School dinners now cost £2

[tortoiseshell]

This seems an awful lot to me - it will surely put people off giving their kids school dinners when a packed lunch can be made for MUCH less. If my two were having school dinners every day it would be £20 a week! And once ds2 is at school, £30 a week.

Any thoughts?

[Mercy]

Ours have been £2 for a couple of years now, a major factor for me making packed lunches!

[cargirl]

Ours are £1.70ish exactly why mine have to have packed lunches just can't afford it.

[compo]

ours are £1.90 so £9.50 a week... eek!

[ComeOVeneer]

Ours have gone up by 10p a day this term to £1.80. I do school dinners in the colder months and packed lunches in the "summer".

Out of interest what do people estimate a packed lunch costs them to make?

[Hulababy]

I know it does add up BUT if you think about the fact that they get a two course meal for £2 it isn't actually that bad - or wouldn't be if they are getting a decent meal - I know some schools don;t ptovide good food still.

Are packed lunch an option otherwise?

[cargirl]

I worked out our packed lunces are about 80p each at the most.

The school dinner portions are tiny so not great value IMO, probably smaller in quantity than the packed lunch I provide.

[SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore]

ours are £8 per week. but the food is very good. its all been jamie olivered and is cooked fresh on the premises. i would rather pay more and get good food than have dd eating turkey twizlers and oven chips

[Hulababy]

I don't do packed lunches very often for DD (2-3 times a year) but they always come to way more - maybe as they are so rare we go bit OTT. DD's school dinners are very good and portions not too bad for children. (I eat twice a week there so have exp).

[stitch]

i was quite happy paying for my kids to have a hot meal in school. however, in year six, ds was always left hungry. the portion sizes are tiny. the same whether given to reception children, or year six ones. he used to come home absolutely starving. now in year seven, he doesnt seem to bothered about having dinner even.
if the food is hot and filling, and nutrirtions, then 20quid a week is not a problem i think. but if not enough, then a waste fo money.

[NoblesseOblige]

ours cost £2, they have gone up from £1.90 last term. food is ok, not fab but ok.

does area make a difference i wonder? we are in the SW.

[SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore]

north east here.

[cargirl]

I worked out our packed lunces are about 80p each at the most.

The school dinner portions are tiny so not great value IMO, probably smaller in quantity than the packed lunch I provide.

[tortoiseshell]

I actually think £2 is quite a lot for a 2 course meal for a child. You would pay a little more than that at a restaurant (typically somewhere like Bella Italia might be £2.50 for 2 courses).

We try to spend about £80 for a week's food (don't always manage it though) - this is for 5 of us, so £16 each for a week - £2.30 or so a day. So looking at it that way, £2 for one meal is a large proportion of that.

Packed lunch;

Fruit Smoothie - this is expensive I know, but is a good way of getting fruit into my food-phobic boy! 50p
Sandwich - 1 slice of bread, slivers of cheese. 10p? (probably less, but 10p seems about right)
Jammie dodger - 10p
cereal bar - 20p (but often less if I get BOGOF)

So total of 90p - but that includes the drink. No drink included with school dinner other than tap water - and if packed lunch they can use the water fountain. Without the drink, would be 40p. Also if I can get the drinks on BOGOF I do, as they are quite expensive.

[mumwhereareyou]

Hi

They charge £2.10 at ours and with three children at school can't afford all the time.

We are lucky in the fact that we can book a week ahead and pick and choose, so if we have something after school like dentist etc, the I book a school dinner, but more often than not it is packed luches works out much cheaper.

[bellavita]

Ours are £1.80.

[bozza]

Yeah but tortoiseshell without the drink there would be no fruit or veg. We went out to a carvery today and the children's meals were £4.50. To be fair my two did eat £4.50 worth on this occsion. But not always the case.

However I do agree that with more than one child the cost starts to add up. I just wrote a cheque for DS's dinners until half term and it was £68. So will, obviously, be double that once DD does full days in January.

We are like hula though, and packed lunches cost a fortune because they are always a treat for school trips or whatever.

[Aefondkiss]

we pay £1.85(NE Scotland), I think it has just gone up, my dd is pretty fussy, otherwise I would be happy for her to have school dinner more often, I have heard the portions are pretty small at my dd's school.

Packed lunch is much cheaper and at least I know dd will eat it.

[tortoiseshell]

I'll do dd's now - her's is a bit different to ds1's

Cheese sandwich - 10p
Drink - 50p
Apple - 30p
Grapes or banana - 30p

So for dd's 'healthier' packed lunch - £1.20 or so. 70p without the drink. But often I will buy special offers etc to keep the price down.

Bozza - ds1's isn't good I know. I do often put grapes in, but they often come back uneaten.

[unknownrebelbang]

Ours are £1.75 (only DS3 has them now though).

He has them because he has a hearty appetite; I know he eats plenty, and I know the food is good, so it represents good value for money for us, plus it's no big deal if the boys have sandwiches occasionally for tea (sometimes necessary).

DH also has them occasionally if he's in school at lunchtime.

DS2 is having packed lunches at the moment (just started secondary) and he's sent a message to the cook (via DS3) to say he's missing her lunches .

[MrsWeasley]

its £2.30 here (south West)

[bellavita]

£2.30 is a lot MrsWeasley.

[MrsWeasley]

it recently went up from £1.80 for a cold lunch, the hot lunches are a lot nicer and the children seem to enjoy them but its a bit expensive with 4 DCs at school so we usually have packed lunches (which my DCs prefer anyway) and have a hot lunch occasionally (depends on what?s on the menu!)

Oh £2.30 is for year 3 + the infants school have smaller portions and they pay £2.

[SaintGeorge]

Ours are £1.20, gone up by 10p this term.

[divedaisy]

Hi I pay £2.20 - £11 per week. I look at it that it saves me cooking a meal especially on the nights when DS has jujitsi or Beavers etc.
I never really thought of the price of it rather than the practicality of it. It saves me having to think and prepare etc... is that lazy? At least every day is a different menu. DS is so fussy and couldn't think up enough sandwich variations...

Though if wee all got together and posted our fav lunch box menus we could compile a lunch box menu for the year!!

[divedaisy]

Oh £2.20 in Co Antrim N Ireland...