By Peter Miller, Head Chef at Hogwood Park Training Ground

It's now 13 weeks since Compass took over the contract to cook for the players at Hogwood, and I'm now settled in and getting used to the place, hopefully they're getting used to me and enjoying the food.

The first thing we did was to bring in a system called Steamplicity, which is food which is cooked under pressure steam. It's the most nutritional way of cooking and is the best on the market at the moment, more nutritious than traditional cooking. We have the best fed players in the Premier League in terms of nutrition.

The work can be very intense, because the amount they eat is very demanding. With the scholars especially, they are all growing lads, they tend to eat more and more each day - it's becoming a challenge to get enough food out there for them at times.

In terms of the types of food we serve, we're governed very much by the rota system which Steamplicity give us, it's a four week cycle. From that cycle we picked out what we felt the players would benefit from most of all.

We stick to a diet of chicken, protein such as cheese and eggs. And there is a high concentration on carbohydrates. Each player is on a diet of about 3,500 calories a day, which is well above the average diet.

We can afford to be heavy on pasta, which we try to put on a daily basis wherever possible. With the exception of Thursday, which the players requested be a roast dinner - that's their day off from pasta!

The menu follows a pattern to help the players build up through the week towards a game. 24 hours before the game they are loading up on carbs because of the slow-burn of them for the game.

And then the cool-down after a game, the 24 hours after it's carbohydrates again to replenish what they have lost. Those two days are very important.

I'd worked with the team from a distance in the past. I was the sous-chef at Madejski Stadium before this position. So I'd only catered for them on a matchday with their pre and post match meals. Other than that there was no real contact so it's a big challenge which I'm enjoying.

The way and means in which I cook here to the way I did for the general public are very different. We have to try to eliminate frying and sautéing and replace that with poaching and boiling. I need to be very conscious in the way I cook and cut down on the fat content totally. We stick very much to a minimal amount of fat.

With the players, coaches, staff, academy lads and any guests invited down to Hogwood, I'd say we do about 120 covers a day. So we have to be very prepared on a day to day basis. And for that there would be three main courses hot and a salad bar. So there's a nice selection for them.

There aren't any specific requests from the players, but we do know that Marcus likes meatballs. Whenever they appear on the menu we always have to keep some back for him. And the roast dinner is popular with everyone.

We also have to be aware of religion as well and always accompany beef with chicken to give an alternative in case there are muslims at the training ground. But we're also lucky in that apart from one player with a wheat allergy, there are no other players allergic to anything so that's a big plus.

Every piece of catering equipment you could wish for is in that new kitchen, so I've got no excuse whatsoever not to be able to deliver the goods - the pressure is on.