An inside job
Most caterers are rewarded with an occasional vote of thanks. But in the prison service they are more likely to be greeted with a torrent of abuse.
As in hospitals, food in prison is an important part of the daily routine. Hot food served at regular times helps keep prisoners calm and potentially riot-free. At Glenochil, a closed prison with 330 inmates in Clackmannanshire, catering has come under close scrutiny, despite a meagre budget of just £1.50 per prisoner per day.
One of the tasks at Glenochil and across all Scotland's prisons has been to encourage healthy eating. John Spencer, catering adviser to the Scottish prison service, accepts that the Scottish diet is out of step with the Government's Health of the Nation requirements. But he is determined to break down barriers.
This could prove a difficult task. Spencer has worked in the prison service in both Scotland and England and says that dealing with Scottish prisoners is a different proposition to dealing with their English counterparts.
"Scottish prisoners are extremely vociferous. They know what they want and aren't afraid to ask for it. We don't pander to their needs, but if we can meet them halfway it makes life easier."
At Glenochil, the healthy eating camp has just scored its first victory. In the past few weeks principal officer catering Stewart Forrest has changed from the traditional fried breakfast to breakfast Continental-style. "We did a survey. Out of 330 prisoners only 60 were against the idea. So we went by the majority."
Semi-skimmed milk has now replaced full-fat and Forrest is also planning to introduce sugar-reduced baked beans.
Once a month a committee chaired by a catering officer and consisting of two prisoners from each hall and a senior officer meets to discuss menus. "At first prisoners were surprised to be consulted, but they realise it's in their interests to take the meetings seriously," says Forrest.
One of the most frequent gripes concerns the temperature of the food. Consequently, Glenochil, Aberdeen, Perth and Barlinnie prison in Glasgow have all recently opted for the Temp-Rite system. This works a bit like a thermos flask, offering different sections for hot and cold food.
At around £100 a prisoner for the complete system, the move has proved a substantial investment. Even so Spencer believes it has greatly improved standards. "Food used to be transported in hot trolleys and then put in a bain-marie system. But it was never hot. After we had introduced the system in Perth one prisoner told me it was the first time he had eaten a hot meal in 14 years."
Another important change in Glenochil over the past few years has been to offer increased choice. Prisoners can choose from three hot dishes every lunchtime and two every evening. A vegetarian alternative is always available.
Prisoners get a menu card each fortnight which they fill out with their choices. If they lose it they are obliged to go to the end of the queue and wait and see what's available.
Looking ahead, Spencer would like prisoners to choose food only two days ahead of schedule, but under the current system this could prove difficult.
Whereas in England a lot of food is obtained from prison farms, this is not the case in Scotland, where the climate and land are less favourable. Instead supplies are sourced centrally and each prison then buys into the system.
A more recent innovation has been the introduction of theme weeks. Last November Glenochil held an American week. Each lunchtime a typical American dish such as Boston pork; chilli burger; fish gumbo & rice and west Texas chilli beef was offered. Take-up, according to Forrest, was high. "They like anything different. We're planning to hold more."
Prisoners also play a role in the preparation of food. At Glenochil about 23 prisoners carry out tasks such as kitchen portering, vegetable prepping, pot wash, bakery and butchery.
They work about six or seven hours a day in split shifts in return for wages ranging from £7.90 to £8.50 a week. Staff are responsible for making up dishes and overall supervision.
So important is the support from the prisoners that some have opted to take part in Scottish Vocational Qualifications. "You have to be careful: there's no point offering it to someone who has just started a 15-year sentence as the knowledge goes out of date," says Spencer.
Despite a lack of thanks from prisoners, Spencer claims his task is a satisfying one. "We want to do a professional job. So we put up with a lot. After a while you learn not to take it to heart."
