At Christmas time prisoners in Merseyside are given different meals than usual which include turkey with all the trimmings, pizza and pasties.
The ECHO submitted a Freedom of Information request to HMP Liverpool, HMP Altcourse and HMP Berwyn asking for their menus over the festive period. The menus for each facility are different and include options for vegetarian, vegan and Halal diets.
Prisoners are given the menus ahead of Christmas week and can pre-select the meals they wish to have. Those in HMP Liverpool have some festive favourites including mince pies, Christmas pudding and roast chicken with stuffing to choose from.
While HMP Berwyn has some special extras such as, chocolate doughnuts, brunch and spicy five bean and rice wrap, alongside the traditional roast turkey dinner.
HMP Liverpool
HMP Liverpool, a category B/C prison in Walton, has a similar Christmas menu to previous years. The Ministry of Justice responded to the ECHO's Freedom of Information request by providing the menu and an approximate cost per head.
In their response they said: "The approximate cost of these menus is £2.45 per prisoner per day. It is not possible to provide a definitive answer on the cost of food on any specific day due to the cost of purchasing and supplying prison food being spread over a longer time period.”
In 2020, the cost for each prisoner’s meal per day was £2.35. That daily allowance had gone up from £2.15 per day in 2019.
Christmas Eve tea
Cheeseburger in a bun
Meat and potato pie and gravy
Halal battered chicken burger in a bun
Vegetable pasty
Vegetable grill in a bun
All served with chips, beans and fresh fruit or a chocolate muffin.
Christmas Day breakfast
Bacon (two pieces) barmcake
Veg sausage (two pieces) barmcake
With boiled egg, cereal
Christmas Day lunch
Roast turkey, chipolata sausage, bacon roll sage and onion stuffing and gravy
Halal roast chicken, small sausage sage and onion stuffing and gravy
Poached white fish with cheese sauce
Mushroom & spinach wellington & gravy
Served with roast potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and Christmas pudding with vanilla sauce and mince pie
Christmas Day tea
Sliced ham salad ciabatta
Tuna mayonnaise baguette
Cheese barmcake
With individual fruit cheesecake and Christmas cake, a satsuma and a packet of crisps
Boxing Day breakfast
Weetabix, milk, bread roll, butter and jam, cereal bar
Boxing Day lunch
Roast chicken portion with chasseur sauce
Baked pork chop with peppered sauce
White fish portion with mornay sauce
Toasted nut loaf with Quorn veg burger
With roast potatoes, garden peas and sweetcorn, and raspberry ripple mousse
Boxing Day tea
Spicy chilli chicken ciabatta (halal)
Corned beef and pickle baguette
Egg mayonnaise and cress barmcake
With royal gala apple, fruit trifle, packet of crisps, and chocolate snowball
New Year's Eve tea
Spicy chilli chicken ciabatta (halal)
Corned beef and pickle baguette
Egg mayonnaise and cress barmcake
With royal gala apple, fruit trifle and packet of crisps and chocolate snowball
New Year’s Eve tea
Cheese and ham pizza
Halal burger in a bun with onions
Spicy chicken pitta pizza (halal)
Vegetable burger in a bun
With chips, spaghetti, fresh fruit with cake slice and custard
New Year's Day breakfast
Sausage barmcake (halal suitable)
Veg sausage barmcake
With boiled egg and cereal
New Year's Day lunch
Roast chicken leg, sage and onion stuffing, Yorkshire pudding and gravy
Traditional roast pork with apple sauce, Yorkshire pudding and gravy
Oven roasted white fish with tomato sauce
Italian pasta bake with sweet pepper and savoury crumble
Served with roast potatoes, carrots, green beans, bread roll and margarine and Christmas fruit muffin custard (vegans: fruit cocktail)
New Year's Eve tea
Chicken mayo and lettuce ciabatta (halal)
Chopped pork and tomato baguette
Savoury cheese and lettuce barmcake
With a banana, chocolate and orange cookie and packet of crisps and chocolate biscuit
HMP Berwyn
HMP Berwyn is a Category C prison in Wrexham, North Wales, with a number of Merseyside offenders sent to this 'super-prison' to serve their sentences. Christmas meals are paid for within the existing budget for prisoner meals in the financial year.
The approximate cost of these menus listed below is £3.14 per prisoner per day. The Ministry of Justice said it is not possible to provide a definitive answer on the cost of food on any specific day.
This is due to the cost of purchasing and supplying prison food being spread over a longer time period. Below we have listed the special Christmas menus prisoners can choose from.
Christmas Eve tea
Vegetable noodle salad
Chicken mayonnaise roll
Tuna salad box
Cheese and onion quiche salad
Luncheon meat roll
Prisoners pick one of the above to be served with fruit, crisps and a biscuit.
Christmas Day breakfast
Vegan sausage , halal sausage or bacon, served on a roll.
Christmas Day lunch
Roast turkey, chipolata roll, sage and onion stuffing and gravy
Halal roast chicken, mini chicken sausage, sage and onion stuffing and gravy
Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding and gravy
Grilled white fish with cheese and tomato
Sweet potato and spinach wellington and gravy
All served with roast potatoes, carrots, sprouts and Christmas pudding with white sauce.
Christmas Day tea
Cheddar cheese (vegan cheese) and red onion baguette,
Halal chicken mayonnaise baguette,
Ham and tomato baguette,
Served with can of Coke, Mars Bar, Christmas cake, satsuma, packet of crisps and mince pie
Boxing Day lunch
Halal roast chicken portion with creamy mushroom sauce
Baked pork chop with creamy mushroom sauce
White fish portion with cheese and herb crumb
Toasted nut loaf
Roast chicken portion with creamy mushroom sauce
Served with roast potatoes, garden peas and chocolate doughnut
Boxing Day tea
Egg and cress baguette
Tuna and sweetcorn baguette
Chicken and stuffing baguette
Served with a carton of apple juice, snickers, packet of crisps and genoa cake.
New Year's Eve lunch
Vegan brunch
Halal brunch
Fish finger roll
Traditional bunch
Vegetable curry pasty
Served with spaghetti, hash browns, orange and lemon drizzle cake
New Year's Eve tea
Spicy five bean and rice wrap
Cheese roll
Tuna and onion barmcake
Turkey barmcake
Chicken rice salad
Served with crisp , fruit and biscuit.
New Year's Day breakfast
Halal sausage, veggie sausage or pork sausage on a roll.
New Year's Day lunch
Half roast chicken, sage and onion stuffing and gravy
Halal roast chicken leg and breast sage and onion stuffing and gravy
Traditional roast pork with apple sauce, Yorkshire pudding and gravy
Oven roasted haddock with a herb crumb
Italian pasta bake with sweet pepper and savoury crumble
Served with roast potatoes, carrots, bread roll and apple or Christmas cookie.
New Year's Day tea
Cheese and tomato baguette
Halal chicken and sweetcorn baguette
Roast pork and salad baguette
All served with can of Vimto, Dairy Milk, packet of crisps, a chocolate chip muffin
