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.

Joyless veggie slop?

You need to try some better veggie food by the sounds of it.

One is forcing a child TO eat something and one is stopping a child from eating something.

They are not the same thing.

The only issue I would have with this is that vegetarian meals, and 'fake meats' are bulked out with gluten containing products - and my daughter is coeliac. At school all the vegetarian options have gluten in them. Which is fine as we aren't vegetarian. To restrict her already medically restricted diet further and still provide a balanced meal is something I would need to check thoroughly with the centre.
Maybe ask for a copy of their menu plans to see what is actually on offer. Some places do vegetarian extremely well and in a balanced and nutritious way.

I think it would depend what was actually on offer. Macaroni cheese, cheese and tomato pizzas, baked potatoes with beans, veggie lasagne. Cereal, eggs, peanut butter on toast for breakfast. All fine. All proper food, all things my kids would have eaten happily.

Fake cheese, fake burgers, fake sausages and similar - not fine.

"Joyless veggie slop" - spot the terrible cook on the thread haha

This is the kind of thing my 85 year old FIL would complain about so we certainly won’t be sending him on this residential. Shocking!

When you say meat-eaters do you mean that you and your child follow a strict meat only diet? That you only eat meat, and no form of plant based food?

Because that’s the only way it is comparable. Vegetarian and vegans do not eat meat. Meat eaters do eat plan based food. Giving a vegan a steak is absolutely not the same as expecting a meat eater to eat a lentil Dahl, because you eat that anyway!

It’s utterly pathetic that you’re making such a big deal out of a meat free week. Grow up.

Your dc eats both meat and veg, and will be fed suitable meals out of their diet. It's entirely different from feeding a dc food they do not eat. I imagine they will be fine and I think you are making a fuss about nothing.

pr of most importance- how does your child feel about it? If I were in your position I would explain the situation- the facts only - and say that if they feel strongly about it they don’t have to go

Eating vegetarian for 5 days really isn't hard for the average person, unless there are specific dietary issues/intolerances. I wouldn't fancy eating vegan for 5 days though.

Vegetarian - fine. Plant based would be an absolute no no for me - fake cheese and milk and egg are grim.
I doubt they would go vegan though as wouod be too expensive to provide dozens of children with substitute milks, cheese etc.

of why meat eaters are treated differently than vegetarians/vegans

Because being vegan is a protected characteristic, it’s considered a philosophical belief. It’s entirely different to not catering to a child that doesn’t eat meat because if they didn’t cater to them… that child would not be able to eat? Surely your child can survive 5 days without meat?

If not I would pull them from the trip, and maybe look at your child’s eating habits.

I think the best course of action right now is to contact the school and ask for a copy of the menu that they plan to serve to the children whilst on their residential. That way you can look at exactly what they are offering before deciding what you need to do next.

I wouldnt be happy if they were feeding them the 'fake meat' and huge amounts of UPFs that are vegan versions of cheese etc, but you really do need to find out exactly what they are being served before any further discussions with the school.

Im in Hampshire so I assume they are going to the sustainability centre near Petersfield which I have heard good things about but due to more than 1 fussy DCs, I would want to find out about the sample menu regardless of whether it was vegetarian or vegan so to hopefully prep my fussiest DC before they go.

@vgp1234 If you do find out the meals they serve, would you be able to update this thread with them as Im interested in this too. Thank you

I think it depends what the foods are, if it’s things like margarita pizza and cheese sandwiches kids won’t bat an eyelid.

We’re omnivores in my family, but we buy all our meat from the butchers and buy good cuts. It’s expensive. We eat vegetarian meals 3/4 times a week to make it affordable. I’ve never in my life eaten “joyless veggie slop.” What is that? Are you just not a good cook?

I would much rather have a really great steak and a rack of lamb and a wild salmon during the week alongside 4 veggie meals than get a packet of cheap chicken breasts with added water injected into them just so I can eat meat every day.

The food looks good!

Beech Cafe

Is it this place?
http://www.thebeechcafe.co.uk/menu.html

Sounds really yummy, I'd be happy to eat like that. My fussy DC would find something they liked. Eggs, cheese, chips etc

I would see it as a good experience for my dc to be exposed to different foods - and part of a residential is having food prepared for you - whether good or bad! It'll be fun. As a child, did you never go to different religious temples for RE or try different foods as part of celebrating different cultures?

It'll be a great learning experience for science and geography. And bonding experience for them and their friends. I'd let this one go, personally.

My dc would not be happy but we tend to have meat/ fish most days for tea so it’s a normal part of diet . That said I don’t think you can expect them to alter offering for you. So I’d just send snacks with decent protien, beef jerky, flapjacks made with peanut butter etc.

Crikey, what a massive overreaction. No meat for 5 days, how ever will your child survive.

They are giving the children an experience of a different lifestyle, just like taking them camping would be different. This offers great opportunities for learning resilience and self reliance.

Oh man, their food looks bloody amazing!

(says they do gluten free as well)

I’m totally going there next time I’m in the area.

That’s not true.

I would be in agony if I was forced to eat all of those vegetables and I’d come back 5kg heavier because of all the carbs.

I need meat as the basis of all my meals. It is exactly the same as forcing a vegetarian to eat meat.

Edited to add the irony of a “sustainability” venue not serving meat when regenerative animal agriculture is the most sustainable way to farm!! 😂

Being a vegetarian is usually a moral choice, based on respect for non-human animal lives plus concern about the impact on the environment of animal-rearing for food. Being a meat-eater isn’t. Your child will presumably already be eating most "vegetarian" food so there’s no comparison with forcing a vegetarian to eat meat. I’m sure you know this really.

I do think it’s a surprising choice of venue for a school residential trip as children can be fussy about food they're not used to, but it won’t do your child any harm and will broaden their horizons. If they’re hungry they’ll eat what’s offered, and I’m sure it will all be nutritionally sound. If you're that worried about it, don’t send your child on the residential, though that would seem silly to me.

No-one needs to eat meat/fish during a five-day break so if your OP is serious you just seem to be looking for trouble.

Meat eaters can also eat vegetables and grains etc, vegetarians and vegans can’t eat meat. So it isn’t the same.
Let these kids experience a week of trying new foods, it’ll do them good!

I think I’d need to see the menu. My DD is fussy and whilst I’d like to think she would manage as she only eats chicken anyway, I think it would depend on how it was presented. So pasta she would want plain, she wouldn’t want it mixing with any veg or sauces. She’s not a fan or risottos or rice dishes. If it was roast dinners without the meat, chip butties, cheese sarnies - fine. But vegetable lasagne, pasta “dishes l etc would be a no. I think if this was the case, she would be the one who chose not to go rather than me saying she couldn’t.