CCF Dinner: an Overview – Issey M
Last Friday, we were lucky enough to enjoy one of the most special evenings in the RHS calendar: the Sunset Ceremony, followed by the formal CCF Dinner. The whole night was a perfect mix of tradition, celebration, and great company. It’s definitely something I’d recommend to any Year 12 or 13 cadets who get the chance to go in the future.
The evening began with the marching band and guard putting on a brilliant Sunset Ceremony. As always, they looked incredibly smart, and the performance was very impressive, especially with the sun setting in the background. It really set the tone for what was to come.
After the ceremony, we headed to the CCF Dinner. Everyone was dressed in their finest, with the military guests in full Regimental mess uniform and medals, which added to the whole atmosphere. The dinner followed the structure of a traditional military mess dinner, which made the night feel really formal and respectful but still fun and sociable too.
Now, the food… it was amazing. We started with a salmon and celeriac starter, which was fresh and delicious. For the main course, we had incredibly tender beef with creamy mash, baby carrots, and shredded greens, but the star of the plate for most people was the pulled beef cheek bonbon. Then for dessert, we had a beautiful strawberry and elderflower tart, served with chocolate ganache and shortbread (yes, it was as good as it sounds). After that, there was even a cheese course, followed by coffee, tea, and some very indulgent chocolate truffles. All courses tasted amazing and were presented beautifully. The wine pairings for guests and older cadets throughout the meal were lovely too, and we even had some port for the traditional toasts, which really made it feel like a proper military event.
One of the most memorable parts of the night was the speech from our guest of honour, Lieutenant Colonel Lewin. He spoke about leadership and not just in the army, but in everyday life too. It was genuinely inspiring and made a lot of us think about how leadership shows up in different ways, and how we as cadets, students, and people can enact true displays of leadership. We also heard from Major Rouse, who spoke about what we’ve achieved in CCF this year, and took the time to highlight a few cadets who’ve gone above and beyond within CCF, and they were awarded their prizes. The dinner and evening was a good opportunity to speak to some military personnel about their life experiences within the army and civilian life and this was especially good for the budding army officers who were able to ask any questions they had over a delicious dinner.
A massive thank you goes to WO1 Weaver and Major Rouse for organising such a brilliant evening. And also a big thanks to the RHS catering team for the amazing food, and to the Year 11 waiters and waitresses, who worked really hard all evening to make sure everything was served and cleared quickly and efficiently.
Overall, it was such an enjoyable evening full of tradition, pride, and brilliant conversations. It was a great way to bring people together, reflect on the year and celebrate all that the CCF does at RHS.
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