City Hall caterers have leaped to the defence of their sandwiches after a leading councillor said they were unappetising and unattractive.

Catering staff decided to give the Telegraph & Argus a real taste of their work after deputy Council leader Councillor Mohammed Ajeeb said food served to committees sometimes went to waste - because people did not like the sight of it.

Two staff delivered a silver foil salver, complete with a doily of assorted sandwiches, garnished with lettuce, celery and tomatoes.

The indignant staff sent a letter with the sandwiches saying they were committed and professional.

They wrote: "Quite honestly, the catering staff on the whole are pretty distressed."

They said the sandwiches were an example of those supplied every day on request to City Hall meetings.

The staff wrote: "Whereby we cannot guarantee 100 per cent exact presentation, we are not far off.

"The only reason would be meat and veg are kept separate for obvious reasons."

The broadside to the catering staff was delivered last week at the Council's performance review committee.

The former Lord Mayor criticised the sandwiches and samosas.

He pointed out that half the trolley load had been shunned even though - at one stage - there had been 20 people at the meeting.

Coun Ajeeb said the sandwiches served by York Council were better - and it was false economy to cut costs by serving cheaper sandwiches which were then thrown out.

Today David Hirons, catering manager for the education contracts service which provides the food for committee and council meetings, said: "That food is of the normal standard.

"Should anybody want anything different it could be provided, but there would be cost implications."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.