Elsewhere, there are ''superfood'' ingredients such as kale and agave syrup. Alastair Cook and his team have made sure they will be treated to five-star dining during the Ashes. Credit:Getty Images Australia also sends food guidelines to opposition countries before overseas tours, but not with anything like the detail and depth of the England demands. A 12-page file titled, Test Catering Requirements, prepared by the ECB's performance nutritionist Chris Rosimus and sent to venues around Australia, lists specific breakfast, snack, lunch, tea break and post-match options that must be provided, from the Gabba this month to the SCG in January. They include an extensive list of juices and smoothies, sandwiches, soup, salad, ''hot options'' and sides, finger food and desserts.

For example, after day one of every Test match, the following must be available in the England dressing room 20 minutes before the end of play: The delicate palate of the touring team goes beyond the traditional fish 'n’ chips. ■ Moroccan spiced griddled chicken fillets with lime and coriander mayo; ■ Lamb and pea kofta kebabs with mint yoghurt;

■ Roasted vegetable and halloumi kebabs with red pepper dip; ■ Ginger and garlic king prawn kebabs with garlic mayo; ■ Selection of whole-wheat French bread pizzas (parma ham and tomato/feta and red onion) ■ Selection of sandwiches (grilled aubergine, red pepper, red onion and basil puree; Cajun salmon, yoghurt and cucumber; Thai citrus chicken and rocket; avocado, raw slaw and butterbean; turkey breast, basil and pine nut); ■ Almond and cinnamon flapjacks;

■ Banana and peanut bars (protein based maxi-muscle) and; ■ Chocolate and coconut truffles. The document details different food plans for each day of Tests and is accompanied by a 70-page recipe guide, marked as ''essential'' to use. ''The quantities must be followed, along with the ingredients listings,'' Rosimus notes, adding: ''For any meat used in sandwich fillings, please do not use processed meats, only freshly cooked meats will suffice. All fish must be filleted and contain no bones. Please only use low-fat mayonnaise and yoghurts.'' There are separate meal and drink requirements for England's Twenty20 and one-day internationals.

Cricket Australia's nutritionist, Michelle Cort, said Australia also sent food guidelines and instructions to venues before touring to ensure players were receiving the right nutrients. But its meal plans were much less detailed, including on the last Ashes tour of England. ''That certainly wasn't 82 pages,'' she said on Thursday. ''Our set-up is a little bit different. From what I've seen of theirs, there is a massive amount of variety in the recipes that they provide. The variety is larger. There are more dishes to choose from.'' The England dining guide received the stamp of approval from the restaurateur Gary Mehigan, a judge on Channel Ten's MasterChef Australia. ''The first thing that strikes me is that is healthy eating personified,'' he said after running his eyes over the recipes. ''It's got plenty of on-trend stuff in there like grains, things like sunflower and safflower and pumpkin seeds, it's got kale which is the new superfood, and it's got quinoa.

''Things that are really on-trend in restaurants are duplicated through this. Actually whoever has written it has kept in mind that these boys in the off-season probably eat at some of the best restaurants in the world and probably enjoy their food. Loading ''They've really gone to a bit of an effort to make sure that not only are they eating good food but interesting food.'' Mehigan added jokingly: ''I am just going through the desserts. More ice-cream. I reckon if the English eat more ice-cream, the Aussies have got more chance of beating them.''