Trafalgar Day at The Admiralty

The Admiralty, Fuller’s flagship pub on Trafalgar Square, celebrated Trafalgar Day in style during its second annual Trafalgar Night Dinner.

Marking the 220th anniversary of Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish, The Admiralty hosted a four-course meal along with long-standing Trafalgar Day traditions – such as the parading of the baron of beef, Ships of the Line (chocolate replicas of HMS Victory), speeches, toasts and more.

This year’s celebration also saw performances by Kings Pond Shantymen, drumming and bugling from the Royal Marines Association Ensembles plus rum and port toasts. The raffle on the day raised £1,400 for the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC).

This year’s celebrations had an additional twist – a chocolate ship competition open to Fuller’s Chef Apprentices. Chef Apprentices were invited to enter a competition to build a chocolate replica of the HMS Victory for the Ships of the Line parade.

Entrants were asked their favourite chocolate and what flavours they would include in their own chocolate truffle creations. From those who entered, three Chef Apprentices were selected for their creative use of flavours – Charlie Welch from The Crown Inn, Bishops Waltham; Nelly Bennett from The Swan Hotel, Staines; and Aedan Mcdonagh from The Distillers, Hammersmith. The three Chef Apprentices spent the day learning to build the ships under the guidance of renowned Pastry Lecturer Steve James at Capital City College in Westminster. On the night, Nelly Bennett was crowned the winner of the competition for her salted caramel popcorn truffles.

The event was sponsored by Pusser’s Rum – who also provided the rum for the toast and a bottle of its 15-year rum for the raffle. Graham’s Port also played a role in the evening’s celebrations – providing the port for the loyal toast and a gallon of port for the raffle. Adding to the drinks partnerships for the night, Sambrook’s Brewery and the pub team brewed an exclusive beer, Immortal Toast, which will be available on the bar at The Admiralty for the next few weeks.

Helen Wilson, General Manager of The Admiralty, said:
“This year’s Trafalgar Day event was another huge success. The Battle of Trafalgar is a key moment in British history and our proximity to Nelson’s column makes us the most fitting place to celebrate – under the gaze of the great man himself.

“A big thank you to everyone who attended on the night and helped us hit this incredible fundraising amount. Thank you to Pusser’s Rum, Graham’s Port, Sambrook’s Brewery, all of our performers and to Steve at Capital City College – who ensured we had some incredible chocolate HMS Victory replicas on the night.”