CHRISTMAS dinner is for many the best part of the festive season - with delicious turkey, pigs in blankets and roast potatoes among the most popular options.

But have you ever wondered what those locked up in a maximum-security jail will have for dinner that day?

With the budget in prison meals being limited - only £2.17 per day is spent on meals - many would have thought that the Christmas dinner would not be something festive.

However, according to a Freedom of Information request to two Leicestershire prisons, even those spending the holidays behind bars will enjoy a special meal that day.

The inmate's menu will have several changes and will offer various options for the big day, according to Leicestershire Live.

HM Prison Gartree is a Category B men's prison in Market Harborough where a large number of inmates are long-term prisoners serving life sentences.

Their festive menu also offers four options:

All options will be served with roast potatoes, sprouts and parsnips with gravy.

For dessert, inmates will enjoy a Christmas pudding and single cream.

For tea, inmates have five options which will all be served with a salad box and baguette:

Prisoners will have a snack pack for dessert.

On an average day inmates have four options for lunch, all served with chips and beans:

And a lotus biscuit for dessert.

For tea they have four different choices served with mashed potato and green beans:

Inmates usually have a rice pudding for dessert.

HM Prison Leicester is a local men's prison, on Welford Road.

It holds people on remand to the local courts, as well as sentenced prisoners.

This year inmates will have four different options for their Christmas lunch:

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All meals will be served with roast potatoes, sprouts, carrots and gravy while prisoners can choose between fruit pudding and vanilla sauce or fresh fruit for dessert.

When it comes to tea prisoners will be able to choose between BBQ chicken mayo pasta salad (halal), a Quiche Lorraine salad or a vegan sausage roll salad.

A different menu has been planned for Boxing Day:

They will all be served with potato wedges and baked beans and prisoners will have a mince pie or fresh fruit for dessert.

For tea, those behind bars will have to choose between a beef sausage roll salad (halal), a turkey salad or a vegetable samosa salad (vegan and vegetarian).

The Christmas Day menu varies from prison to prison depending on the budget.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: "Meals in prisons over Christmas are paid for from within the existing budget and at no extra cost to the taxpayer or the prisoners.

"What is spent on food per prisoner per day, and the breakdown per meals, is ultimately a decision for each Governor and their catering team as part of the devolved prison budget."

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