What Do You Eat in South Georgia? Inside Daily Life on One of the Most Remote Islands on Earth
You Can’t Just Pop to the Shops Here!
So What Do You Eat in South Georgia? Inside Daily Life on One of the Most Remote Islands on Earth
Of course in South Georgia you just can’t pop to the shop to get what you need for the evening meal. Absolutely everything you might use for a meal is already in the building I nicknamed “Tescos.”
Tucked between the boat shed and the Government villa buildings, this is where it all lives. Inside you will find a walk in dry store, a fridge, and a “don’t get locked in” freezer (I did! Don’t ask! -18 degrees celcius).
This is it. This is your shop.
Everything Arrives by Ship
All the food arrives by boat. Either the stealth ship, the Government fisheries vessel Pharos, or the Sir David Attenborough. There are usually two big dumps of food a year from each ship, and when the Pharos comes intermittently it might bring “freshies” or other supplies that are running short, if they can be sourced in the Falklands or elsewhere. So with no shops, no deliveries, and no Plan B, how does it work?
You Don’t Just Eat Here… You Cook for Everyone
First of all, you are not cooking for yourself. In Larsen House, we cook an evening meal for the whole house, Monday to Friday. Different houses have different rotas, but this was ours. So if that was not pressure enough, you are cooking for your new family. What do they like? Do they have allergies? Vegan? Vegetarian? It soon becomes apparent that a simple pasta pesto you might have made at home is not going to swing it here.
The Freshies Rule
When we arrived, we were warned. The freshies were not to be devoured immediately.
Those who had overwintered had been deprived of freshies for six months. They had first access. So we were careful with eggs, onions, squash, apples etc. Then about six weeks later, messages were flying on WhatsApp. “Use the onions, they are going off.” “Eat the apples, oranges“
We had been so cautious that the freshies were now going off in the walk in fridge. We had been terrified to use them!
Ready Steady Cook… South Georgia Style
What you might not expect is that there will be a vast array of herbs and spices.
But basics might have run out. No rice anyone?
Cooking became a bit like Ready Steady Cook. What was in “Tescos” determined what you could make. Thai toothfish curry. Chickpea and artichoke hot pot. Pea, carrot and lentil casserole with couscous. You would look up a recipe and think, there is no way we have those spices… And then somehow, at the back of a cupboard, they would appear.
Cooking for Hungry People with Hollow Legs
At the start there were six of us in Larsen House, which meant you could go a week without cooking. But when it was your turn, you cooked big.
We were encouraged to cook large portions so there would be leftovers for lunch. And trust me, you needed them.
These boys had hollow legs.
Industrial Food and Surprises
We had industrial sized catering tins. If you opened something, you had to use it or offer it to other houses.
There were vegetarian and vegan freezers. There was even a cheese freezer. I remember pulling out a catering size cheddar the length of my arm. I thought it would last months. Nope. Weeks.
Eggs, Milk, and Bread
Eggs were a luxury. When they ran out, it was cartons of egg whites and cartons of yolk, if you were keen.
Milk was powdered. The brand Nido. You mix it up in a jug when it runs out. Simple.
Bread? All bread had to be made.
I remember one house meeting where someone was telling off the housemates for not putting bread on. Only to find out another housemate had already made three breads that day. Living with a group of men doing proper graft meant one thing. You could not fill them.
Learning on the Job
We had crates of Chilean toothfish. A fish that would cost you a fortune in a restaurant. We had crates and crates of it. What I did not expect was this. Whole, frozen, unfilleted fish.
I had never filleted a fish in my life. Never mind eight of them. A quick lesson from a housemate and somehow, crunching through the semi frozen fish, up and along the spine of the fish… yuck… but… I managed.
My First Cook Day
I got carried away. Pea and ham soup for starters. A main course. And clootie dumpling to follow. I had a day off and plenty of time to prepare. Feeding the family felt like a big deal.
Biosecurity and Beasties
Absolutely everything that arrives in South Georgia goes through biosecurity. That includes food. Fresh fruit and vegetables are inspected carefully. Outer layers removed to make sure there are no beasties hiding inside.
Even with all that, freshies still went off quickly. I remember a red onion glut, when the WhatsApp went out to make chutney as they were all on the turn.
Nothing Goes to Waste
There was hardly ever any waste. Once I realised I was feeding people with hollow legs, I started cooking for ten, even though there were six of us. Leftovers were gold. We stored them in old containers, labelled and dated. On Fridays, cleaning day, anything left went down the macerator.
Yes, the sink had a macerator. Almost everything could go down it, except tea bags, egg shells, and chicken. Tea bags because of the microplastics, and egg shells and chicken due to bird flu and avian flu rules.
Egg shells had to be blasted in the microwave before going into their own special bin.
Ship Days Change Everything
Sometimes as posties we had to swap our cook day. You cannot cook for your house and still work a full ship day. Cooking for the Waltons takes time and energy. So you swap things around depending on the week.
The Reality
The food cooked by everyone was excellent. Yes, sometimes things did not quite work. Who knows how long that frozen pastry had been in there. I would say 90 percent of the food in “Tescos” was out of date.
But what does not kill you… Makes you stronger?
It’s Not About Fancy Food
It is not about fancy food. It is about making it work. Improvising. Sharing. Feeding your house. Having a laugh. And somehow, despite everything… It all works.
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What Do You Eat in South Georgia? Inside Daily Life on One of the Most Remote Islands on Earth