An article in Schools Week says that the DfE spent over £11,000 on "canapés and booze" to launch its new strategy on sustainability and climate change. As I was there, I need to put the record straight.
The article reports that Taste Studios, trading as “The Recipe”, was given a £11,480 contract to provide the food (and presumably "booze") – about £46 a head given the 250 or so people there. Schools Week says that the canapés listed on The recipe's website "include seared duck breast served on sweet potato polenta cake, decorated with comfit cherries (pictured above). Or rolled wing of skate with summer truffle stuffing and crispy celeriac sticks."
I didn't see any of those as almost all of what I saw was vegetarian / vegan (such is the reputation of we eco-folk). It seems that DfE staff were asked not to eat or drink [at] the event as they were there for work and not as invitees. This was because the Civil Service Code says officials must carry out their “fiduciary obligations responsibly”, making sure public money is used “properly and efficiently”.
Just so. I did my bit to help by having an alcohol-free evening, although I do confess to having quite a few of the nibbles in lieu of dinner.
I liked the article headline: 11k canapes help guests swallow Zahawi’s climate strategy
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