Row over top school’s ‘austerity lunch’ menu

A ToP private school has been ridiculed for holding an ‘austerity day’ lunch of a baked potato, beans, coleslaw and fruit.

st Paul’s school for Girls, which charges almost £24,000 a year, laid on the ‘simple’ food to show pupils what life was like for ‘ those less fortunate than themselves’.

The lunch was a sharp departure from the regular menu, where pupils have a choice of four options, and which features duck leg confit, seared cod, asparagus and slow-baked Moroccan lamb.

Because the ingredients were much cheaper than usual, the school saved some money and donated it to charity. But yesterday there was uproar from critics who said the lunch was a ‘standard state school dinner’ and showed how out of touch teachers were.

st Paul’s, in Hammersmith, West london, promoted the move on Twitter this week with a message reading: ‘Today was the final Austerity Day of the year. students and staff had baked potatoes, with beans and coleslaw, for lunch, with fruit for dessert. The money saved will be donated to the school’s charities.’

The message – later deleted – was accompanied by a poster reading ‘Austerity Day’ with an image of a servant in white gloves uncovering a plate of three peas. campaigner Georgia o’Brien said: ‘one of the country’s leading independent schools holding an “Austerity Day” where students eat what basically amounts to a standard state school dinner.’ labour MP David lammy said: ‘Is this a sick joke? A million people having to reply on food banks are not laughing.

st Paul’s said: ‘st Paul’s has arranged regular lunches when simple food is served and the money saved given to local charities ... The choice of the word “austerity” is to draw attention to the fact that others around them are facing significant economic difficulties.’