THEY say an army marches on its stomach. If that’s the case, the soldiers of 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment must be very happy marchers indeed.

The Gazette was invited to the battalion’s summer ball to test the kind of spread the team of ten chefs from the Royal Logistic Corp put on for the big event.

While the selection of food was fit for a king, the best part of it was that it was all sourced locally.

Sergeant Damian Robinshaw, who was leading the group of chefs on the night, said most of the day- to-day catering was done through a central contract. But for special occasions, where the budget can be higher, he liked shopping locally.

He said: “Summer and Christmas balls are the big ones, and the summer one tends to be the more lavish, mainly because the end of year is quite traditional, normally a carvery.

“We will have a meeting before the event with the president of the mess committee to discuss ideas and to get an idea of budget.”

Then Sgt Robinshaw goes to town to talk to the people who matter most, in this case butcher Frank Wright and greengrocer Whitnell’s, both in Crouch Street, and Colchester’s new fishmonger, Hughes, in Head Street.

Sgt Robinshaw added: “The main thing is you can find out where it has come from. Buying it from them, you also know you are getting the freshest ingredients.

“It’s great to be able to support these local businesses as well.”