Wimbledon serves vegan cream, katsu curry

London

WIMBLEDON is synonymous with strawberries and cream, but this year the prestigious tennis tournament is serving up vegan cream in response to changing British tastes.

The All England Club is dishing up lashings of the alternative topping - as well as beetroot quinoa burgers - as ever-increasing numbers of people incorporate vegan options into their diet.

"We've had a very large focus this year on improving our vegan plant-based offer," said Anthony Davies, Wimbledon's head of food and drink.

"Across the UK in the last 12 months, the British public and their approach to eating has changed quite significantly. There's been a huge increase in the amount of flexitarianism, and therefore we needed to make sure that we improved our offer to match people's expectations."

Figures for the take-up of vegan cream will only emerge after the championships, but Mr Davies said that vegans had been delighted with the offering.

"They have been very complimentary that we are giving them the chance, for the first time, to enjoy our iconic dish," he said.

Vegan options have also been introduced at all outlets across the 17 ha grounds, which play host to around 40,000 tennis fans each day.

Barbecued jackfruit burgers are proving popular at the grill, while the beetroot quinoa burger is also selling well, said Mr Davies.

Wimbledon bills itself as Europe's largest annual catering event, and has tried to get its public eateries serving more restaurant-style food.

Katsu curry is proving a "flyaway success" from the new offerings, he added. Other world dishes available include Thai noodle stir-fry, Jamaican ital stew and Mexican burritos.

Championships attendees seem to like splashing out on luxury food and drink - with play being halted in one match last Friday due to popping champagne corks landing on a court.

"Wimbledon guests come for a day of indulgence, and they like to enjoy themselves while they're with us," said Mr Davies.

They munched through a record 38,000 kg of strawberries last year, which have been supplied by the same farm in Kent, south-east England, for two decades.

As for the players, they tend to stick to their regular diet habits, preferring pasta and sushi to other options.

Sometimes players make odd food requests, which the club will try to meet, so long as it has the ingredients and the ability.

Britain is meant to leave the European Union on Oct 31 and presently cannot agree a divorce deal with Brussels. However, Wimbledon claims that it would not make a difference to their food supply chains if Britain leaves without a deal.

"We certainly aren't worried, at this stage, of any impact to us from a Brexit situation. The majority of our ingredients come from within the UK," said Mr Davies.

Meanwhile, any leftover strawberries at the end of the championships are turned into jam, which is used at the tennis clubhouse throughout the rest of the year. AFP

By the numbers: Wimbledon food and drink in 2018