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.

You are being ridiculously unreasonable. Vegetarian food is just food, missing meat for 5 days will probably do your child some good!

I sent my son with a load of beef jerky, he prefers it to sweets anyway. I’d let my displeasure be known. I’d be so tempted to order a maccies on deliveroo midweek.

So pathetic.

Is there a reason you would be so disrespectful of an ethos of a place your son is visiting. Are you the sort who would send your child with ham sandwiches if the school was visiting a mosque? I assume so because that would be the equivalent to your suggestion..

It's a bit childish. Your poor son, please don’t embarrass him like that.

Why do you find 5 days of vegetarian food so threatening?

Don’t stop there. Get yourself down there with an emergency package of sausage and chicken nuggets and post it through the perimeter fence! Can’t have little Tyler going without ultra processed meat for too long!

I have just had a lovely chicken curry with rice. As well as chicken it had onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach. I could have used exactly the same recipe, replaced the chicken with chickpeas and a dash of soy sauce and it would have been just as delicious but vegetarian.

Why the drama, when a healthy diet consists largely of 'vegetarian' foods anyway?

I'm assuming this is tongue in cheek, or are your really such an uneducated, socially unaware, bigoted ignoramus?

Soy, legumes, eggs, dairy, nuts, wholegrains....and that's just protein. Would you be demanding to see the nutritional components of meat based meals to ensure that they are sufficient?

A lot of cheese there! Will it all be organic do you think?

I think you responded to the wrong post, your reply doesnt make sense.

I very much doubt that an equivalent venue serving meat would be providing organic meat, so it's not very relevant.

All the talk of evil vegan UPFs has been hilarious. The food served up at the last residential I went on before I gave up teaching was horrendous. The worst lips and arseholes sausages and burgers. But a vegetarian venue menu should be carefully scrutinised to make sure it’s good enough 😂

Well, exactly! I would rather have lentils than meat gunge.

Although i am a meat eater, I voluntarily eat lentils!!! Shocking, I know. But a carrot and red lentil soup is perfect for a quick and easy - and delicious - after work meal. Often - not always - paired with a cheese and tomato toastie.

Dhal and rice is another.

Lentil curry (red lentils) is also a favourite, sometimes with a hard boiled egg.

And I usually add green lentils to minced meat for a cottage pie. Half mince and half lentils, along with a good dollop of soy sauce or Worcester sauce.

All quick, cheap and delicious. And happen to be nutritious as well. Who would have thought it possible?!

@OchonAgusOchonOh

I apologise.

Actually yes, I have requested menus from potential residential places when looking for venues. Menus for omnivores, veggies and vegans. And diabetes and gluten free. I'm not taking someone else's children somewhere I wouldn't go to eat at myself. Some of the stuff that you get at some places is awful, freezer to oven stuff. Tasteless and not filling enough.
Next question? Yes, I do have a home ec teacher in the family.

No problem. If you check every venue, that's reasonable.

I (and other posters) have pointed out that it is unreasonable to assume vegetarian venues are providing low quality slop, simply because they are vegetarian.

Much appreciated.

@OchonAgusOchonOh I am sorry but I posted too soon (on my dying phone) and you replied before I could come back to edit.

I just wanted to add that I sincerely apologise.

I like to disagree respectfully and I am sorry I caused you offence and misquoted you and misunderstood / misrepresented your comments.

I was that child whose parent insisted on seeing menus, insurance etc before letting me go to school trips...
I've made sure to have everything double checked before a parent asks the questions when I've been doing this stuff both professionally and as a volunteer.

We all do that sometimes if we respond too quickly without paying enough attention to what we are reading and then writing. It's the mark of a decent person that can apologise when they get it wrong so we're all god here😊

The meat eaters aren't being treated differently to vegetarians. Meat eaters are able to eat both meat and vegetables. So when they eat veggie food they're not eating something which is alien or morally repugnant to them. A vegetarian who has to eat meat is being forced to do something they believe to be actually wrong, for whatever reason. I'm sure you know this really. And I speak as a carnivore who also loves good vegetarian food. Let your child experience some different foods, they'll survive!

So when they eat veggie food they're not eating something which is alien or morally repugnant to them

You would think so from some of the ridiculous comments on here.

Indeed!

My favourite comment was that if a child wants a burger they should be given that 'choice'.

We eat meat as a family, DD doesn't get to have a burger whenever she wants one!

(Well, actually, I would probably get her a- good quality- burger if she asked for one, because she eats whatever i cook. And that is a burger maybe two or three times a year. So if one day she suggested a burger for tea I would listen, just as if she asked for spag bol. Or lentil soup)

Simple - Feed your child vegetarian/vegan and she will probably like the food and it won't make her ill because she probably does eat cheese, and veg and fruit and stuff anyway so her body will know how to get nutrients from those foods and not be sick, uncomfortable, or anything just like the actual vegetarian or vegan children.

Feed a vegetarian or vegan child meat or even dairy for a vegan child and they will probably feel dreadful and spend the week poorly on the loo in pain because their body can't process the meat/dairy, and then be under nourished.

Most people could go from a meat diet to a vegetarian diet with no ill effects, because alongside their meat they eat vegetarian anyway. The only reason it would be a problem is if they went vegan and literally ate only veg and fruit and carbs, no protein, no calcium, no fat, or anything, but that's not what real vegetarians or vegetarians do and it's not likely to be what anywhere catering for children does. Or I guess, if they had a very specific health condition meaning they couldn't have certain veg or whatever.