Mumsnet Talk

DS has said he has had honey sandwiches today for his lunch today. We had opted for the sandwich choice as he didn't like the hot dinner choices. but I was thinking more ham or cheese - not honey. Would you be cross too?

Our schools don't offer sandwiches. Is their menu online?

Our menu seems to feature cheese and pickle, salad occasionally ham never honey

Sandwiches are only an option at the dcs school in the summer, and are always savoury, cheese, tuna, salmon, egg, ham, sausage rolls being the fillings generally.

On the rare occasions I make sandwiches I've always given savoury too, usually cream cheese and marmite or tuna. It's not occurred to me to send in sweet fillings and it does seem odd, but I don't think I'd be cross unless the DCs started eating sweet fillings regularly, in which case I would do something about it.

I'm sure DS would love to have honey sandwiches, I do give him them sometimes at home, they are his favourite. He would be very jealous!

You're cross that he was given a honey sandwich?

In the nicest possible way.. get a grip

Before getting cross, ask an adult at the school. I suspect he may be telling you the wrong thing.
Our packed lunch option varies between ham, chicken, cheese, egg, tuna or cream cheese. I have never seen 'spreads' on offer.

I am going to check with the school first in case he has made a mistake. But if he has had this, then yes I am cross. He has mentioned before about honey sandwiches and bread and butter sandwiches but I wasn't sure whether to believe him. But he has said it again today. Sorry but I think it is pretty slovenly to offer honey sandwiches for a school lunch.

Why cross?

Is that all he is offered, or does he get something else as well?

They will give him a choice but he is only little so of course he will choose a honey sandwich. And then he is getting a pudding after that too. It's hardly a healthy lunch is it and doesn't help reinforcing healthy eating at home

Fair enough - your OP sort of implied it was a one off, in which case it wouldn't be a big deal.

If it's all he's getting as his main lunch, and it's all the time, then yeah - it's not good enough.

At dd's school you can order your choice of sandwich at the kitchen door first thing in the morning. Cheese, tuna and chicken are available every day with or without salad and ham occasionally.

I would be cross as well - honey sandwiches are not nutritious and filling, are they? Cheese, chicken/tuna salad, egg mayonnaise, even hummous I would expect, some protein rather than just sugar.

Honey-roast ham?

No, it's not good enough - which is why it's highly likely that your ds has got it wrong!

School meals are so regulated I can't believe this is the case. Also if they were going to give a sweet sandwich filling, it would be cheap mixed fruit jam, not expensive honey

Fillings here are cheese, ham or tuna.

He has told me before that if we have chosen something off the menu that he then doesn't like, that he will have bread and butter. But he was adamant that he had honey sandwiches as the dinner ladies read out the choices to them. This isn't a regular thing but I have noticed he is asking for sandwiches more often.

If you have chosen something from the menu that he then doesn't like, it's hardly the school's fault. Better bread and butter than nothing.
Why not send packed lunches from home if he's struggling to find choices that suit?

The school meals are compulsory. We choose the meals together but sometimes he might not like it on the day. But if when we are sent the menu and there is nothing that he likes, we choose the sandwich option and that is when the honey sandwich has been offered- according to DS at least

Ah yes, if it's because he won't eat what he's chosen then TBH I'm surprised he gets an alternative at all. Here there are 2 choices, one will be a cooked meal and the other a jacket potato or filled baguette, but once you've chosen, there's nothing else and I wouldn't expect there to be TBH.

I am wondering if they have the honey sandwich on there for the fussy kids and now my DS, who is normally a good eater, has twigged this and hence is now asking for them.

we don;t have a sandwich option except for school trips when its tuna or cheese. Otehrwise its meat/fish/chicken option, veggue option or a jacket potato with filling.

I would be happy with honey sandwich if he's got it right - no protein. We don'r have a "fussy kid" option surely thats asking for trouble?!

I doubt it suefg-school kitchens are audited to ensure they're providing the right balance of fat/sugar/protein etc unless it's under the counter so the inspectors don't know about it, it wouldn't pass.

Whether the standards being audited are high enough is another matter (no-where near high enough IMO)

I still think it's unlikely they're using honey - it's just too expensive to be something they have in iyswim

I don't know if this will make a difference from an auditing perspective but it isn't a state school.

Ah maybe, I don't think they have to meet any official standards at all then and maybe they can afford honey

It still seems unlikely to me, mainly because I'd feel like you do if it's true. Keeping something "special" for fussy kids seems like madness to me. I need to know what he actual story is now

Hopefully it will just be a misunderstanding but for the moment, he won't be allowed to choose sandwiches