Prisoners in HMP Manchester, formerly known as Strangeways, will enjoy a two course Christmas dinner with all the trimmings this year.
The men’s high-security prison has a capacity of over 1,200 inmates and has been part of Manchester’s infrastructure since 1868.
A Freedom of Information request (FOI) to the Ministry of Justice revealed a turkey dinner with stuffing, roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a sausage wrapped in bacon with gravy is one meal prisoners can choose from.
For vegetarian prisoners, Strangeways is offering a twist on the traditional lunch with a Quorn meat-free roast, served with roast potatoes, boiled potatoes, seasonal vegetables and gravy.
Alongside the conventional options, prisoners can also choose from a tandoori chicken leg marinated in spices served with boiled potatoes, boiled rice and naan if they don’t fancy a Christmas classic.
To finish off the lunch, inmates will be able to choose from a Christmas pudding with a white sauce or a “wicked fruit cake” slice.
In the evening, prisoners will finish off the day with a tuna crunch wrap and a sausage roll, a chicken sweetcorn wrap and a sausage roll, or a beetroot carrot chickpea wrap with a vegan sausage roll.
Each meat option is served with a scone, jam, butter, cheese, crackers, snowball, chocolate yoghurt, banana and mince pie.
For vegans and vegetarians, the accompaniment includes a scone, jam, butter, cheese, crackers, vegan Jaffa cakes, soya yoghurt, banana and mince pie.
The FOI from the Ministry of Justice said: “Meals in prisons over Christmas are paid for using existing budgets and at no extra cost to the taxpayer.
“All prison food budgets are determined locally by the Governor and kept under constant review as part of normal budget planning.
“Prison rules also require that prisoners are provided with three meals a day that are varied, nutritious and meet the religious, cultural, and medical needs of all.
“As such, all meals offered to prisoners meet nutritional guidelines as set out by the Food Standards Agency and Department of Health and Social Care.”
Featured image: Jed Owen via Unsplash.
