A madcap Fulham chef has transformed an old German ambulance into a moving kitchen – and he will drive it all the way to Mongolia in an extraordinary cooking and charity mission.

Edwin Kramer, from Crookham Road, and friend Peter Kuttel will start an epic 10,000-mile trip in Goodwood, Sussex on July 24 and will arrive nearly four weeks later in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, having driven through 19 countries.

And they will do it all in a fully equipped former ambulance, which Edwin, 40, picked up for £3,000 from a dealer in his native Netherlands.

But it is not just any old ambulance – Edwin, nicknamed The Frying Dutchman, has had it fitted with a fully functional kitchen, from which he will cook local delicacies like goat stew, yak butter and fermented camels' milk for families and children along the way.

Along with 400 others, the pair are taking part in the 2010 Mongol Rally, which raises money for the Mongolian charity, Children and Young People's Protection and Development, and Save the Children.

One of the rules of the challenge is that participants can only drive cars with an engine size of no more than 1.2 litres, or a medical vehicle, which is donated to a native hospital at the end of the trip.

Just completing the challenge would be enough for most, but passionate chef Edwin is not only determined to broaden his culinary horizons, which he'll chronicle in a blog during the trip, but utilise his cooking skills and give something back to the people he meets along the way.

He said: "We could have just gone from A to B, but we are not 22 anymore and decided we wanted to make more of a difference.

"We want to save as much money for the charity as possible and one of the ways of doing that is is to try and find families to stay with along the way and, in return, cook for them.

"There are friends we can stay with in Europe but, east of Turkey, it will be just about accepting people's hospitality – in countries like Iran it is insulting to turn people down. They would kill their last goat for you."

Edwin decided to take part in the rally after learning of the dire poverty in Mongolia. He spent a year looking for transport until he came across his ambulance, which is called La Grande Dame.

"I found it on the internet. It ended up in Holland after it was taken out of service last year and we shipped it back to the UK. We sure get a few funny looks from people driving it around in London."

Although he'll have Peter by his side, Edwin had bargained on having a few more comrades with him.

"A lot of friends agreed to come because they thought I was joking. There was a lot of bravado until they actually realised I was going and then they didn't fancy it!"

Despite the monumental challenge ahead, The Frying Dutchman is far from nervous.

"There is just pure excitement," he added. "It is going to be the trip of a lifetime and I can't wait."

* Edwin is holding a fundraiser at Dukes Hotel in St James's Street on July 13 between 7pm-10pm.

There will be a champagne reception, three course dinner with wine, Dukes Martini, plus entertainment and a charity auction

Tickets are £60 per person, including drinks. Tables for ten are priced at £550.

All profits generated will be donated to Save the Children UK and support the ambulance for a hospital in Mongolia. For tickets please email Ankit Puri at Dukes at

He is also calling on local businesses to support him. To find out more about, visit www.mongolrally10.theadventurists.com/frying-dutchmen