HIS kitchen is barely bigger than a cupboard but Barnsley-based chef Matthew Green has still been a given a five-star rating by hygiene inspectors.

To make things even more difficult for 39-year-old Matthew, who is the head chef on the Northern Belle - Britain’s equivalent of the iconic Orient Express - he has to prepare gourmet meals for up to 300 passengers while rocketing along the tracks at speeds of up to 90mph.

But despite that, inspectors praised the ‘full food safety management’ programme onboard.

Matthew, who trained at Barnsley College and took over as head chef earlier this year, said: “We are delighted with this report but of course it is only what our passengers expect. On a train like the Northern Belle, nothing but the best is good enough.

“Cooking on the train does have its challenges, though. The onboard kitchens were fitted in 1961 and still have many of the original fittings.

“The space is tiny, with barely enough room for two people while the ovens aren’t regulated like normal ovens.

“They’re either on or they’re off, which means dishes requiring precision cooking like souffles cannot be achieved.

“Other things you take for granted in a normal kitchen - like putting the rubbish out or popping to the shops for something you’ve run out of - obviously cannot be done.

“But with a bit of careful thought and preparation, we can work everything out.”