VOLUNTEERS at the National Railway Museum have tucked into an early Christmas dinner - fittingly cooked in the smoke box of a steam engine.

Merry green locomotive Terry hauls the museum’s popular Santa’s Steam Adventure, but was yesterday became the domain of "loco chef" Noel Hartley.

Noel, whose day job sees him as Rail Operations Manager at the NRM, said: “Cooking on a steam loco is not as straight forward as you may think and you can’t rehearse at home unless you have a steam loco in the garden.

"There is an oven - the smokebox, a grill/ or hotplate - the shovel in the firebox, and a 'cool hob' -the warming plate. Each of these locations can be used for cooking but are all different temperatures and environments, and there is not a knob you can twiddle to turn the heat down. Vegetables have to be cooked for a different length of time to the meat otherwise you end up with mushy sprouts!"

By his side were sous chefs Charlie Bird and Adrian Ashby - who normally spend their days as conservation technicians, and together the three created a feast for some of the volunteers who give up their time to help at the museum. Among them was Britain’s oldest boilersmith Gordon Reed, who recently won a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the museum and the rail industry, and Nick Beilby who has been an invaluable source of information for the museum’s Trainspotting season.

Noel added: "I’ve cooked many things in a smoke box from bacon butties to roasts before but a full Christmas dinner for our amazing volunteers who have helped us so much throughout the year is a worthy challenge.

"This year we’ve used recipes from culinary geniuses including Jamie Oliver and James Martin and I hope Gordon and friends are enjoying their smoke-box roasted turkey cooked with butter and clementines.”