Prisoners at Britain’s maximum-security jails will be served up Quorn meat free roasts and vegan jumbo sausage rolls on Christmas Day.
Health-conscious menus catering for different dietary requirements have been given to some of the most notorious inmates held in England.
Offenders at HMP Belmarsh are among those who can choose from festive fare that includes plant-based alternatives to traditional meals.
They are being offered choices which include the Quorn dish, roast turkey, chicken breast and hoki in butter and chilli.
The Christmas lunches at the Category A jail in south east London come with all the trimmings, including roast potatoes, stuffing, pigs in blankets, carrots, parsnips, Brussell sprouts and gravy.
Plant or meat sausage rolls, with a Christmas slice and mince pie, are the evening meals.
The weekly menu inmates can select from comes in a uniform black-and-white grid with icons denoting dietary requirements and instructions written in capital letters.
On Boxing Day, the options are vegan pasties, sliced ham or beef, smoked haddock or mozzarella fish cakes, with strawberry mousse for dessert.
Current and past inmates at the jail in Thamesmead include Soham killer Ian Huntley, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, the great train robber Ronnie Biggs and Henry Long, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, the three killers of PC Andrew Harper.
At HMP Frankland, another Category A men’s prison, a menu with festive decorations includes vegan ‘cheatin beef stroganoff’, halal diced pepper beef casserole, roast turkey and gammon and chipolata with stuffing.
The Christmas Day selection also offers a ‘healthy option’ of salmon and sauce, with all of the choices coming with trimmings of roast potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts and gravy.
Tea choices at the jail in County Durham include a vegan jumbo sausage roll and chicken pasta salad according to one of the menus released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) under the Freedom of Information Act.
One of the most infamous prisoners at the maximum-security jail was the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, before his death in November 2020.
Serial killer Levi Bellfield, who is serving two whole-life sentences for the murders of three people, is among the current inmates.
At HMP Manchester, a grid menu with dietary icons also offers inmates the Quorn dish, which comes with roast and baby potatoes, seasonal vegetables and gravy. The list at the Category A and B men’s prison, formerly known as Strangeways, is the only one provided to include prices, with the dish costing £1.67.
A tandoori chicken leg marinated in spices and served with Bombay potatoes and a chapatti is available for £1.30.
The Christmas tea options include a beetroot carrot chickpea wrap or a sausage roll, which can be either meat or vegetarian.
Scones with jam and butter, cheese and crackers, orange cookies and bananas are on the dessert list.
The jail’s roll call of notorious inmates has included Britain’s most prolific serial killer Harold Shipman, who was held there before his trial, and Moors murderer Ian Brady.
HMP Wakefield has an illustrated yuletide-themed menu decorated with Santa Claus faces.
Lunch choices at the Category A jail include Cajun sweet potato roulade, vegan schnitzel and the halal turkey, brie and sweet potato pie, which all come with trimmings.
A traditional choice at the jail in West Yorkshire is the roast turkey, stuffing ball and sausage wrapped in bacon. Dessert is a vegan Christmas pudding and white sauce with a banana, while tea options consist of food packs suitable for different dietary requirements.
The menu is illustrated with a snowman and carries the message: ‘Merry Christmas to one and all from the Kitchen Staff.’
Prisoners at the jail include murderer Jeremy Bamber, who killed five members of his own family, black cab rapist John Worboys and Roy Whiting, who murdered Sarah Payne.
At HMP Full Sutton, a generic grid menu lists halal chicken legs, haddock and cheddar fish cake and vegan Wellington among today’s choices.
Hot roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and roast turkey with three pigs in blankets are among the more traditional options for the main meal.
Desserts at the Category A and B prison in the East Riding of Yorkshire include Christmas puddings and cake, mince pies and satsumas.
On Boxing Day, inmates can select from a lunch list that includes vegan Quorn fillet with mushroom sauce, gammon and pineapple or turkey brie and sweet potato pie.
While festive provisions have been made at the jails, chances for inmates to socialise have been limited over the past two years.
In January, The Howard League for Penal Reform said that prisoners in England and Wales had spent long periods locked in cells during Covid as reduced regimes were implemented in a ‘failing, overcrowded system’.
In its Freedom of Information response, the MoJ said: ‘Meals in prisons over Christmas are paid for from within the existing budget and at no extra cost to the taxpayer.
‘Prison rules require that prisoners are provided with three meals a day that are varied and nutritious and that meet the religious, cultural, and medical needs of all. His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service is working closely with catering managers and suppliers to ensure best value for money at a time of rising food prices.’
The daily allowance for a prisoner is £2.02 per day.
The MoJ maintains that in line with the new increased financial responsibilities governors have, the amount spent on food, including for religious occasions, is a decision made locally.
Article Credits: Metro