An affluent lawyer has sparked a backlash after posting a get together with friends which had the theme ‘council estate dinner’ and also included chicken dippers and Sunny Delight
A ‘tone deaf’ lawyer who got her first horse aged three has caused a backlash after throwing a ‘council estate’ dinner party – which she completed with chicken dippers, baked beans and Sunny Delight.
Sophie Murgatroyd, 35, who also works as a make-up artist, posted an image on LinkedIn of her get together with pals which she captioned: “I love cooking for my friends… the theme of tonight’s meal was ‘council estate dinner’.”
Her meal also included Fray Bentos pies, turkey dinosaurs, spam fritters, potato waffles, crispy pancakes and oven chips with Viennetta ice cream or spotted dick for pudding and Buck’s Fizz on the side.
She ended the post by writing: “Do you think we missed anything? A classic?” along with the hashtag: “I need a Rennie.”
But the toff, who lives near the affluent area of Knutsford, Cheshire, has since taken her post down after sparking outrage among other social media users who branded her ‘tasteless’ and ‘unkind’.
Mental health assessor Rose-Marie Macintyre wrote: “Council estate meals sounds so demeaning to people living there. Some people who have mortgages can’t even afford those foods.”
Actuary Richard Shaw added: “I think you will find the food you describe is not unique to any one social demographic. Rather insulting to those families who provide healthy meals for their children.”
Ms Murgatroyd, who grew up on her parents’ farm near Harrogate, North Yorks., qualified as a solicitor in 2017 and runs her own firm Law by Sophie, while also working as a make-up artist.
In an interview with lifestyle magazine Cheshire Life in 2018, she told how making sure there was room for her horses was a priority when house hunting.
She said: “Yes, the house could have been an absolute palace but if it didn’t have room for stables, then it just didn’t cut the mustard.
“I cannot live without horses and while my Cheshire friends are very kind and let me ride gorgeous horses… it will be fantastic to have horses living with me once again.”
Despite the backlash, Ms Murgatroyd denied the post was offensive when speaking to the Daily Mail.
She said: “I very much dispute that it is insensitive. The people that I was with, having grown up on a council estate, also didn’t find it insensitive at all.
“It’s not about where you come from, it’s about spending time with quality people and that’s what I do. It doesn’t matter where I’m from or what food I eat.
“In the same way that I would have Mexican food last week and I’m not Mexican. If people want to shop at a farm shop, I don’t take offence because they didn’t grow up on a farm. I don’t find it offensive and I’m sorry if that causes controversy.”
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