School residential vegetarian/vegan only

[vgp1234]

My child had really been looking forward to their year 6 residential, but a new head has joined and had changed the format somewhat.

They have now booked a Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, which only caters for vegetarians and vegans. My child is not a vegetarian or vegan, and across the cohort of year 5 and 6 only one child is vegetarian.

While I appreciate that there is a view that they can go 5 days without meat and they should just suck it up, I find it incredibly frustrating that you would not ask a vegetarian or vegan child to suck it up and eat meat for 5 days. So I don't understand why we do not treat both dietary preferences with equal measure.

The new head is very keen on government guidance, and has changed our lunch menu to comply with the current guidance for school lunches which is that 3 days should include meat or fish (previously we had a meat and vegetarian/vegan option every day). However it seems this guidance only applies on the school site, so you can disregard it at a residential. While they are within their rights to do this, it does seem like quite a contradiction.

I have tried speaking to the Sustainability centre directly but they were very inflexible and just stated it is a against their ethos (may I add that they also offer a day trip at a cost to visit a working farm, who rear animals for meat, so their ethos does not run all that deep). This really goes against my ethos as not only do I think you should treat all groups equally, I can't help but feel that this is forcing their ideas on children verses allowing them free choice and the ability to hear both viewpoints (meat is unsustainable/sustainable) and make their own decision.

In all honesty I'm quite perplexed as to why the school choose the venue when it would clearly be controversial, as this is quite a personal choice for parents and the cohort has so few in it that have this dietary preference.

I'm sure some people will not agree with me, and I am open to your opinions as I'm a big believer in hearing both sides of the argument and our ability to think critically for ourselves and not be told what to think (I want this for my child too).

I do plan to send the school an email initially and request that they provide a rounded menu including meat. But I'd really appreciate any advice on how to word this appropriately as I'm quite upset by it, and I'd prefer to send a well worded email than an emotional one.

I agree, it looks great

so breakfast looks to be your standard continental breakfast cereals/toast/pastries

The website says these are the breakfast options as well:

Sauteed mushroom and fried egg roll.

Avocado, roasted tomatoes and scrambled egg on toasted sourdough.

Sauteed mushroom and spinach, roasted tomatoes and fried eggs on toasted sourdough.

'Sausage and beans' served with a fried egg and toast.

I do hope no one will be sicking up

I haven't been able to send my vegan child on any school trips as they have included trips to a snail farm, chocolate tasting and a trip to SeaLife. These are all activities that cause harm. Your child eating vegetarian food for a week will not cause them harm. If you are particularly distressed, either don't send them, or fill their suitcase with meaty snacks.

Some of these replies are wild. This organisation has done this for probably hundreds of children. if they were starving children or they were coming home hysterically crying about the horror of a jacket potato for lunch I'm sure they wouldn't still be in business.

I cannot believe the OP actually called a vegetarian setting and requested a meat-based menu for her child. That is the funniest thing I've heard today. I imagine the poor person who answered the phone is still giggling.

The children will be fine. Children are used to all sorts of diets at home and travelling is a way to try out something new. My kids are a bit fussy - as per most people - but when we are in Greece we give Greek food a shot. If we are in the states visiting my parents we try their vegetarian food. If we go a friend's house for dinner we try whatever their food is like. My kids like some of it, hate some of it, and eat some of it to just be less hungry but a healthy child will not starve themselves if the food is just slightly different to what they're used to.

My daughter eats peanut butter toast constantly as one of her safe foods (she's autistic). The school trips were nut free so she... ate something else. Came home relieved to go back to what she liked but she wasn't damaged by the experience!

Everyone should be considering their food choices anyway if we want a world for these children to inherit in 20 years and it will be great for these specific children to have the chance to experiment.

(of course allergies are different but that would be accommodated)

Your point makes absolutely no sense. If you are going to something like this for 5 days, you are going to have a menu imposed on you regardless of whether it contains meat or not. They will probably offer alternatives for dietary requirements but you will have choice taken away from you as they are not going to cater for everyone's preferences.

Meat eating little Johnny wants a burger instead of the chicken nuggets being served? Tough. Vegetarian little Mary wants pasta instead of rice? Tough.

Have you seen the menu? Is it vegetables or is it vegetables with fake meat.
No problem eating jacket potato with beans etc but not veggie sausages that kind of thing.

Vegetarians and vegans don't eat meat. Meat eaters do eat vegetables. That's the difference. Meat production is detrimental to climate change, which will affect your children more than it affects you, that is something that needs to be addressed. Far more important than your child being forced to eat vegan or vegetarian for a few days. We're all so petty another small things while ignoring the bigger picture. I applaud the school.

This is so ridiculous.

Choices are imposed on you with any catering arrangement. If your child wants to eat lamb but there is only chicken on the menu, would you complain that your child's choices had been taken away from them? If not, why not?

As long as your child has access to good quality, healthy food, I really can't see an issue.

How sad that some parents would deny their kids an exciting experience for such a petty reason!

How is the minority dictating here? The school booked it and nothing in OPs post indicates that one parent of the one vegetarian child has kicked up such a fuss and demanded a trip to have all vegetarian food available. Put your prejudice aside and use some bloody critical thinking here.

It's a lot easier to provide food everyone can eat. Your child CAN and WILL eat "vegetarian/vegan food", and absolutely does as a part of their daily diet. There is not meat in everything. The residential are just providing food that suits everyone, rather than providing a number of options, which would realistically push the prices up for everyone.

You are being truly ridiculous.

Unless you have some kind of moral/ethical objection to vegetables, in which case I'm sure they will take your views into account.

Perfectly reasonable attitude if you would also have a problem with them eating meat sausages or similar UPF.

As a vegetarian I would agree with you. I don't want to eat processed vegetarian crap any more than I want to eat processed meat-based crap.

Sorry, but if you can't figure this out I really don't know what to say.

It's obvious that you have no idea what a meat free diet can look like.

Simple foods like jacket potato with cheese and beans, pizza, quiche, a myriad of different pastas and sauces, spanish omelette, salads etc don't fit the image of a plate of vegetables that you seem to have in your mind.

So would you not let your child attend any other experience that was designed to give them an educational and cultural perspective on another way of life? Whilst having a great time?
Education and expanding our horizons is exactly bout living in a slightly different way.

They will have lots of 'choices' taken away on any school residential - they may be given foods that you never have at home. Foods that they 'always' have for breakfast may not be offered.

Are you the kid of family that goes to Greece or Spain and never ever eats anything you wouldn't find in an English cafe? Is that the way you want your kids to experience the world?

I’d be surprised if the (very nice) cafe menu is what a large group of children are offered. I would expect more things that can be made ahead and need no assembly when serving - chilli, curry, stew, pasta etc

I can’t remember which recipe I originally used. Now I just make it up as I go along and I often add diced pepper as I’m obsessed with peppers but here are 2 that might get you started.

https://boldbeanco.com/blogs/beanspo-recipes/corination-chickpea-sandwich?srsltid=AfmBOorpknlGiVgOW3YBPBw8j_0pt-xZF0I7sSbRbiBYoVnhmmCdFgPe

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/coronation-chickpea-sandwich-filler

I eat a lot of vegetarian / vegan food and would really struggle with the sample menus - they seem to be almost completely reliant on eggs and cheese for protein, neither of which I eat or have ever eaten (sensory issues rather than allergies). I don’t eat baked beans either, so the jacket with beans option everyone is suggesting also wouldn’t work.

I hope they are able to cater for children with similar issues.

That's a rather childish attitude.

Brings back memories of my residential to France staying in a hostel.

We got a bowl of hot chocolate and just one croissant each to dip and eat. If any spare croissants were left over, you raised your hand as quickly as possible to bagsy a spare!

Treating equally doesn't always mean treating the same.

People often use the 'you wouldn't make a vegetarian eat meat' argument, but it's not really the same. Forcing a vegetarian to eat meat would be unnecessarily cruel because they've made the conscious or ethical decision not to do that. However, forcing a meat-eater to not eat meat for a week is asking them to stop doing something they normally do with the knowledge they can carry on as normal when they're home. It's not morally challenging them. After all, we all eat vegetarian foods all the time, they're on our plates anyway. I don't think you can call doing it for a week "forcing their ideas on children".

Eating meat is the norm in society, even though being vegetarian or vegan is more common than it used to be, so it's a good opportunity for the kids to try something they might not have considered before. It's also the host's rules, end of. It's essentially like eating at a vegetarian's house.

Also, the farm visit might be more about demonstrating sustainable farming as an alternative to industrial factory farming, rather than pure hypocrisy.

I wouldn't write the email. Be open minded. You don't have to change how you cook at home.

I’m sorry that you had such a bad experience. Bad food is miserable whether it’s meat based or vegetarian and yes not all coronation chickpea sandwiches are alike. I hope that your next experience of vegetarian/vegan food is an improvement.

I feel sorry for the children who don't go on school trips because of the ignorant prejudices of their parents. These children then get to hear how much fun the others have had when they get back.

Vegetarians don't eat meat. Meat eaters do eat vegetables. It's perfectly reasonable for a meat eater to eat only vegetables for a few days.
And understanding how animal farming works may make your meat eating child understand better the impact, on the planet, the animals and themselves, of eating a high meat diet.

All sounds like a good residential to me

What a bizarre and narrow minded view.
What is the risk to your child in experiencing a meat free lifestyle for 5 days?.

There's nothing for us to 'get'. Your child's human rights are not being challenged, they're not being threatened in any way, they are simply experiencing a different way of life. How on earth would you expect children to learn and make choices if they don't have opportunities to learn about more than what goes on in your home?

Loads of kids are anxious on exchange trips to families in other countries because the food culture is different. The benefit is in broadening children's experiences.

I think that is the whole reason for a vegetarian based menu it is trying to avoid processed:UPF foods

I wonder why the school even made a big point of the food being veggie. I bet your child probably wouldn't have noticed if they had just been served five days' worth of tasty veggie food. As long as it has enough protein, there is no problem. It's more inclusive for the various religious requirements, and cheaper/better value for the hosting venue.

(Meat eater here)