Quorn every day on school lunch menu

[BlackInk]

AIBU to be annoyed that the vegetarian option at my DC's primary school is Quorn 4 days out of 5?

My DC are aged 6 and 9, and have been vegetarian since birth. They are having school lunches at the moment for the first time ever because we're having our kitchen replaced at home.

The reason I've never tried to persuade them to have school dinners before is that the veggie option has always been almost exclusively Quorn. I'm not keen on Quorn myself and we rarely eat it at home. DC have never really liked it. But regardless of that, would it really be healthy/balanced to eat the same highly processed meat substitute every day? Isn't it the same as only serving Bird's Eye Fish Fingers every day?

The veggie options are always an exact replica of the meat offering - so Quorn hotpot, BBQ Quorn, Quorn and apple (??), Quorn Bolognese was last week.

Does anyone else think this isn't very good? I know I can give my DC packed lunches and that it's my choice they are vegetarian, but I'm not just thinking about us.

Thanks :)

That is extremely lazy. At DD's school, they have a meat/fish option, a vegetarian option, & a baked potato option, every day. I've just checked the menu online - there is only one day which could be a quorn meal (veggie burger). The meals are on a 3 week rotation. They are mostly pretty decent, uptake of school meals is very high.

Fridge absolute bloody rubbish.

They probably serve Quorn because they have poor vegetarian kids who might not get a substantial meal otherwise. Quorn dishes fill you up in a way baked potatoes don’t.

Looking at my school menu now and in 3 weeks they offer a quorn option 6x but only on one day is that the only veggie option. Most days have 2 veggie options.

So yes, I think your school menu is lazy.

It's quite poor that it's only Quorn on offer. I don't eat meat, I do eat Quorn but I wouldn't want it every day. Our primary offers Quorn once each week, other days it's vegetable curry, jacket potatoes, baguettes, pizza, vegetable lasagne etc. My daughter eats very little meat as she doesn't like it but she takes packed lunches anyway as she thinks all the school dinners look and smell awful.

They are perfectly free to try the chicken option, but they would be horrified at the idea. In their opinion chickens are their friends, no different to them than someone suggesting eating their pet hamster or grandma's dog :)

You chose to artificially limit their diet, not the school.

Powder soup? The whole menu sounds vile. I can only imagine the kind of meat they must be using. Can’t you still give your kids packed lunches? M&S have just released a really nice veg range of salads and sandwiches.

what about if they just try the chicken option, or whatever’s on offer that day?
That could make a lifelong vegetarian quite ill. I forget the details, but it's something to do with gut bacteria being different. It happened to a friend's child whose school told her she "had to" eat fish because fish wasn't meat. The next day was better, she got rice and grated cheese- yummy!

It shouldn't be difficult to make meals which are both vegetarian and varied. Most people eat a range of foods which don't contain meat, they just don't think of it as vegetarian food. Macaroni cheese, pizza, jacket potatoes, lentil lasagne and many others are common, economical foods.

We frequently had TVP which is soy isn't it? Quite happy with that, surely Quorn must be fairly expensive?

YANBU, shouldn't eat too much quorn.

I'm not vegetarian but would have no problem with my children eating veggie school meals.

I would!
Especially if by vegetarian they mean Quorn or other rubbish like that.

Much more importantly, for some deprived children, the school meal is the only real meal of the day. Their only chance of eating a bit of meat is at school, you don't want to take that away from them. Of course it's not filet steak, but still, it's better than nothing

artificially limit? Humans aren't obligate carnivores, you know.

I know you said you are having the kitchen done at the moment, but I'd still send in sandwiches, the choices are vile.

@hoppinggreen you need to go in a make a fuss about your childs lunch, that is rediculous. Either they allow a packed lunch or pull their finger out and feed the child properly seeing you are having to pay for it.

YANBU, who wants that every day?
Whats Quorn with an apple exactly?. I think its alright as an occasional standby but not for everyday. Its basically for quick dinners or for people who cant cook.

Loads of people don't like Quorn or cant eat it. It could be worse though it could Be Linda McCartney stuff, now that really is the pits.

Well you’ve chosen to make them vegetarian so you can’t really complain. If you want them to eat better allow them to eat meat, they won’t have to eat Quorn at all then.

Oh dear.

Most people eat a range of foods which don't contain meat, they just don't think of it as vegetarian food. Macaroni cheese, pizza, jacket potatoes, lentil lasagne
completely true, but one of the reasons we have such an obesity problem in this country with bad diets like that

I have a meat eating friend who got a job in her dcs school kitchen.

She was so horrified at what was being cooked that her kids were changed to pack lunch.

Ds was persuaded that the ravioli was vegetarian.
He projectile vomited his lunch.
Don’t think the dinner ladies did that again

This is this week and next week.

They're not getting the same as the meat eaters because the meat eaters get a mixture of chicken, beef, fish, etc. They get the exact same highly processed fake meat every day...

@Fridge - why are you trolling?

OP (@BlackInk) That's ridiculous! YANBU at all! There are hundreds of different vegetarian dishes that the school could make if they made an effort!
Quorn is a processed food item, and as such, it should not be served everyday!
Please make a fuss and tell the school to do something about it. If nothing else, it's also reinforcing the idea that being a vegetarian is a worse way to eat, which is not true!

Quorn is nasty and highly processed. It's not like it's the only vegetarian foodstuff available on the planet, either. Nor the cheapest.

It's rubbish. What's wrong with vegetables?!

Don why? Humans don't need meat to survive and thrive. I agree the menu in this school doens't sound like one you'd thrive on, but children can and do thrive on a meat-free diet.

You can have an unhealthy diet with or without meat. And if you eat too much and you eat highly processed, highly calorific foods and don't move enough, you'll put on weight whether you're a meat-eater, vegetarian or vegan.

I get terrible stomach pains with quorn. Yanbu