The Department for Education have a new scheme from September to provide all primary school children aged 4-7 with a healthy and nutritious hot school dinner. This means that children in reception, year 1 and year 2 will be fed at school and I have spoken to many parents who were unaware of this national scheme. Will your child be eligible? Did you know about it? Parents can of course opt out and continue to provide a packed lunch.
I am really pleased with the new scheme as I often find it hard to come up with inspiring lunch boxes and Erin prefers a cooked meal. Secondly she is used to eating her main meal at lunchtime as that was the routine at nursery. The evening meal was then often something on toast or a filled jacket potato. The downside for me is that I will still be cooking for the older two! However we already have a mix and match scheme going on, we currently buy hot dinners on the nights that are especially busy for us. On a Monday when Chloe has hockey after school and then dancing in the evening we rely on the school canteen to provide her with what she needs to be so physically active. The same goes for Dylan on the evenings he had cubs or tutoring.
When I think back to my school dinners I have mixed memories, I remember the puddings most. My favourite being a toffee cream tart, the toffee was runny and clear. It was very sweet but yummy. I also loved the chocolate crunch and being a teacher in a secondary school I know that this treat is still on the menu! Research suggests that only 1% of packed lunches from home meets the nutritional standards of today’s school lunches. My husband remembers, from his primary lunches, that they were bland and not much choice was offered. This is different from our primary school where there is a choice of meals. They are certainly not bland either with offerings including curry and a home made spicy beanburger. You can see a typical offerings from the Children’s Food Trust which share the balanced diet now being offered.
Schools have worked hard to implement the new scheme as it has required some schools to better equip their kitchens or find more space to ensure that all the children have somewhere to sit and eat their hot dinner. As a mum who struggles to come up with interesting packed lunches five times a week I can now relax knowing that Erin will be having a good meal at a good time for her. I also think the social sharing of a meal is good and I am sure this will encourage Erin to continue to eat well and try new foods. Erin is the only one of my three to go to a nursery and have experienced nursery meals, and she is the one that eats the best, has great table manners and will happily try new foods.
Bloggers have been asked to recall their school meal memories and I would like to know what your memories of school lunches are?
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