A man who ordered a cheese board in hospital has revealed his dismay after being given a pair of crackers and a piece of cheese.
Taking to Reddit, user Barnabybusht shared a photograph showing a packet of two cream crackers, a small snack portion of cheddar, and a tiny wrapped rectangle of butter on a white paper plate.
‘My dad is in hospital. He ordered the cheese board from the dinner menu last night.
‘What a lucky fella!’
The post quickly caught the attention of many Britons, some of whom confirmed this was indeed what the NHS considered a ‘cheese board’.
Others defended the menu item, claiming it ‘hits the spot’ and is ‘an elite choice’.
It’s clear that a snack like cheese and crackers has its fans among patients, some of whom had fond memories of eating it.
One person wrote: ‘When I was recovering from an [operation] I ate something like this in the middle of the night, in a recovery ward, after barely eating for five days, doped up on morphine and it tasted like what I imagine Marie Antoinette’s cheese board tasted like.’
Reddit user Barnabybusht shared an image of what was advertised as a ‘cheese board’ on an NHS hospital menu
Another added: ‘Hey, don’t knock those crackers! I literally lived on those when I was in hospital a lot as a kid. They’re delicious!’
A third reminisced: ‘The sweaty orange cheese, ah, the memories. Made a good late-night snack though.’
However, others were outraged at the audacity to label the menu item as a ‘cheese board’, instead of the more appropriate cheese and crackers.
One person told Barnabybusht that they couldn’t ‘express how disappointed I am for you right now’, adding: ‘As if being in hospital isn’t bad enough.’
Another user described it as ‘aspirational upselling’, while a third reluctantly admitted: ‘It contains all the necessary ingredients unfortunately.’
‘I remember this. But when I got mine when I was in hospital it didn’t even come with butter. Just crackers and cheese,’ one user lamented.
Despite the criticism, several former NHS patients said the cheese and crackers were better than some of the main dishes offered by the hospitals.
The original poster shared his own story and recalled: ‘I was once in hospital and ordered a baked potato for lunch.
NHS patients shared stories about their own experience with the hospital ‘cheese boards’, with some loving them and others hating them
‘And that’s what I got. A baked potato. On a plastic plate. No butter or cheese.’
One person added: ‘I remember being offered the cheese board when I was laid up. I opted for the burger.
‘I got a warm patty on a paper plate. No joke.
‘The nurse saw it and didn’t even ask, he went back and got some bread and ketchup for me.’
A user who said they are currently in hospital also chimed in and said they order cheese and biscuits everyday to eat as a snack at 8pm, because dinner is served at 5pm.
‘Mains were different (and more inedible. How they manage to ruin potatoes is beyond my comprehension).’ they added.
The NHS launched new national standards for hospital food in 2022, including a requirement for trusts to offer hot food around the clock.
But patients regularly share photos of their breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings that look less than appealing online, including in Facebook group ‘Rate My Hospital Plate’.
According to its 2022 statement, the NHS provides more than 199million meals per year for patients, staff and visitors, but acknowledged that ‘catering in hospitals is not always as good as it could be’.