CHEF soldier Private Antonio Brunetti is hard at work tossing pancakes and is passing on his tips for Shrove Tuesday next week.

But his career as a pancake chef will be only temporary his job will see him cooking for heads of state, soldiers and Army guests around the world.

The 16-year-old from Gorse Hill, who has just joined the Royal Logistic Corps 110 Squadron, is preparing the traditional pancake dish during training as an Army chef at the Defence School of Food Services in Aldershot, Hampshire.

The centre trains chefs for all three services, so they are ready to cook for a banquet or hundreds of hungry soldiers on operational duties around the world.

An army spokeswoman said: "Antonio will be based in England, Germany or Cyprus until he is 18. After that he could go anywhere in the world where the services are posted.

"He could end up cooking for heads of state and VIPs but will mostly be catering for other service personnel like himself.

"Antonio is learning how to make high calorie rib-sticking stews to keep armies going and healthy dishes of all sorts.

"Army catering is fantastic with high quality ingredients. An Army that is not looked after with a healthy diet is no good at all."

Giving his pancake tips, Antonio said: "You need to make the batter at least three to four hours in advance and let it rest.

"This allows the gluten in the flour to relax and the result is a pancake with a better texture that is not tight and rubbery. Also make sure the pan is smoking hot."

Shrove Tuesday is traditionally the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent.

Originally on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) you would use up all the ingredients you had left in the larder that you weren't allowed to eat during Lent (the 40 days running up to Easter.)

The word Shrove appears to come from the word 'Shrive' which means to confess.

The 40 days of Lent are a time of abstinence and of giving things up so it was the last chance to indulge and treat yourself with things like butter, eggs, fat, which are all forbidden during Lent.

Britain isn't the only country that has a Pancake Day. In France it's called Mardi Gras, which means grease or fat Tuesday.

Anthony Osborne