JUSTIN CHAMBERS will prepare a Christmas feast on the harshest continent on earth on Wednesday as he runs what is possibly the most remote kitchen in the world.
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As the only chef at Mawson Station in Antarctica, 7000 kilometres from his home in Australia, he does not expect isolation and subzero temperatures to slow him down.
''We'll have prawns on the barbie, smoked ham on the bone, roast turkey, stuffing, salads, croissants and muffins, bacon and bread, plum pudding and custard, black pudding and duck,'' he said.
''Essentially I want to offer up food that allows my comrades a feeling of home, a feeling of Christmases past and a feeling of Antarctic wonderment.''
The Sunshine Coast man who has always loved the sun and surf, started working at the bottom of the world after coming to a crossroads in his life several years ago.
''I decided to look at parts of the world I hadn't cooked in,'' said Mr Chambers, who has worked in five-star hotels, two-star Michelin restaurants and for touring rock and pop artists such as Queen, Madonna, Deep Purple and Shania Twain.
''I know it sounds simplistic but starting in Antarctica just made sense - I had absolutely no idea about the continent, and very little knowledge of Australia's history there.''
His culinary armoury includes a hydroponic herb garden and a variety of canned, frozen and dried foods. A limited range of fresh eggs, root vegetables and fruit is delivered during a once-a-year resupply.
And, of course, there's a fan-forced steam oven and the de rigueur appliance of 2013, a Thermomix.
He is constrained only by his imagination and has created 24-course degustation menus and sorbet using 100,000-year-old glacial ice.
A high point this year was re-creating an Antarctic dish from a century ago by substituting penguin and seal for guinea fowl and wallaby.
''Over summer I am cooking for 29 people and this includes breakfast lunch and dinner,'' he said.
''Rationing plays a big part in the chef's role down here, so if the kitchen runs out of something, it's gone until resupply next year.
''So I keep a good eye on all of the stock down here so as to not run out.''