Gloomy Christmas Lunch Menu Photo Goes Viral, UK School Apologizes

Lunch menu display. (Source: Twitter/Ciaran Walsh)

JAKARTA - A school in England has apologized to parents of students after a photo of the lunch menu that was deemed 'gloomy' circulated on social media and went viral.

Crispy baked potatoes, pork in a blanket with a generous amount of gravy, must be part of the perfect Christmas dinner, right? What if it was the other way around?

A photo circulating on social media has drawn attention, showing the so-called 'gloomy' Christmas lunch menu for students at Steyning Grammar School, West Sussex, England.

They were served chopped pies, crusty rolls, turkey slices, one pork in a blanket, and a small box of stuffing.

After the post on social media went viral, the school apologized and refunded the parents for the £3.50 meal.

Ciaran Walsh's parents described the meal as 'gloomy' and wrote: "thanks for the Christmas lunch served to our kids at Steyning Grammar yesterday, really filled them with festive cheer!" quoting the BBC 17 December

Twitter users responded to the photo calling the food "unappetizing" and "disgusting", while Ciaran compared it to the meager food served at the Fyre Festival.

The Guardian reported that the school initially defended the food in an email to parents. However, after the image went viral, the school sent an email apologizing and offering parents a refund.

A school spokesperson told Newsbeat that the lunch "is clearly not up to the high standards we set for our school catering, and we apologize unconditionally for this".

"Due to a combination of unforeseen supply chain issues and Covid-related staff shortages, our lunch plans were affected in a very short time."

.@Bohunt_Trust thanks for the Christmas lunch served to our kids at Steyning Grammar yesterday, really filled them with festive cheer! pic.twitter.com/oTC0bRnleK

— Ciaran Walsh (@mistercw) December 15, 2021