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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

AIBU to post this here - school dinners

53 replies

MollyMission · 17/05/2012 19:58

Turning to the wisdom of my fellow mumsnetters - I am appealing to you all for your opinion on the meals served up at your children's school - are you happy with what they get to eat - do the schools always serve nutritionally balanced food or is it just cheap old crap laden with e-numbers?

Is there a difference in quality of food served between state and indie schools?

Answers please on a postcard .....

Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
GnocchiNineDoors · 17/05/2012 20:00

My DD is not at school yet, however I see, daily a girl who is attending the local state primary school. It baffles me when I ask about their school meals. They have options to choose from, like an A choice a B choice and a dessert. Some days, I ask what she has had, and the anser is pizza and pasta Hmm

To me, they don't think it through. Why offer a carby A choice and a carby B choice? It would make sense if A was carbs, B was meat/veggie pulses etc and then they all got a salad cup too.

I can't speak for the quality, but she always seems happy and full.

lou2321 · 17/05/2012 20:01

Both DSs schools seem to serve decent food. A couple of roast dinners a week, pasta, curry and rice, various veggie options, most meals include jacket potato, mash or roast potatoes plus veg every day. They also have pizza (homemade), sausages or fish fingers once a week and desserts every day.

The menu looks ok to me but I still give them healthy tea in the evening or often another cooked meal.

smokinaces · 17/05/2012 20:01

Love my sons schools dinners. Meat and veg from local farmer and butcher. Made on premises. Very healthy, with right balance for me (including some sweet each week, similar to eatwell plate) couldn't fault ours.

McHappyPants2012 · 17/05/2012 20:02

For the price and the menu I think they are worth it.

Today he had chicken and sweet corn pie with parsley potatoes green beans and crunchy light coleslaw with a lemon shortbread custard and fruit slices homemade bread and water or milk is offered aswell..... Bargin for £1.90

lou2321 · 17/05/2012 20:02

Should also say there are 3 choices each day and its cooked on the premises.

UniS · 17/05/2012 20:05

DS likes some of the days menu's and not others.
The quality is fine, quantity a bit variable.

generally quite high carb, but that fine, he needs plenty of carbs. He does seem to eat the veg, but its generally carrots or sweetcorn.

Puddings are fab, school cook is very good at biscuits and tray bakes & DS loves custard.

lunar1 · 17/05/2012 20:09

DS gets a choice of 3 home cooked meals every day. we sampled the food at the open day and its really good. The cost is included in the school fees.

Joiningthegang · 17/05/2012 20:09

Ours are rubbish - and the last in line don't even get a proper meal - all for the bargain price of £2 a day - oh and the plastic plate tray things usually have old food stuck on them which the kids pick off while they are queuing. Other than that ....yummy.

Think it depends on the school - try them and if they are rubbish it's packed lunch all the way!

Original poster
MollyMission · 17/05/2012 20:10

Ok - perhaps I should have worded my post as:

I'm fed up with the crap our school serves up for dinners.

Does anyone else notice a connection between crap school food and poorly behaved children.

OP posts:
LingDiLong · 17/05/2012 20:14

Ours are crap. An over dependence on processed meat - sausages, burgers, ham. Pizza features every week as do fish fingers. They can choose from veg or spaghetti hoops/baked beans and of course, despite eating veg at home, they always choose the tinned crap when given the option. Pudding is slmost always unmitigated junk; ice cream, biscuit, jelly, with no fruit in sight. Eldest child complains they've run out of some stuff by the time she gets there.

I'm verging on only letting them take sandwiches to be honest.

youarekidding · 17/05/2012 20:14

My DS is happpy with his. He seems to have everything from macoroini cheese and pizza to roasts and curries. I don't see a difference in his behaviour on any day and he certainly has some more healthier options some days to others!

LingDiLong · 17/05/2012 20:15

x-post. I haven't particularly noticed a discipline problem at our school, no. My own kids are a nightmare after school and I'm just wondering if they are worse when they've had school dinners. Hmmmmm

Original poster
MollyMission · 17/05/2012 20:18

LingDiLong - yes this is what I'm getting at. A direct correlation between crap food and poorly behaved students as a result of eating the crap. If the schools want the best out of the kids they HAVE to ensure they are doing everything they can during the school day to facilitate g

OP posts:
Original poster
MollyMission · 17/05/2012 20:19

Good behaviour.

OP posts:
GateGipsy · 17/05/2012 20:19

Ours are fabulous. The meals are all freshly cooked using good indegredients. They have salads, and fresh bread. The company that runs the kitchen welcomes parents to come in and have a complimentary meal themselves if they want to test it. Whenever I do anything at the school involving the PTA I always get a meal there as it is so yummy.

Why won't my son eat them!? I have given in and he gets packed lunches. When I was in school recently I watched, rather wistfully, as the children lined up for the salad bar (this is optional, they don't have to) wondering how on earth you got your child to do that of their own free will ...

workshy · 17/05/2012 20:19

our school does crap dinners

thursday is roast day and it seems to be the only day they actually have a decent meal

they choose from A or B
A choice is the most popular so runs out very quickly, so the kids at the back of the queue get B which is often unidentifiable

they then get the side which generally goes with one choice but not the other so spaghetti bolognaise with mash potato anyone?

they can also choose salad or veg -carrots, peas or sweetcorn

puddings every day or fruit -about 3 slices of apple and the custard is either so thick you can stand you spoon in it or like water

one of my DCs likes school dinner, the other doesn't but it's tough because I take them to childcare at 7.30 and pick them up at 6, and I'm not spending the little time I do have with them faffing about with pack ups

sweetmoonbeam · 17/05/2012 20:20

Purely ancedotal but more deprived areas I have worked in as a teacher have junk food - burgers, fries, horrible baguettes - and have poorer behaviour. I don't think it's the food.

MerylStrop · 17/05/2012 20:25

We get a 3 weekly menu sent home from our state primary. It seems to have a good mix of choices, one meat, one vegetarian option, baked potato if you don't fancy either. Vegetables or salad, bread and butter.

It's kid friendly (pizza, fishcakes, spag bol, macaroni cheese,quiche lorraine) but it's all cooked on site and when I have been in to "Come Dine with Me" days it's been really tasty. The puddings are a bit stodgy but it has been agreed with DC that they will have yoghurt or fruit Mon- Thurs and cake on Fridays. They can also have as much fruit as they like, plus milk and juice.

It's good value at £2 per day but we can't afford that at the moment so it's boring sandwiches for now.

LynetteScavo · 17/05/2012 20:25

I wouldn't say it's laden with e-numbers but it is a bit fish fingers and chips (with that horrid "mixed veg" and ice cream.

State school, and yes, I hear independent schools serve up better food.

Although DS1's infant school did a fabulous cake with raisins it in. Best cake I've ever eaten.

lou2321 · 17/05/2012 20:29

If they have dinners every day it seems to be a lot more balanced as there are lots of different options for the week.

My DS (6) eats healthily at home so I was happy for him to only have dinners on pizza/sausage days but now we have a deal that he is going to try every different option and he actually likes most of them.

Even the teachers usually have school dinners, no real junk food at all and we have tasted it at family lunch and its fine (obviously no salt etc but of course thats perfect for the DCs)

LynetteScavo · 17/05/2012 20:31

Today DS forgot his packed lunch and so had pork and cabbage (but didn't eat the cabbage) and apple crumble and custard. He could have had pizza and frozen yogurt.

It's not what's on the menu that bothers me, more the quality of the ingredients. It's not what I would serve at home. But it's mass catering for small people.

How many teachers do you know who eat school dinners?

LynetteScavo · 17/05/2012 20:32

lou2321, well if the teachers are eating the dinners, they must be OK at your school. Smile

lou2321 · 17/05/2012 20:32

When we looked round DS2's independent school the HT was saying how they cook really healthy meals on site etc and we went into the canteen and it was pizza day - he laughed and said well we do have pizza once a week.

They have a choice of one set meal every day (4 weekly menu) - this is something with rice, pasta dish, roast dinner, pizza and I can't remember the other one. They also sell other meals such as jacket potatoes and baguettes for the older children. It all looks really nice.

LineRunner · 17/05/2012 20:33

Mine are at secondary school. Their choices seem a limitless, and include endless chips, burgers, pizzas and cakes. The 'healthy' options are actually more expensive.

LingDiLong · 17/05/2012 20:34

Molly, I agree. I know it must be hard for schools to prepare healthy food kids like on a small budget but I do think our school could do a lot better. We need Jamie Oliver!

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