Merseyside prisoners are given different meals over the Christmas period, including 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 until New Years Day.
The menus for each facility are different, but include options for vegetarian, vegan and Halal diets.
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Prisoners can view the menu ahead of Christmas week and pre-select the meals they wish to have.
HMP Berwyn operates "buffet style" meals, with special extras such as, chicken pakora, pasta bake and cheese and tomato pizzas, alongside the traditional roast turkey dinner.
While in HMP Liverpool, the Christmas menu options include mince pie, Christmas pudding and cheese burgers.
HMP Liverpool
HMP Liverpool, a category B/C prison in Walton, has a similar Christmas menu to last year.
The Ministry of Justice responded to the ECHO's Freedom of Information request by providing the menu however they did not outline a specific cost per head.
In their response they said: "Governors have the authority to determine how they spend the overall non-pay budget for their prison.
"Governors use their discretion in how much is specifically allocated from within their budget for food. The cost of Christmas period meals will be met from this budget."
However the ECHO can reveal that 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 of a chocolate muffin
Christmas Day breakfast
Bacon (two pieces) barm
Veg sausage (two pieces) barm
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 barm
With individual fruit cheesecake and Christmas cake, satsuma and 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
Cheese and ham pitta pizza
Halal burger in a bun with onions
Spicy chicken pitta pizza (halal)
Vegetable nuggets with pitta and tomato dip
Vegetable burger in a bun
Served with chips and spaghetti and fresh fruit with fruit trifle.
New Year's Day breakfast
Sausage barm (halal suitable)
Veg sausage barm
With boiled egg and cereal
New Year's Day lunch
Roast chicken leg, sage & onion stuffing, Yorkshire pud 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, 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.
This year the Ministry of Justice did not provide a cost per head, however in 2020 the cost was £2.03 per day.
At the top of the menu at HMP Berwyn the staff wish prisoners a Merry Christmas and thank them for their patience and understanding through the coronavirus pandemic.
The message reads: "It’s been a difficult year for everyone and we thank you all for your patience and understanding over the last 12 months with the reduced pre-select menu whilst the catering department was dealing with Covid-19.
"Lockdown has not been easy... though with the implementation of the new pre-select menu bringing back some of the dishes that prisoners are used to here at Berwyn we hope to get back on track with an enhanced menu going into 2022 and beyond.
"The new five choice pre select menu is now in place and we hope that you are enjoying the changes that we have made which incorporate the results from the survey that you all completed earlier this year telling us what you want from your menu.
"Happy Christmas everyone."
Christmas Eve tea
Jacket potato filled with soya chilli
Chicken and sweetcorn barm
Curry noodle pack
Ham and tomato barm
Pork pie salad box
Prisoners pick one of the above to be served with fruit, crisp and 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, cheese and onion pasty, onion bhaji and mint sauce/chilli sauce
Halal chicken mayonnaise baguette, cheese and onion pasty, onion bhaji and mint sauce/chilli sauce
Ham and tomato baguette, cheese and onion pasty, onion bhaji and mint sauce/chilli sauce
Served with can of Coke, Mars Bar, Christmas cake, satsuma, packet of crisps and mince pie
Boxing Day lunch
Halal roast chicken portion with chasseur sauce
Baked pork chop with peppered mushroom sauce
White fish portion with mornay sauce
Toasted nut loaf with bubble and squeak
Roast chicken portion with chasseur sauce
Served with roast potatoes, garden peas and chocolate doughnut
Boxing Day tea
Egg and cress baguette, veg sausage roll, veg samosa and chilli tomato dip/mint sauce
Halal beef and red onion baguette, halal corned beef pasty, chicken samosa and chilli tomato dip/mint sauce
Chicken & stuffing baguette, sausage roll, chicken samosa and chilli tomato dip/mint sauce
Served with carton of apple juice, snickers, packet of crisp and genoa cake.
New Year's Eve lunch
Green banana curry
Halal sausage, onion in a roll
Fish in bread crumbs
Chicken burger in a bun
Sausage onions in a roll
Served with mushy peas, rice, chips, kiwi and flapjack.
New Year's Eve tea
Baked potato with chick pea curry
Chicken sweet chilli noodle salad
Cheese and red onion barm
Chicken noodle pack
Sausage roll salad box
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, vegetable slice, vegetable pakora and garlic mayo/chilli dip
Halal chicken and sweetcorn baguette, halal beef slice, chicken pakora and garlic mayo/chilli dip
Roast pork and salad baguette, meat & potato pasty, chicken pakora and garlic mayo/chilli dip
All served with can of Vimto, Kit Kat, packet of crisp, iced Christmas bun
HMP Altcourse
The Ministry of Justice was unable to comply with the ECHO's freedom of information request asking for the Christmas menu at HMP Altcourse as they do not hold the information.
Altcourse is a contracted prison and is therefore not obliged to comply with any request they may be sent.
Part of the response said: "HMP Altcourse is a contracted prison, run by G4S.
"The Controller has confirmed that the information requested is not held by their office and is therefore not held by MoJ.
"The FOIA does not oblige a public authority to create information to answer a request if the requested information is not held. The duty is to only provide the recorded information held."
