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.

Just send them with a load of pepperami and biltong in their suitcase!

And a lot of ND folks are accidentally veggie because they can’t take the texture of meat (this is how I was as a child). It’s a non-argument, really.

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As a I hated the texture of meat and poultry.

At some of the schools I teach at as a supply teacher, all of school meals are vegetarian. That way, better quality ingredients can be used. I think it’s a good idea. I’d rather my child was eating chickpeas than reconstituted turkey.

I have a problem with the principle of why meat eaters are treated differently than vegetarians/vegans

They are not treated differently though, as everything they will be offered is part of their diet.

If the meat eaters were only eating meat and suddenly they were asked to eat veg, then you might have a point. But as it stands, they won’t be asked to eat anything that is not already part of their diet so what is the issue?

Imagine you are with a friend whose skin burns easily so she asks you to sit in the shade. Usually you alternate shade/sun, with no specific pattern. Would you be happy to sit in the shade with her on the occasions you are together or would you insist she sits in the sun with you 50% of the time?

Yeass. I used to be a vegetarian and I'm working back towards it (chicken only at the moment, aim to be meat-free by the end of this year and then reassess where I'm going) but it's so much better these days and I can see that's the same for vegans. I learned very quickly that I don't care for meat substitutes and can create good meals without them.

Unless there is a reason that the sort of meals they are eating would be unsuitable- for example I know some people can't eat beans and pulses- I think just let them give it a go. Veggies eat chips. He could survive on cheesy chips if necessary. Sometimes they come back liking new foods after such experiences.

FWIW the food, though involving meat, was pretty awful at some residential centres I went to with school and DDs went to.

Whereas at the place your DC is going to looks bloody gorgeous.

I think I move towards seeing your point if they only serve food most kids won’t like/eat, but if it boils down to pasta with tomato sauce, pizza, veggie hotdogs,veggie sausage rolls, cheese sandwiches etc I think you are overthinking it. How many kids eat meat or fish for breakfast regularly on school days? They will serve cereals and toast, yoghurts, fruit! Many kids wouldn’t notice that it is vegetarian if served those recognisable type of options.

Nice insult, you're showing who you are.

You're saying if a kid wants burgers that's what they should have? Do you give your kids burgers for every meal?

Funny how the vegetarians are so often forced to eat what they don't want. When you're faced with one veggie meal on a menu it's all you can have no matter if you like it or not. They've got no choice but to eat it or go hungry, where's your outrage about that?

You could probably do with widening your horizons, your world view seems very narrow.

BTW no-one is being 'forced' to eat anything, it's a school trip, they don't have to go if they don't want.

@vgp1234 well if the whole class could just vote with their feet, you might get the response you are looking for. why change the venue for the sake of one parent who wishes their child to be veggie or vegan?? dont give permission for your child to go.

With allergies, I just meant that with a vegetarian diet, some allergens are more often used in meals such as soya and nuts as an example which could make it trickier.

I wouldn't think twice about him bringing his own food usually and that's what my he usually does at school for lunch but currently he eats a ham sandwich every day and I don't think a place like that would appreciate me packing my son ham sandwiches.

I'd definitely have a chat about it but considering how limited his diet is and the fact that I doubt they'd allow him ham sandwiches etc he probably wouldn't go.

Most children would absolutely be fine though.

It’s a school residential, not the BBC. The law does not require them to provide balanced views!

What next, after the abseiling they’ll hear how some people believe wearing a climbing harness causes infertility?

Do you, or the OP, never ‘push’ your views on your children? Your views about bedtime, or tooth brushing, or the basic human right to a turkey dinosaur?

Your child will only make a fuss about it if you do, OP.

I'm sure he hates pasta, pizza, chips, sandwiches, etc etc... Not to mention the actually healthy veggie stuff that will be on offer. Somehow, he will cope.

I know where he's going, and I know the farm. He will have a wonderful time, do loads of activities, and yum up anything he's given after a busy day.

MY CHILD wants meat so it should be provided.... Well what about all the other parents who say MY CHILD only eats processed meat, MY CHILD only eats fresh meat, MY CHILD wants fish. MY CHILD only likes fish fingers.

None of them are carnivores. They can ALL eat vegetarian.

It makes me embarrassed to be a meat eater!

If it was a breach of children's rights not to serve them exactly what they want every meal time my child would eat exclusively fish fingers, prawns, strawberries and ice cream. 😂 Luckily, I exercise common sense when deciding what to feed my child and shockingly, sometimes she doesn't like what I cook and chooses to eat only some or none of it. She's not called social services on me yet.

These heads are annoying.

The biggest whinging I got was on the way home from school when my DC had just had Vegan Monday. You’d think they’d starved for a week.

A lot of DC hate being given veggie/ vegan food.

You must need an extraordinarily wide range of options to cater for people with restricted diets because of neurodiversity, surely, whether you serve meat or not?

Surely the only practical way to be inclusive here is to check and adapt on a case-by-case basis? If one child will only eat one brand of sausages, and one will only eat fish fingers, and one will only eat chicken nuggets, you can't expect any facility to cater for them all except through advance discussion with parents and reasonable adjustments. Just serving meat makes no difference.

Omnivores don't need meat every day or even every week. Children with genuine dietary needs would have to have special arrangements anyway.

Your poor kids. You remind me of those mums sneaking in burgers to their kids when the Jamie Oliver menus were introduced in schools!

I am amazed at the force of opinion on this thread.
Could it not be a chance to try something new? It is only for a short time.
I eat meat but also eat vegetarian meals, and have had some great vegetarian food (although not at recent conference!!). Some of my favourite food I would not have tried if I restricted myself to meat.
Pumpkin ravioli with sage butter...
Soy allergens, nut allergens and increasingly pea protein are an issue however- so if a child had that restriction they should definitely inform the venue.
I

Don't understand the problem. Much easier to accommodate Halal etc this way too. Just get your kid to pack some Peperami as required, and get on with the reason they're there.

It looks an amazing place, far fancier than any residentials I or DDs have been on. I'd quite like to go and stay there and do a course myself!

i think it's probably cheaper and easier to provide veggie meals to a wide range of children whose diet is governed not just by preference but by religious believes. It's much easier to think of catering to a wider group than an individual child.

Sorry. What? You've called the Sustainability Centre to ask if they'll serve meat? Haaaaa.

Am not vegetarian or vegan but eating their menu for a few days will do your child no harm.