CHRISTMAS Day is upon us, and for many, it is the time of the year to meet up with family and spend Christmas together.

Another major feature of the festivities is Christmas dinner – arguably the most highly anticipated meal of the year.

From turkey and all the trimmings and Christmas pudding, to more unconventional offerings, to say that the meal is a big deal for many is something of an understatement.

But for those serving time in our region's prisons, Christmas Day is spent behind bars, rather than in their homes.

While their freedom is restricted, Christmas Day is a little different to a regular day in the life of the Welsh prison service, when it comes to the food on offer to prisoners.

To find out just what a prisoner in South Wales can expect on their plate this Christmastime, we asked the Ministry of Justice to share with us the menu at HMP Usk and HMP Prescoed in Gwent.

Below, you can find out just what they said.

The following information was obtained via the Freedom of Information Act.

Christmas Day dinner at HMP Usk and Prescoed

Our region is home to two prisons, one in Usk, and another just three miles away in Prescoed, Monmouthshire.

HMP Usk is a Category C prison predominantly housing vulnerable prisoners, and has the capacity for 250 inmates.

HMP Prescoed meanwhile is a Category D prison, and is often used to house inmates transferred from Cardiff and Swansea to serve out the later part of sentences, before inmates are released back into the community. Here, there is an operational capacity of 230 inmates.

Though the two prisons are physically separate, they are jointly managed, and as such, have the same menu for Christmas Day.

But, prisoners in Gwent won’t be getting turkey this year for the most part, with the main menu option being roast chicken breast, served with cranberry and gravy.

Accompanying this is a range of vegetables including sprouts and carrots, along with both new and roast potatoes.

That being said, the halal option is roast turkey and a Yorkshire pudding.

A Quorn meat-free roast option is also on offer for vegetarian and vegan prisoners.

The pudding is a more traditional affair, with Christmas pudding served with vanilla sauce.

Come tea time, inmates will be offered one of the following:

  • A gammon ham sandwich with chutney
  • Chinese-style tofu wrap, cheese and onion sandwich
  • A festive turkey dinner slice

These will be accompanied by crisps, fruit, Christmas cake, and chocolate orange cookies.