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 have some sympathy with you OP. My son’s year 4 residential was an absolute disaster, largely due to a surprise vegan-only menu (and additional food from home being absolutely forbidden). There were precisely zero vegan children in the year group. My son (a good eater usually with a varied diet) ate a grand total of a spoonful of rice, a bag of crisps and some salad and fruit in the entire 36 hrs. He hated it, was totally miserable and struggled with all the very physical activities (climbing etc) he was looking forward to. He also had multiple (new) meltdowns which everyone struggled with. He never wanted to go on a residential again. This was the overwhelming feedback from many of the children and the school changed it for the following years. It may have been the variety of food on offer - this was fake meat curries and fake cheese sandwiches - but what a way to put kids off veganism and residentials!

YABU And a total drama llama

plus it’s cheaper, better for the environment and healthier

your child will be quite unharmed eating vegetables and kids tuck in and eat anything on residentials

you comparison of a vegetarian child having to eat meat is absurd

The menu has been posted several times, they do gluten free options.

The sample menu had 5 options, 3 could be make gluten free.

Her child clearly has the divine right to find burgers on tap, wherever they happen to be.

Pictures or it didn’t happen.

I doubt they’ll be giving them Quorn. It’s too pricey for bulk.

Are you linking your son’s meltdowns to not eating meat for a day or two? How very odd.

A sample menu has been posted several times, no quorn.

A lot of people saying that quorn etc is an UPF (and it is and I would not eat it by choice) but do they not realise that there are so many naturally vegetarian things? If this place is a sustainability place, I highly doubt there’ll be quorn burgers and fake bacon. It’ll be delicious, naturally vegetarian food and probably not all UPF.

It’s vegetarian, not vegan, it won’t be all almond milk and fake cheese. There will be dairy milk and dairy cheese.

Also, chicken nuggets etc are extremely ultra processed! Terrible for you. Not healthy in the slightest.

YABU. Vegetarian/vegan food isn't just vegetables! Your comparison with making a vegetarian eat meat is ridiculous, as various people have pointed out.

What a stupid, needlessly expensive way to vegan cater. Nice vegetable curry isn’t hard to make or expensive, and easy to scale up for numbers. No meat substitutes necessary. Sounds like dreadful planning.

Most people are vegetarian or vegan for ethical or religious reasons.
I’ve yet to come across anyone who’s a carnivore for the same reasons.

I'm a vegan, I'd starve before I ate meat or fish ever again.

My child went there last year - the food was excellent. He is autistic and so we sent a few of his most favoured foods with him (still things that met the centre's policy - croissants, honey, rice cakes) in case he couldn't manage the centre's cooking but he was fine. The school is taking your child away to somewhere where you'd hope he'll have new experiences and learn some new independence. Don't bugger that up by being fussy on his behalf. If you're worried about the residential, believe me, I get it*, but the food is not an issue.

(*I stayed at the Horndean Premier Inn while he was there, if you're really worried your child won't cope)

Sounds like snowflake kids!

I would just keep your kid at home. I have tried eating veggie and after a few days I start blacking out at the tops of stairs.
WTF!
Behave yourself!

Interesting you find vegetarian food insufficiently textured (except tofu) When so many parents on this post say their children prefer the simple texture of processed meat to more complex vegetarian food.

Op, you're being pathetic and stupid and you know this.

Grow up.

I think that's unfair. The child in question bviously has SEN. I think residentials are always going to be very challenging for very fussy eaters.

Absolutely. You must know it is a very different situation to force a vegetarian child to eat meat!
Your child might enjoy different food and it is only for a few days. Vegetarian food is often healthier and many families now have a few meat free days each week. I don’t understand why you are so worried about it?

Given its clearly booked OP and the centres ethos is its ethos what do you hope to achieve by emailing the head teacher?
Either your son goes or he doesn't. They aren't going to magically make a whole centre change from being vegetarian because of 1 email so I don't see the need to get upset about it!

Send him with crackers and oat cakes if you think he won't eat it/get hungry.

It's fun watching 'normal' people become confused once they learn that we breed cows, and that we created their breeds, that they don't just exist naturally and that we're not over-ran with mangles, cassette tapes and analogue televisions because, well when people stop buying things, they stop being produced, too.

I am always taken aback when people ask 'But what would we do with all the cows? We can't just let them breed forever surely!' As if they do it by themselves. It's just so, beyond ignorant that I find it difficult to not assume It's a joke. But it never is.

I think it's understandable that children with SEN and severely restricted diets might struggle with this, but surely those kids would be likely to struggle with the catering in any residential setting, unless specific arrangements can be made to give them familiar "safe" foods?

Don't send your kids and request the school use a non-sustainable centre for next years residential.

Please don’t email the school op. They won’t change the venue for you, nor will the venue change their menu for you. All you’ll accomplish is letting the school know you’re absolutely pathetic.