef Ben Norris who created a protein focussed, steak with poached eggs on a homemade salsa verde. This was followed with a fresh strawberry mousse made with whipping cream and strawberry protein shake?? Ben had strangely made a romantic theme for his evening with a selection of soppy love songs as a musical playlist and even prepared face masks of his roommates girlfriends so they would feel at home….all very strange…the staff left the boys to their own devices after a very quick visit!! Special mention to captain Josh Woodward who made a valiant attempt cooking his first ever meal. The curry was a hit with his 3 roommates, although he didn’t quite get his measurements right with the rice, which they will now be eating for the remainder of the tour.

WALLY OF THE DAY:

Josh Woodward – who may need a little help before he goes to Uni in September!!