Prisoners in Britain’s most high-security jails will have a choice of vegan, vegetarian and world food behind bars this Christmas.
Information revealed following a Freedom of Information request submitted by Metro.co.uk has revealed prisoners in three high-security jails will be eating a range of healthy seasonal fare this year.
HMP Belmarsh will be serving beetroot falafel, vegan Wellington and butternut squash vegan pasties. A multiple-choice form which has to be filled in by prisoners also lists traditional staples such as sliced turkey and chicken breast.
The type-print sheet, which has to be read by computer and looks like a throwback to the Porridge era, has symbols denoting vegan, vegetarian, healthy, halal and diabetic-friendly options.
Inmates who don’t fancy the falafel, which is marked vegan, healthy and halal, can opt for cheese and biscuits or noodles for Christmas Day lunch.
Evening meal options include the vegan Wellington, chicken breast, sliced turkey and pan-fried fish prawn chilli butter.
Sides include roast potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, parsnips, stuffing, pigs in blankets and gravy.
Christmas pudding and custard are available to round off all choices.
The Boxing Day menu includes a ‘no meat sausage roll’ and turkey or cheese and onion slices for lunch, all followed by flapjack and mince pies.
Butternut squash vegan pasties, smoked haddock fish cakes and sliced beef and ham are the evening choices.
Sides include bubble and squeak, salad and potatoes.
The Category A jail in south east London is home to some of Britain’s most high-profile prisoners.
They include Wikileaks founder Julian Assange and Henry Long, Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, the three killers of PC Andrew Harper.
At HMP Frankland, another Category A men’s prison, prisoners will also be sitting down to more healthy choices than in previous times.
On Christmas Day, vegan schnitzels and halal sliced pepper beef casseroles will be among the meals served.
Choices marked ‘ordinary’ include roast turkey and gammon and chipolata sausage and stuffing.
Salmon and sauce is listed as a healthy option, with all the choices having trimmings of roast potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts and gravy. Dessert is Christmas pudding and sauce or peaches.
For dinner, options include a crab mayo roll, noodle pack, salad roll and cheese salad, with Christmas cake, mince piece, satsuma, cheese and biscuits, sausage roll and mixed nuts for afters.
Boxing Day lunch choices include vegetable or ‘jumbo’ halal sausages, a vegan beef tomato, mushroom and beans meal and yoghurt or grapefruit for afters. For tea, choices include a vegan spicy bean burger, halal cheese burger, chicken leg or jacket potato.
The maximum security jail in County Durham was the home of the Yorkshire Ripper, Peter Sutcliffe, before his death at the jail in November.
HMP Wakefield has a grid menu which includes vegan Wellington, Quorn meat- free roast and traditional Christmas options such as turkey and roast chicken.
A vegan Christmas pudding is also available. Boxing Day fare includes a crumbed vegan schnitzel, a vegetable Chinese curry, battered fish and halal chicken leg salad.
Inmates at the jail in West Yorkshire include murderer Jeremy Bamber, who killed five members of his own family, black cab rapist John Worboys and paedophile Ian Watkins.
The menus have been released by the Ministry of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act at a time when privileges such as Christmas parties at the three jails have been curtailed.
The response reads: ‘This is because, unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the need to implement a restricted regime in prisons in order to implement social distancing and keep all those who live and work in our prisons safe, these establishments are not able to facilitate additional festive entertainment or privileges this year.
‘Safeguarding the health of prisoners must continue to take precedence.’
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