Come Dine With Me...

Being a Phoenix Ulster Rugby Academy player is pretty demanding with training, matches, recovery and with most players studying at Queens University or the University of Ulster there are lectures, studying and assignments to hand in before the deadline! With this hectic lifestyle there is a danger that food and nutrition can be ignored in favour of a quick meal fix.

The two cooking sessions previous had dealt with fish and chicken but this time it was beef that was to be the crux of the meal. The players were tasked with producing a delicious Sweet Chilli Beef with Broccoli, a meal that while nourishing is also quick and easy to make.

One of the key outcomes for the session was to not only show the boys how to prepare nutritious food quickly but to also empower the players to take control of their own diets by showing them essential food preparation techniques, providing valuable information on the nutritional breakdown of each ingredient and providing practical demonstration of the cooking process. The players have a strong grasp already, having earned Academy contracts, but the skills learnt in this session furthered that and provided a greater variety on their existing culinary expertise.

The first action of the day was to inform the players of the processes involved in the session, a quick breakdown on what utensils and ingredients to be used. Wendy and Sharon then discussed quickly the benefits of each individual ingredient and why it should be on an Academy player’s plate.

Next up the players went through prepping their kitchen and began chopping their veggies with some interesting cutting techniques on display, the title of the best diagonally cut spring onions going to John Burns in a close contest!

Sauce preparation was then the next step of the meal, with the key being to tailor the sauce and the meal to your own personal needs as a player, if that’s putting on weight or losing fat mass or whatever objective the player has.

After the sauce was prepared the players then took turns in preparing the beef in corn flour before utilising the wok for its quick cooking time. The players then cooked their meat and vegetables in the sauce before working on the best presentation for the camera.

With the preparation finished all that was left was to actually taste and all three dishes were deemed fantastic by Wendy and Sharon, with this writer giving first hand confirmation of that!

The session showed that good food doesn’t have to be difficult to prepare and that recipes can be tailored to any needs. The players all have individual targets to reach in terms of daily calorie intake and these sessions show how the food can come from different sources and how recipes can be varied from chicken to beef and so on.

Academy player John Burns had this to say about the experience: “It’s always good to get new and interesting ways to cook things. Sometimes we can end up having the same type of meals over and over again so it’s good to get some variety and to learn a bit more about what you’re putting into your body.”

Head of Home Economics in Campbell College, Wendy Pearson said: “This is the third session the boys have had. As we’ve progressed their life skills have improved and so has their competence in the kitchen which can only be good. We did a few quick dishes today to show that there isn’t a long and toiling process in order to prepare a very healthy meal and one which packs enough calories in it to meet the boys’ calorie needs.”

Sharon Madigan, Ulster Rugby Nutritionist commented: “I think the players are really enjoying it and they’re really coming along in terms of their abilities. I think in terms of food if people enjoy cooking then it makes it much more likely to happen. I think sometimes people don’t do this because they’re afraid of what it’s going to turn out like, so a session like this gives players confidence to try things. The players are training twice a day and also training with their clubs, so they need more food than Joe Public. I think food is the priority because there are a lot of supplements out there, but that’s exactly what they are, they’re a supplement to eating. Generally for guys who are eating a wide range of food with plenty of fruit, vegetables, meat, chicken and fish then there is very little need for supplements aside from heavy training and pre-season training.”

With another successful recipe in their cooking arsenal the players can now look forward to the next cooking session, which is rumoured to be a summer BBQ session...now all we need is the weather!