Children's meals priced by weight

A restaurant has been criticised over plans to charge for children's Sunday lunches according to their weight.

Oulton Hall near Leeds in West Yorkshire wanted to weigh under-15s and charge their parents £1 per stone.

But the National Obesity Forum said the plan was not properly thought through and parents risked upsetting their children for the sake of a few pounds.

Nigel Massey from the De Vere chain of hotels, which runs the five-star hotel, said the idea would be reconsidered.

Mr Massey said the promotion had been thought of as a bit of fun.

"If it's going to be the subject of such concern and such, forgive me for saying, a huge over-reaction, a little bit of the kill-joy taking some fun out of something, I think we should adopt the Oliver Cromwell puritan streak and withdraw it.

"It was only something... for fun, totally innocent, not supposed to cause any harm or hurt"
Nigel Massey, De Vere hotels

"Oulton is a lovely place, it was only something... for fun, totally innocent, not supposed to cause any harm or hurt, but if it does I think I'd recommend and we would unreservedly withdraw the idea."

The hotel had planned to invite children to step onto the scales at the restaurant.

Those who refused to be weighed would incur a set charge of £11.25, half the cost of an adult meal.

Tam Fry from the National Obesity Forum said: "It's the mere fact that you're going to make an exhibition of the child.

"I mean, would you take your child in, of whatever weight, to a restaurant and then say 'OK you're going to have to be weighed first before you sit down and eat'.

"I might save a few pounds on it but think about the feelings that the child has, being weighed in front of all the other people who are staring at them and if they're at all self-conscious they will be extremely upset."

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National Obesity Forum
Oulton Hall
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