To think that this menu isn’t suitable for children?

[Mummyofabear]

A few months ago I booked to take my children to Matilda in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall this month (October), I had to book hospitality tickets because those were the only tickets left at the time of booking. And then today have been sent an email with the hospitality details and this is the menu! They don’t have a separate children’s menu either even though Matilda is a family event! AIBU to think this menu isn’t suitable for children? My children have autism and are very fussy so the only thing that they will eat on this menu will be the desserts but even then I don’t think there’s much on this menu that most neurotypical children would eat either? In my opinion it’s not suitable for families or children even though it’s supposed to be a family event!

I’ve copied and pasted the menu below incase the image doesn’t work:

Snacks (served pre-show):
Black garlic polenta crackers

Seaweed tapioca crackers

Canapés (served pre-show):
Glazed beef skewer, chimichurri

Parmesan churros, tomato and Parmesan sauce (V)

Cold Bowl (served pre-show):

Pumpkin seed houmous, maple-roast pumpkin, pomegranate, pickled pumpkin ribbons, mint oil

Sliders (served pre-show):
28-day dry-aged beef patty, crispy bacon, tarragon and chive aioli, confit garlic,
served with potato hash puffs, truffle mayo

Moroccan-Spiced lamb slider, grilled onions, sumac mayonnaise & pickled cucumber,
served with buffalo cauliflower

Dessert canapés (served during the interval):
Mango, passion fruit, coconut pavlova

Millionaire's chocolate mousse, salted caramel, vanilla sablé

Milk and Cookies

Drinks:

Trebbiano, Rubicone, Novità
Sangiovese, Rubicone, Novità
Estrella Galicia 4.7%
Ginger bitters (soft cocktail)
Sparkling mineral water
Still mineral water

I agree with the previous posts. They have made it sound a bit ridiculous and posh but it is basically crackers, hummus and mini burgers. I love the sound of the churros too and the milk and cookies sounds very cute!

Would your DCs not eat a cracker or a burger?

Totally
Take your own or let them eat at a family friendly restaurant before you arrive at the theatre.
X

Heaven forbid that a fancy production in the Royal Albert Hall is eco-hosttile!

Mine would eat that minus the chimichurri.

Most people want meat for a posh meal. Veggie food is cheap, if there was demand for it the venue would offer more. I hate when im going for a nice meal and its loads of veggie & vegan.

I'm not sure it is a British thing. I am British and have never given my child/grandchild anything different to what I eat, and I cook food from all around the world. When I was a child we all ate the same food at the same time (although that was less adventurous, although sometimes we went wild and had a vesta chow mein). I think all of my school friends are the same food as their parents.

OP: Both my child (when younger) and my grandchild (neurodivergent) would eat everything on that list. It's nothing strange, crackers, burgers, pudding beef on a skewers.

What are you expecting? Chicken nuggets?

It's a VIP menu, of course it won't be chicken nuggets and fries.

never been on a hospitality package but wonder if a polite request in advance for a few simple options / dietary requirements might be accommodated?

I hate truffle anything too. To me it stinks.

Any time I've been feeding small children, they've had exactly the same as the adults and they were fine with it. IME most children are happy to be adventurous about food.

yes AND health unconscious...I mean call the police.

It's the VIP menu, not a children's menu.

Never mind children, I wouldn’t eat any of it. DS12 (ASD) wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole.

It sounds delicious but my children wouldn’t eat that, both ND

My 2 and 5 year olds would eat most of that tbh.

I hate typical kids menus which are just full of nuggets, pasta and chips. My kids would
love that too but they do and can eat so much more than that.

My nearly 3 year old would eat all of that! He loves snacking on olives!

Exactly this. My only complaint about it is calling burgers sliders. I thought you were American until I saw it was the Royal Albert Hall.

It's nice to see some decent food on a kids' menu for once!

💯

This.

What sort of thing would you like to see on a VIP menu at the Royal Albert Hall?

I think they’ve done this because they’re very small burgers. Everything is served as little bowls/plates and you choose to take as many of them as you want. It’s not a sat down three course dinner type event.

The website says the VIP hospitality package comes with

• Wine, beer and selection of soft drinks available
• Family friendly cinema style menu with Matilda themed desserts

So there must be more drinks available than on your menu. Perhaps there is an alternative options for children. I suspect at 250 pounds a ticket they aren't expecting many children in the VIP section.

The menu you've posted at the bottom says to contact them for allergies and preferences. You should be able to contact them and request something plainer for your DC - perhaps the sliders plain and some simple crudites to dip into the hummus.

Quite honestly there’s nothing I’d eat on there, never mind children!

I am pretty (very) picky but I could make a meal out of that. I'd have to scrape the truffle mayo off and not eat the stuff with coconut in but apart from that its fine. Don't let the language fool you.