Anyone who has served time is unlikely to recommend the cuisine during their incarceration.
Prisons in England and Wales have a budget of £2.15 per prisoner, per day. By comparison, schools have a similar budget per pupil, per lunch therefore haute cuisine it isn't.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not allocate extra money for festive meals so will it be more of the same? Or will there be a little Christmas cheer on the menu?
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We sent off our annual Freedom of Information asking the MoJ what inmates at Leeds' three prisons would be eating on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. All three – HMP Leeds, HMP Wealstun and HMP Wetherby – offered inmates traditional Christmas Day lunches.
All three had a seasonal menu on Boxing Day, while HMP Leeds and HMP Wetherby had special menus on New Year's Day. We were not supplied with details for HMP Wealstun on New Year's Day.
There was quite a bit of variation from prison to prison although you'll see some very similar items appearing on menus in other Yorkshire prisons. We suspect this is because they are made externally and shipped in.
Leeds
On Christmas Day this Cat B prison, formerly known as Armley Jail, will be serving an 'enhanced breakfast pack', followed by roast turkey, halal beef, 'ocean pie' or a sweet potato roulade with festive accompaniments for lunch. On Boxing Day, prisoners can expect an enhanced breakfast pack followed by a turkey, brie and sweet potato pie, halal chicken breast, half a non-halal roast chicken or a potato, spinach, cheese and chive roll.
New Year's Day will bring another enhanced breakfast pack followed by smoked haddock, mozzarella and spring onion fishcakes, vegan schnitzels, halal chicken leg or roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for lunch.
Wealstun
Christmas lunch at this cat C prison, near Wetherby, is a choice between roast turkey, roast pork, halal chicken curry, haddock mornay or vegan wellington. On Boxing Day prisoners can pick from gammon and pineapple, Cajun baked fish, homemade lasagne, chicken biryani or a vegan schnitzel.
We haven't been supplied with the menu for New Year's Day.
Wetherby
Christmas lunch at the Young Offenders' Institution is either roast turkey, Jamaican beef or chicken stew with dumplings, cheese, leek and potato pie, vegan casserole or roast salmon pasta salad. On Boxing Day there's a choice of pepperoni pizza, a 'turkey dinner slice', smoked haddock, mozzarella and onion fish cakes, a BBQ chicken wrap or vegan sausages.
And on New Year's Day, young offenders can pick from a chicken curry, cheesy fish pie, a hot beef and onions baguette, a vegan spicy bean roll or a ham salad baguette.
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