Faced with preparing 4000 canapés for 2000 guests at a ‘Sail Away’ party, the MasterChef contestants certainly had their work cut out for them in this week’s team challenge aboard the P&0 Cruises Superliner, Pacific Jewel.
 
The daunting scale of the task was in keeping with just how enormous an operation a cruise ship is. Walking the length of all 11 passenger decks of this 70,310 tonne, 245 metres long ship is equivalent to walking 2.7km. Such a stroll would certainly work up the appetite, we’d imagine, and the business of feeding all on board is enough to make your head spin.

80 tonnes of food and drink are consumed on each cruise and the ship’s 93 chefs, cooks and bakers prepare more than 8600 meals a day for passengers and crew. The meals are served to passengers by 146 waiters and the 13,000 plates, 10,000 glasses and 15,000 pieces of cutlery are cleaned by 29 dishwashers each day.

On average, chefs on cruise ships this size will use around 50,000 eggs, 1000kg of bacon, 2800kg of chicken, 1000kg of lettuce, 2500kg of rice, 375kg of coffee, 1500kg of pineapples and 5000 litres of milk.

If you just pictured that mountain of bacon in your mind’s eye, you’re not alone...