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 :)

I'm a vegetarian and almost never eat any meat substitutes. It's not at all a necessary part of a vegetarian diet. As PPs have said you wouldn't tolerate processed chicken every day for meat eaters so why should vegetarians deal with it. Yes, it's a lifestyle choice, but it's a lifestyle choice that benefits animals, the environment and is healthier.

Someone also mentioned that school lunch is often the only decent meal children get in a day due to poverty.... All the more reason to make it nutritious and balanced! A vegetarian diet is cheaper after all!

That's really bad. My DD has packed lunches so I'm not familiar with our menu. But I've just had a look and they only serve quorn once a week. The rest was pizza, veggie sausages, vegetable puff and macaroni cheese.

@LilQueenie nope, I add normal veggies etc. Too - exactly as you say, Quorn is a meat substitute, not vegetables and therefore it should be served just as meat would be if it's so nutritionally devoid then surely what's served with it should suffice.

Nothing to add, just to say that I clicked on this post with an eye roll as I know someone who is raising her children vegetarian in a rather obnoxious manner and I don’t think it’s fair to force the choice on children.

However, your responses and comments have pleasantly surprised me, and made me reconsider- how is forcing your child not to have meat different from forcing them to have it? And your point about freedom of choice later can well go both ways.

I’ve been educated, thank you OP! Wish all online debate was this interesting and well put.

I can't eat quorn...it does NOT agree with me. 💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩💩

We have a 3 week rolling menu at school we have quorn once in the 3 week period, at least once a week the veg option is fish! I think the meals are pretty rubbish but I work at the school and I don't feel like I can say anything. Out of the 3 weeks the only veg option I like is cheese and onion pie

My halal comments were genuinely not meant to be provocative. It's what they do in my borough.
My point was that if all children were eating the same meal there could be more imagination used instead of just substituting Quorn for meat.
Lots of the veggie menus quoted on here seem a little nutritionally light for children many of whom this will be their main meal.
Vegetarian shouldn't just be vegetables.

That is poor. Dds school always had a spud option. Dd had jacket potato, cheese and beans everyday for 4 years!

My son's school is the same, quorn every day, but always quorn fillets, which are the driest, most awful shoe sole type things (and I actually quite like quorn in general!)

It is rubbish I agree, maybe have a word with the head? How long are you without a kitchen?

I’m vegan and rarely eat meat substitutes
💩
It’s so easy to make a Dahl or use lentils instead of meat...

That is a really poor menu. Quorn every day is just really unimaginative lazy meal planning. It's fine for every now and again but there should be variety in any weekly menu plan.

I'd complain to the school and the catering company if possible as well.

Yanbu

My daughter is vegetarian. It is her choice - she is seven and decided about two years ago she didn't want to eat what used to be a living animal. We do eat some quorn at home as her dad is also pescatarian (he has only ever said he did not like meat so did not influence her decision).

She doesn't stay for school dinners very often, but does occasionally. They have a three week rotating menu. They do have quorn on there (one Friday in three should could have quorn dippers instead of fish), but it is nowhere near four times a week.

Some days they have a vegetarian version of the normal meal, other days it is completely different. Jacket potato is an option every day, with a choice three different fillings.

To put quorn every day isn't giving a balanced menu, which I thought was a requirement for school lunches.

Crikey what a crap veggie option!
I'm not vegetarian but my DH is and I manage to make plenty of hearty, healthy meals that don't involve quorn at all because it's quite frankly, disgusting processed crap.
I would certainly point it out to the school kindly, maybe support your argument with some of the research into how quorn really isn't that great just because some bloke who can run fast is on their advert...

I think YABU (vegetarian too) Quorn is essentially fungus grown in vats and then shaped/made accordingly. This is very different to turkey Dino's each day. It comes in various different flavours and different styles. It isn't even the same as eating chicken each day as they do beef/fish/pork versions.

It sounds like you'd be happier if there were no Quorn in the meals - so it would only be veggie hotpot or veggie bolonase.

You could equally read it as faux beef hotpot, faux BBQ chicken, fauxbeef bolongnase, faux pork and apple.

This is very very different to only one meal, but rather more like being annoyed they are only serving Tesco branded products.

I totally disagree, @Reallyevilmuffin. The different Quorn products may have different flavourings and colourings but they are the same food apart from that. It's all mycoprotein with pretty much the same nutrients in it each meal. It would be better to have a variety of vegetarian protein sources each week, in order to get a wider range of vitamins, minerals and so on.

Could you speak with the school and suggest alternatives which would be cheap and quick to make in bulk? Jackets, pasta and sauce etc?

@ChocolateCard You do realise chicken is meat, right?

@DonCorleoneTheThird You do realise Quorn is about as far from rubbish as you can get right? It IS protein - it's 100% mycoprotein made from mushrooms 🤦🏼‍♀️

@LoadOfUtterBoswellocks Again - You do realise Quorn is about as far from rubbish as you can get right? It IS protein - it's 100% mycoprotein made from mushrooms 🤦🏼‍♀️

@penelopepig I refer you to my previous post

"You do realise Quorn is about as far from rubbish as you can get right? It IS protein - it's 100% mycoprotein made from mushrooms 🤦🏼‍♀️"

@EnglishPuffins Quorn is THE best source of protein out there. It is 100% protein and 100% fat free? That's EHY the famous runner is on the ad It always amazes me how many people think because it's in a plastic packet with a bright orange logo that it's junk! 🤦🏼‍♀️

@Laloup1 Again - You do realise Quorn is about as far from rubbish as you can get right? It IS protein - it's 100% mycoprotein made from mushrooms 🤦🏼‍♀️

@londonrach Why not? It's made from mushrooms?!

@Mummylife2018 I didn't say it was junk. I just said I don't eat it, it's not a necessary post of a vegetarian diet and I think the vegetarian children deserve more variety. I'm not saying there should be no quorn, but maybe once or twice a week, not every day! Why don't they change it up a bit? Offer some lentils, chickpeas, tofu etc?