Menu of the London 2012 Olympic Games

The overwhelming majority of us cannot attend the London 2012 Olympic Games in person. It’s too far away, or expensive, or both. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy an Olympics TV-watching party featuring an authentic menu with some of the same food and drinks being served at the Olympics. And we can enjoy these items at prices much lower than we’d need to pay if we were in London.

As with most everything at the Olympics, the food and drinks served to spectators at the Olympics venues were carefully planned by the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG). This is no small task. There are over 800 concessions where spectators can buy food at the Olympics. These restaurants and kiosks are expected to serve over 14 million meals at 40 different venues, with 150 different dishes including traditional and non-traditional British foods.

(For those of you wondering, the plans to feed the 10,000 Olympic athletes are even more complicated due in part to their diverse nutritional needs during the Games. After all, each athlete has his or her own nutritional regime to follow to maximize performance. The LOCOG plans to serve 1.2 million meals to the athletes, with the athletes having their choice from among no less than 1300 different dishes!)

So what should you serve at your Olympics TV-watching party to recreate the atmosphere of actually being there? The LOCOG provided the following sample menu for spectators, complete with prices:

Food Dishes

Porridge and maple syrup, made with UK oats and milk - £2.20 ($3.41)

Toasted tea cakes, with Yorkshire butter – £2.10 ($3.26)

Carrot and cucumber sticks with red pesto hummus - £2.50 ($3.88)

6 Jerk Red Tractor assured chicken wings – £3.50 ($5.43)

Red Leicester British cheese with British apple chutney and Farm assured lettuce on Oxfordshire bread - £3.80 ($5.89)

Jacket potato with Dingley Dell bacon and Freedom Foods chicken in a herb mayonnaise, served with roquete and watercress salad - £5.80 ($8.99)

Pole and line caught tuna and sweet potato British salad – £5.90 ($9.15)

Freshly carved Dingley Dell hog roasted Red Tractor pork, served in Oxfordshire cross hatched bread roll with mixed leaf salad and assorted accompaniments – £6.50 ($10.08)

Grilled Red Tractor chicken burrito - £6.50 ($10.08)

Penne pasta Red Tractor chicken and mushroom white sauce - £6.50 ($10.08)

Thin crust stone baked 10” pizza with spicy pepperoni, spicy beef, basil and oregano - £7.50 ($11.63)

Farm assured Scotch Beef with Long Clawson Stilton Pie, Irish mashed potato with Red Tractor Cream and British butter and onion gravy - £8.00 ($12.40)

Cod and chips – from £8 (from $12.40)

Singapore noodle, stir fried egg noodle, chicken, prawns, char sui Pork, chilli and shredded peppers in a hoi sin dressing – £8.50 ($13.18)

Lamb Rogan Josh served with Pilaf or Saffron rice - £8.50 ($13.18)

Drinks

Bottled water - £1.60 ($2.48)
Fairtrade Tea from £2.00 ($3.10)
Fairtrade Coffee from £2.60 ($4.03)
500ml bottle of Coca Cola - £2.30 ($3.57)
330ml bottle of Heineken - £4.20 ($6.51)
London 2012 red wine 18.7cl - £4.80 ($7.44)

Despite the rather uninspiring reputation of British food, the LOCOG’s sample spectator menu includes some items which would satisfy even Super Bowl-crazy fans from the United States. How about starting off with the Jerk Red Tractor assured chicken wings along with the carrot and cucumber sticks with red pesto hummus for appetizers while watching the Phelps vs. Lochte swimming duals, and then moving on to the thin crust stone baked pizza with spicy pepperoni, spicy beef, basil and oregano for the main meal while seeing if the “Fab 5” gymnasts from the United States are able to live up to their pre-Games nickname? And don’t forget to wash it all down with some bottles of Coca Cola, Heineken and “London 2012 red wine”. As for the wine, feel free to serve up whatever red wine you’d like, as the red wine on the menu at the Games isn’t specifically identified since its maker isn’t an official Olympic sponsor.

As the host of your Olympics TV-watching party, you can cheer on the athletes with extra gusto knowing you didn’t need to spend $6.51 for each bottle of beer you serve!