Conwy County Borough Council Response to the Petition P-05-865 Guarantee fully plant-based options on every public sector menu to protect the rights of vegans and for our health, the environment and animals
Conwy County Borough Council is committed to providing high quality food for all dietary needs across the authority. The key areas of food provision within the county are Education, Venue Cymru and Colwyn Leisure Centre where the café is run by a third party. Provision for vegan and vegetarian diets in each of these areas is outlined below.
Education
Education Catering provide a school Lunch in all the county Primary Schools, The Special School and one Secondary School.
The Primary School menu also served in the Special school has a vegetarian option on every day. Any child who needs a menu that is different to the published menu is asked to contact the School Cook in Charge. The menu is adapted to suit the needs of the child’s diet that is different to the published menu. This procedure is followed for all children who request a different menu because of religious beliefs or because of a medical condition.
The six Secondary Schools who have opted out of the Local Authority Education Catering Service have their own arrangements with the Catering providers.
Education Catering also provide the food served for breakfast in the Primary schools operating the Free Primary School Breakfast Initiative. The only non-plant based product offered at breakfast time is semi-skimmed cow’s milk, an alternative plant based milk substitute is provided on request.
Attached, for your information, are the Primary School Menu April 2019 to October 2019 and the Primary School Breakfast Menu
Venue Cymru:
Vegetarian and vegan options are always available across the F&B offer.
The kitchen team at Venue Cymru are happy to adapt dishes to make them suitable for dietary requirements. For example, at a recent banquet the client selected the roasted aubergine and lentil with gnocchi in a tomato & basil sauce as the main course for vegetarians. Venue Cymru Chefs made the gnocchi on site to ensure it was suitable for vegetarians, vegans & dairy free.
The Head Chef researches new innovations and is constantly looking for ways of expanding what is on offer for customers, particularly vegan and dairy-free customers who often have little choice when they are eating outside of their own homes. The service has recently introduced a chocolate tart that is suitable for vegans and is gluten-free. Venue Cymru chefs make meringues using chick pea juice so that deserts such as Eton Mess can be made available for vegans and people who have a dairy free diet.
To give an overview of each F&B department within Venue Cymru:
Catlin’s Café
Catlin’s offers Sandwiches, cakes, biscuits, crisps, popcorn & drinks.
The biscuit range is suitable for Vegetarians and 50% of the products are suitable for Coeliac or gluten free
The popcorn range is suitable for vegetarians and gluten free
The crisp range is gluten free & vegetarian
The cake bar range is gluten free & vegetarian
Sandwiches are ordered to be 50% meat / fish base; 40% vegetarian; 10% vegan. When the service is aware of a big event or of particular needs these percentages may be adjusted to suit client requirements or event profile.
Y Review Restaurant
The lunch menu has 15 menu choices suitable for vegetarians and 15 identified as Gluten free and a further 5 dishes which can be adapted to be suitable for Gluten free requirements.
Chefs are able to adapt the menus for vegan customers and this is advised at the bottom of the menu.
The service intends to include more vegan items when the menu is updated in early 2020.
The restaurant staff request dietary information from customers when making a booking to ensure that all needs are met.
Conferences and Banquetting
The service produces a large menu pack which is updated every 18 – 24 months.
All the menus are selectors meaning the client selects what they want, agrees the catering numbers and provides us with any dietary requirements that require the menu to be adapted.
All menus have vegetarian, Vegan and gluten free options.
Chefs can adapt many items on the menus to make them Vegan and requirements are discussed with each individual client.
Colwyn Leisure Centre – Café Operated by Cais:
The menu in the café offers a fresh daily salad bar, available with various toppings for baps, salads and jacket potatoes. Vegan dairy spread is available for customers and a selection of vegetarian fillings/toppings including cheese, beans and vegetarian sausages. A selection of vegan cakes and bars on a regular basis are also offered on a regular basis.
The buffet menu is vegetarian led with cheese pizza, vegetable satay skewers, fruit kebabs, cheese & egg sandwiches, spinach and feta cheese bruschetta. Any specific dietary or allergen request are always catered for on an individual basis and are plated separately to the main buffet on offer.