Lions chef tells big boys to eat their greens

Lions chef Dave Campbell is a master of vegetable disguises.

Vegetables, it seems, will never lose their bad rap.

Lions' chef Dave Campbell not only has to disguise them but often resorts to threats to get the big rugby boys to eat them.

"If they don't eat their greens, they don't get any puddin'," growls the Scot who has been catering to the needs of the English team for the last four years.

Forget traditional steak, egg and chips - the Lions are feeding on Thai-style salmon and prawn curry with French beans and cherry tomatoes, lemon-scented basmati rice with warm naan bread.

Or then there's grilled chicken, mushroom and pepper kebabs or even mushroom soup scented with cumin and finished with coriander - and that's just a couple of the nine cold and five hot options available at every meal.

"I wrote up about 170 menus for this tour," says Mr Campbell, who slices up 13kg of tomatoes a day and breaks some 500 eggs.

Despite the many options some players still have their favourites.

Josh Lewsey loves his flapjacks, Will "Mash-Attack" Greenwood loves his plain mash, Andy Robinson is the team's lone vegetarian and, says Mr Campbell, "if there was a Lions tour for eating Gavin Henson would be the captain".

Jonny Wilkinson gets his day off to a good start with muesli, yoghurt and fresh orange juice followed by an omelette of four egg whites and a yolk, and some ham or chicken to add a bit of extra protein.

To ward off any hunger pains that may strike later in the day, at 4.30pm the team have wholewheat sandwiches that include chicken with pesto and sundried tomato mayonnaise or sirloin of beef with rocket leaves' horseradish and cracked pepper.

Those still peckish at 9.30pm can snack on a Caesar salad with chicken, avocado and bacon or a tuna nicoise salad which according to Mr Campbell "is a great place to hide vegetables, especially beans, which are very nutritious for the guys but need to be well hidden".

There's still room for the traditional however. "If the guys don't get spaghetti bolognaise and bread and butter pudding the night before a game, I'd be ducking for cover."

It's part of the "happy food" morale-boosting menu that the chef allows the players on rare occasions.

The day after a game that happy food menu includes a hearty lentil and bacon soup, roast beef and Yorkshire pud and semolina with stewed rhubarb.

The rest of the week however it's all steamed, stir-fried and low-fat but with a fair sprinkling of "rock salt, spices, herbs and olive oil to keep it tasty".