While families get together for Christmas dinner this year, 49-year-old Steve Carpenter will be cooking up a feast for a 45 crew members on a voyage to Antarctica.

Cook Steward Steve, from Caerphilly, will spend his Christmas supporting a team of scientists conducting climate change research near the South Pole.

Alongside his culinary colleagues, he will be tasked with cooking 4kg of stuffing, 20kg of roast potatoes and 10kg of Christmas pudding, alongside 500 mince pies and 300 sprouts.

Steve said: “We have everything we need for the Christmas dinner and have even made sure we have plenty of Brussels sprouts, whether people like them or not.

“We have two freezers that are bigger than most peoples’ houses so we could stock up enough food to last two years.

“We don’t need to dream of a white Christmas because where we are at the moment, it is guaranteed.”

While Christmas Day will likely be a full working day for Steve, he’s planning on having a “Fakemas dinner” on a quieter day.

“Christmas is no harder for me than any normal day. I’m a veteran of numerous Christmases on ships and this is probably a smaller crew now than what I’m used to, so I will actually get a chance to sit down and have Christmas dinner.

“There’s been times where I’ve worked in the Middle East on troop ships serving over 150 people, where I’ve gone into McDonalds for Christmas dinner or gone to a curry house afterwards because there was no time to sit down and enjoy it – but this year we will.”

Steve is onboard the RRS Sir David Attenborough on its first trip to Antarctica. The ship is set to dock at Signy Island, roughly 670km off the coast of Antarctica and 820km from the southern-most tip of Argentina, on Christmas Day.

The £200million ship is part of a major UK Government polar infrastructure investment programme.

Despite being more than 13,000km away from home, Steve will be joined by a familiar face on the mission – his partner Eric Bourne.

Steve said: “We met 20 years ago and most years we are stuck on ships in different parts of the world so this Christmas has worked out for us very well.

“We’re very lucky because most of the crew don’t get to spend Christmas with their loved ones at all.”

He added: “Our families are well used to us being away now. I do a regular Sunday call back to my folks without fail, no matter where I am in the world. 

“Working at sea you miss so many birthdays, weddings and funerals but you just make up for it when you are back onshore.

“The plus side is that we usually end up having about five Christmases with friends and family so we have that to look forward to when we get home in mid-January.”

Before the ship set sail on its seven-week journey to Antarctica, the crew were visited by Sir David Attenborough.

Steve, who is making his first trip to the region, said: “To have Sir David himself on board was fabulous. He is one sprightly guy. You just would not believe his age and you could tell he was utterly proud to be on board a ship that bears his name.

“The baker made cinnamon buns and I’m sure Sir David had two, but you wouldn’t grudge him that after all he’s done to highlight climate change.”

Steve’s sea career began on P&O passenger ships before joining the Royal Auxiliary Fleet, where he served in the Gulf War. He said: “I think that was my scariest moment at sea. We were anchored just a mile from Kuwait City with scud missiles flying over the ship. The chemical weapon threat saw us dressed up in NBC suits and hiding in a shelter.

“Antarctica is relaxing in comparison to the Gulf. Of all the places I’ve ever been, this is the most beautiful and you cannot take photos that do what we’re seeing justice. 

“We went for a little walk the other day and we hot mobbed by Adelie penguins. The rule is to stay five metres away, which is tricky because they wanted to get close to us. We were literally being harassed by these penguins and they are so funny.

Steve has also seen seals and orcas on the trip.

He continued: “The animals don’t recognise us as a threat which is surprising to me. They just look bemused.

“When the captain took the ship into the ice for the first time, we were ploughing forward, and at one point we could see this penguin right in the middle of the ice eyeballing us coming at him and not reacting.

“It had this huge ship coming right at him and it was only at the very last minute, it decided to leg it. You’d think a creature living in a world of white and blue would look at a massive red ship and think ‘This isn’t right’.”

While Covid looms over Christmas plans back home, Steve and his fellow crew members were forced into a strict quarantine before setting sail – meaning their plans are unlikely to be ruined by the virus.

UK Government Minister for the Polar Regions, Amanda Milling said: “This magnificent ship is something everyone across the United Kingdom can take immense pride in. I’d like to wish everyone on board for its maiden voyage a Merry Christmas.

“The UK Government’s commitment to further investment in our Antarctic scientific infrastructure is putting British scientists at the forefront of polar research, as we lead the world on getting to grips with climate change.

“The UK’s presidency of COP26 in Glasgow last month, and our ongoing investment in science, demonstrates our determination to drive forward a greener future to save our planet.”