Football: Fans satisfied by point and new menu at the New Lawn (From Gazette Series)

Reaction to Forest Green's new 'no red meat' menu

9:59am Thursday 24th February 2011 in Sport By Ashley Loveridge

THE ban on red meat by vegan Forest Green chairman and green eco-warrior Dale Vince maybe hard to swallow by the football traditionalist, but many fans went home satisfied by a veggie burger and a point against Darlington at the New Lawn on Saturday.

Free-range poultry, veggie burgers and fish, sourced as far as possible from sustainable stocks, was served up for the first time to quell the crowd's half-time hunger.

Alternative-thinking Vince now hopes the fans will get use to the New Lawn menu after kicking pies, burgers and sausages firmly into touch.

“The burgers are handmade for us and are a mix of soya protein and vegetables,” said Vince. “We found them in a tiny fast food outlet in London called Red Veg.

“The burgers are easily the best I’ve ever tasted, that’s why we went and sought them out (we’ve known about them for several years).

“ We might bring more of their range to the club in time - they do falafel’s a ball or patty made from ground chickpeas - I think they’d go down well."

Rovers fan Roger Sanders admitted it was hard to tell the difference between a veggie or meat burger. He said: “It was difficult distinguishing the difference, definitely a healthier option for the fans.”