A NORTH-EAST chef who co-ordinated the feeding of more than 8,000 British soldiers in Afghanistan has been recognised for his achievements.

Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) Kevin Timney, 42, from Middlesbrough, is the Head Chef for the British Forces based in Afghanistan.

He has now been commended for his work over the last six months in Afghanistan, the biggest achievement of which was making sure every deployed British soldier received Christmas lunch on Christmas Day.

RSM Timney, who heads up the Theatre Chef Group, based out of Camp Bastion in the Helmand Province, received the Joint Force Support Commander’s Commendation for ensuring that all troops on all operations throughout Helmand and Afghanistan were fed.

As he was presented with the commendation it he said he was “receiving it for the team”.

He said that Operation Christmas was his biggest challenge of the posting.

“It included the feeding and decorations, basically all the good things that made the soldiers feel as if they were at home," he said.

“Operation Christmas gets planned long in advance, but with all of the base closures, planning had been hard.”

He said the tour had been a difficult one but had a good team, which made his task easier.

RSM Timney commanded 81 chefs in Helmand during the period. The average lone chef in a patrol base will feed about 50 soldiers three times a day.

He said: “I wanted to be a chef because I wanted something that was creative, that you could show a bit of flair in, then seeing a smile on someone’s face when you put a plate in front of someone.

“And I like my food.”

He was awarded his commendation by Brigadier Duncan Capps, the commander of Joint Force Support. He has just finished his tour, his second of Afghanistan, and said he was looking forward to seeing his friends and having a well-earned pint and a kebab – not cooked by himself.

The UK Army currently has 8,000 service personnel in Afghanistan which will be reduced to 5,200 by the end of 2013. The majority of British soldiers are based in Helmand.