Any penny-pinching among the great British public is not reflected in the extravagant festive dining available at parliament this Christmas.
Yuletide fare served up to MPs and Lords at Westminster includes turkey, mushroom and smoked pancetta ballotine with wild boar stuffing, a caviar substitute made from smoked herring, and a confit duck leg.
Many of the dishes are cheaper than a pub lunch. For example, a roast turkey breast with sage, sausage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy and pig in blanket costs £5.20.
A turkey roast with all the trimmings at the Fuller’s Red Lion pub, which lies a short walk from parliament, costs £22.95.
The most expensive dish across the various Commons catering outlets is the chargrilled sirloin steak with roasted king oyster mushroom, green beans, French fries and roasted garlic and parsley butter.
The hearty meal is on the Members’ Dining Room menu, costing £24.25.
The House of Commons said that prices are benchmarked and the catering facilities are open to parliamentary staff and other passholders.
The Christmas 2024 menus have been published as newly emerged figures show that more than £14,500 was spent sourcing various types of duck meat for exquisite dishes at the Commons’ catering facilities last year.
Duck meat is again on the menu this Christmas — with one of the dishes being a confit leg with bean cassoulet and green cabbage.
The dish was available in the Members’ Tea Room, where MPs catch up on Westminster gossip over food and drink. The venue is open to current and former MPs, as well as some parliamentary staff.
Politicians can also indulge at the Members’ Dining Room, where dishes include the whipped Golden Cross goats’ cheese, walnut and black garlic gel with roasted fig compote, fig and fennel toast.
Another creation is the lemon oil confit cod with pan-fried nutmeg spinach, fennel soubise, Avruga ‘caviar’ — which does not contain the fish roe as per the regular item — mulled Chardonnay butter sauce and sea rosemary.
Duck meat costs
More than £14,500 was spent sourcing duck meat for the House of Commons’ catering facilities last year.
The orders included wrapped hoisin birds, legs and liver pâté.
French Barbary duck breast was the most expensive item on the list, costing £6,308, according to Commons’ data. The second most pricey order, for wrapped hoisin birds, came to £4,299 and there were also supplies of ‘hot smoked duck breast’ and Gressingham legs.
The Commons did not release details of the suppliers or unit prices in the disclosure made after a request by Metro under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that to do so would damage the House’s commercial interests.
The lower chamber applied a public interest test before disclosing the figures, which came to a total of £14,578.
A Commons spokesperson said: ‘Food at our catering venues is available to all passholders, including the staff, contractors and journalists who are based in parliament each day, as well as the over one million visitors we receive every year.
‘Volumes served are in line with demand and we always ensure there is minimal food wastage. We are absolutely committed to ensuring our catering venues provide options for customers with specific dietary requirements. This includes vegan and vegetarian options, which we keep under review.’
Also on the menu is turkey, wild mushroom and smoked pancetta ballotine with glazed parsnip, etuvé sprouts, wild boar and apple stuffing, duck fat and thyme roast Maris Piper potatoes.
MPs who enjoy country pursuits might choose the pan-roasted venison loin coated in hazelnut, which comes with a braised venison pie topped with burnt butter mash, hispi cabbage, shallot purée and sloe gin jus.
Afterwards, members and Lords can round off with House of Commons-made Christmas pudding with brandy sauce and optional double cream or custard retailing for £2.65.
At the Adjournment restaurant, the menu lists three courses plus coffee and petit fours for £28.65.
Mains include a feather blade of beef with buttered spinach, pan-fried mushrooms, pickled onion petals with a red wine jus and roasted corn-fed chicken breast with chicken leg croquette, honey roast carrots and parsnips and sauteed sprouts.
The restaurant is also open to current and former MPs, as well as full passholders and their guests.
Bellamy’s restaurant, which is open to all passholders, had a number of creative festive dishes including clementine vodka-baked salmon with crushed peas, Anna potato, crispy kale and beetroot creme fraiche and chickpea, spinach, chestnut and mushroom bonbon.
The menu was available as of Tuesday December 3 and the following day.
Diners can choose a selection of wines and spirits, including the House of Commons’ signature Brut Reserve champagne, to wash down their meals.
While catering at Westminster is not directly subsidised, it runs at a loss, meaning taxpayers’ money effectively supports the overall operation.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance accused MPs of dining out at the same time as imposing a ‘massive tax on Christmas’, citing figures from Nationwide showing that rising levies will take an average £184 toll on a two-person household this December.
Investigations campaign manager Joanna Marchong said: ‘Taxpayers will be left green with envy this Christmas, eyeing up the festive feasts in front of MPs. While MPs from all parties have imposed a massive tax on Christmas, they are able to access effectively subsidised meals.
‘It’s time MPs focus on delivering the ultimate Christmas gift, a lower tax burden for everyone.’
Private dining menus produced for Christmas 2024 also show the kind of high-end catering available on the estate.
In the House of Lords, the mains include the North White Turkey with sage and onion stuffing, pigs in blankets and duck-fat roast potatoes with ‘Christmas gravy’ and all the trimmings.
In the Commons, the menu features creations such as a starter of venison and pancetta terrine with Cumberland sauce, Jerusalem artichoke cream, curly endive and vegetable shards.
Diners can follow up with choices including grilled seabass fillet, poached cod and pan fried tiger prawns with langoustine cream, buttered green beans, fine ratatouille and dill cocotte potato.
A gin and tonic, consisting of sloe gin sorbet, roasted apple and blackberry, precedes afters including the Commons’ aged Christmas pudding with gingerbread butter and brandy sauce.
Both the Commons and the Lords stressed that the private menus are run on a commercial basis, generating revenue which reduces overall costs.
A Commons spokesperson said: ‘The menus referenced here are provided to members of the public and passholders who attend catered, private events held within parliament as part of our private hire provision.
‘This is an important income stream for parliament, and the events do not operate at a loss.’
The wider menus have different cut-off points in December, when parliament goes into recess on the 19th until January 6.
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The spokesperson said: ‘Our catering venues serve over a million customers every year – which includes the many thousands of visitors we receive, as well as the staff who keep parliament running 24 hours a day, including during the Christmas period.
‘All items are sold above cost price and we continuously seek to reduce costs. Limited Christmas menus are available to visitors and passholders, with volumes served in line with demand and prices benchmarked against those in the immediate area – having increased again in 2024.
‘This has helped ensure our catering venues are providing value for money, while continuing to support those working on the parliamentary estate.’
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