To bring this up with the school?

[Cat2014]

ds has school dinners a couple of days a week. On those days it's his main hot meal because the evenings are v busy. He says that he is only allowed one vegetable, eg is carrots and broccoli are on offer and he says 'both please' he's told he can only have one or the other.. Shouldn't they be allowed unlimited veg at lunch time? I know it's not a massive deal but is it normal? He doesn't like a huge variety of veg so if he has the opportunity to have more than one kind I would want to snap it up!

biboergosum, and the ravioli - could you have eaten a whole extra helping? I'd have gladly taken care of your steamed chocolate pudding in exchange!

at four kids last post

Yep, ravioli if I must. Not custard skin. Heave indeed.

So much for encouraging a heathy balanced diet. Ive heard it all now rationing vegetables.

Fourkids your posts on custard skin are both beautiful and disgusting.

Do they still serve the mashed potato with an ice cream scoop in schools? They did at my school in the 80's. This was in Scotland where they would also assault you with an ice cream scoop of neeps as well

I do that for my kids sometimes, Furiosa. For old times' sake.

Our school offers unlimited veg AND a salad bar

Ha ha I sometimes do give my dc mash via the ice cream scoop. They look at me like wtf but it makes me smile Though I also still sometimes do sausage mash and beans in a face when my dad visits for tea.

Notso, why thank you kindly :)

"Unlimited Veg"

Such a cool name for a band...dibs!

It must be lovely to enjoy custard skin.....

Ideas for getting the veg in - sorry I can't resist.

Breakfast - don't scoff - DS (16 so probably older than your DS and therefore more independent) -needs a substantial breakfast three times a week and I've discovered that baked beans (microwaved) tomato - microwave for one minute, toast and scrambled eggs can be done in 5 minutes. If I have time I sometimes do him fried mushrooms.

Playtime snack - half a raw pepper, raw carrot or piece of fruit. These are suggestions btw - DS will 'supplement' one of these with something greasy if he can...

After school, hummus and crudités, lentil and veg soup, sandwich with a lot of salad, oatcakes and cheese with vacuum packed beetroot/salad/crudités. Slab of banana bread (once he ate the whole thing! I make it with no recipe - it's not as nice as a proper cake as I make it as fast as possible just to use up overripe bananas and don't add sugar and it honestly takes about five minutes - I don't bother to sift the flour or weigh)

how about encouraging your DS to eat olives/dates/dried fruit as snacks?

Oh yes - mixed mash - potatoes, celeriac, swede, parsnips, sweet potates. Easy peasy (d'ya see what I did there ) . Freezes and reheats in the microwave beautifully.

Kale crisps for a snack? Wash and dry the kale very thoroughly. Bake on a lightly oiled try. Sprinkle with salt. Yum. Keeps in a tub for a week.

Not both full sized portion but half portion of each seems reasonable.

Thanks done great ideas here!
I've got quite a funny update - my ds was Roger today! He came out saying he was at the back of the queue for lunch and therefore didn't get and cheese wraps, fish or beans as the others had 'taken too much' so was left with cheesy pasta and sweet corn!
Quite amusing considering the thread content so far. Ds was quite indignant, he said 'they should cook more! You are paying for food I couldn't have'!
I told him I think cheesy pasta with sweet corn is a reasonable meal and it's fine as long as the classes take turns to go first and last. If he was always last I'd say something!

now here's the U thing...people are not recognising the deliciousness of a good thick custard skin, yet kale crisps passes without comment? KALE crisps. KALE. ie cattle feed, often with the added protein of the odd caterpillar.

Steamed caterpillars are a great substitute for jelly sweets. So easy. Wash, steam for 2-3 minutes and dust with icing sugar. DS will eat 20 given half a chance.

rogueantimatter hhmmm very tempting...

Of course they're much healthier if you omit the icing sugar.....

Would you serve 2 caterpillar per child so they definitely have the option of two each? ;)

Nah. I'd serve em all nothing but soup and be done with it.

I used to be a school cook, we always did enough veg for every child to have some of each- we would have been ecstatic to have a child who actually liked veg as there was usually lots of waste.

~Thinking about school dinners probably too deeply how can some companies get it so right and others so wrong?
My ds old school had five options (including a pack up) his were delicious and always enough to go around. That company is still in business.
DDs school had 3 options (meat/vegetarian/jkt potato) but rarely enough portions for everyone. They are going out of business.
Both companies charged the same price.