A well fed crew is a happy crew

Where we live in the New Forest we’re surrounded by fantastic food sources and, in keeping with the environmental elements of our mission, we aim to provide food which is locally sourced where possible, freshly bought and prepared on the boat. We cook with plenty of fresh vegetables and love no nonsense dishes like shepherds pie, stew and sausage & mash. But we’re not only fans of British cooking so you’ll be as likely to be presented with a chilli con carne, pasta, Thai curry, and the occasional Spanish omelette.

Over the last few years we have become increasingly aware of the role that meat production has to play in the current climate crisis. As part of doing our best to make Topsail Adventures a sustainable business we now generally limit the number of meals containing meat to one or two per week. Far from feeling like we are missing out this has added a whole new aspect to our cuisine as we discover fabulous new recipes in our growing collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks.

Breakfast is a very important meal afloat and Amelie Rose is always well stocked with bread, cereal, museli and our personal favourite, lots of lovely porridge. When time allows we’ve been known to knock up a proper English fry up and other breakfast favourites are bacon butties, omelettes and croissant. On trips with early starts planned there’ll be breakfast bars to keep you going until the cook gets their act together.

If we’ve had a chance to get the trolling line out then lunch can be the freshest possible mackerel (sea to plate in less than 30 minutes takes some beating), but the classic Cornish pasty, a range of soups, sandwiches and pasta also put in regular appearances. Between the main meals, if you feel a bit peckish, have no fear for there’s always cakes, biscuits and the contents of the well-loved Amelie Rose “Snack Box”.

It’s amazingly easy to get dehydrated at sea so there’s always plenty of tea and coffee aboard, as well as squash etc. (and the boat’s water is perfectly drinkable). After a day’s sailing it’s very nice to relax with a can of beer or glass of wine, and although we don’t provide these, many guests do choose to bring some of their favourite tipple along which we’re more than happy to help stash safely. When in port the crew often venture ashore for a drink or two and even for the occasional meal which we’re happy to organise, having a favourite haunt or two in most ports that we visit.

For any crew with specific dietary needs we always aim to be flexible, but please bear in mind that the size of our galley restricts our ability to cook separately for different tastes. If you have any specific dietary requirements, get in touch and we can discuss the options. We’ve coped in the past with vegetarian and lactose/gluten intolerant crews so don’t despair – just let us know good and early.

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