House of Commons Canteen

My MP is still tall and skinny; perhaps he doesn't like Eton Mess!

I still think we should go and sample it all and give our reviews

Jalima love the idea of Tripadviser, have you looked?

Oh, the reviews on Trip Adviser for afternoon tea there are very mixed ….

But what do you get for knock down prices!

Jal1108

There is a resterauntopen for booking sometimes. But prices are not the same - £45-https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/venue-hire/commons/pop-up-restaurant/
The other places are open to staff and guests. You need to go with your MP or someone employed there.

Sorry link again
www.parliament.uk/visiting/venue-hire/commons/pop-up-restaurant/

I can hear the tumbrils rolling already; knitting needles poised.

The £1.08 represents 108; the number of times that Theresa May has promised to leave the EU on March 29th, 2019.

You do realise that other staff besides MPs and peers work in Parliament?

DH was given a bottle of House of Commons whisky by some MP who thought DH had done him a favour ( whereas DH had been simply doing the job he was paid for) I was really quite pleased at having this bottle on show as a conversation piece . Then I found that it cost £1 for the MP. I actually felt quite insulted that Nampo felt a reward for a favour real or not merited £1 . A case yes

Nampo=MP

You do realise that other staff besides MPs and peers work in Parliament?
Well I never!

We did have a canteen too but it was not subsidised (Civil Service, HO not that far from H of C).

I worked in a school and if I wanted a school dinner I had to pay for it! Needless to say, I didn’t bother to avail myself of that little perk!! I also paid for my own coffee, sweetners, and made a termly contribution to the staff milk bill. We also had a rota for staff room cleaning, I and my TA would be responsible for cleaning the kitchen units and coffee table in the staff room, also unloading the dishwasher, and clearing out the fridge at the end of the weeks ‘staffroom rota’. The rota meant we were on staffroom duty approximately for one week every half term. This is real life, not subsidised food and drink, plus all washing up and kitchen cleaning done for you.

Free school meals up to Primary 3 here thats about 7-8 year olds

I used to be given luncheon vouchers – does anyone else remember those – as part of my salary as "payment in kind" when I first started working. They had to be declared for tax purposes. Do MPs pay tax on the food and drink subsidies – hell, they don't even pay the bar and restaurant bills, apparently.

The subsidised food in the Houses of Parliament was, I think, established because MPs sat only the late afternoon and evening – sometimes well into the night. (They all had other full-time jobs and businesses during daytime.) It was important to have a place to eat when nearby restaurants, cafés and pubs were closed because it was essential to hear the division bell. (Of course, they could have brought some sandwiches or a plastic container of salad as we all did when we had especially busy or even ordinary days.) Changes to parliamentary hours happened quite a long time ago, so the "need" for subsidised meals and drinks really does not exist any more. More importantly, in these days of food banks as a result of government austerity, it is a slap in the face of many.

That is not Eton Mess. Half the strawberries need to be blended to make a sauce and the meringue should be broken up. Then the whole thing is combined.

I'll shut and go away, but I do love the title of this thread – House of Commons CANTEEN.

Most canteens serve subsidised meals. Where my DH works, it offers subsidised meals; when I worked for the NCB many years ago our canteen offered subsidised meals. So, whilst I disagree with expenses scandals (wherever they take place), I have no problem with subsidised canteen meals!
There are lots of workplaces which offer subsidised canteen meals.

I would also add, that a lot of people working in the Houses of Parliament will not be MP's earning vast salaries.

House of Commons, sorry!

That is not Eton Mess.
It doesn't look like an authentic one, perhaps you have to mash it up yourself!

I would also add, that a lot of people working in the Houses of Parliament will not be MP's earning vast salaries.
Neither do Civil Servants but I can't remember our canteen being subsidised

Shameful.

It’s a bloody disgrace as they all are at the moment!!!

My dh is a contractor and his easiest dossiest but frustrating contracts are for government departments so HMRC and DEFRA etc.

Being completely honest most of the team take the piss, off sick, leave on the dot, watch every school play, leave early turn up late, dentists appointments mid week leave BEFORE the rush hour although paid until 5!!! It’s a joke because it’s tax payers money.

Canteens are indeed marvellous but the contractors are usually far too busy doing the job government pays its workers to shirk and getting paid ridiculous amounts to sort out their messes.

Hey ho! Pays our mortgage though.

Mycatisahacker
Being completely honest most of the team take the piss, off sick, leave on the dot, watch every school play, leave early turn up late, dentists appointments mid week grin leave BEFORE the rush hour although paid until 5!!! It’s a joke because it’s tax payers money.

Have I understood this correctly, in that the above statement refers to your husband's team and their attitude to work?

No my husband is a contractor!

If he and his team worked like this they would be fired! Quite rightly.

He has worked all over the world in dozens of businesses banks and government departments and the waste inefficiency lazyness and piss take from government workers (highly paid ones) is disgraceful.

You probably don’t realise that there are hundreds of contractors on daily rates of £1000/1500 a day working in government departments, that you pay, because the employees won’t do the jobs they are paid to do as they are off sick, work to the clock or generally are lazy. If they worked in the private sector they would be sacked.

Obviously not all. But the waste and mismanagement is eye watering but it’s tax payers money.

Just last week 2 women had to attend a meeting in London from Newcastle. They arrived an hour late, insisted on an hours lunch break and left an hour earlier than paid to get an earlier train! Unbelievable