Is this packed lunch reasonable?

[DarkBlueEyes]

DD1 went on a school trip last week. She's in Yr 7 of a private school and I selected the packed lunch provided option as she has school lunches and they seem very good.

They were out for the whole day. What she received was...

A sausage roll, a packet of crisps and an apple.

Is this acceptable do you think? I have to admit I was a bit surprised as although personally I love a sausage roll, I wouldn't eat a cold one and had expected them to provide a sandwich, piece of fruit and a biscuit/muffin or something like that (this is what I would have packed and will pack in the future).

I now gather this is totally par for the course from other mums with older DDs at the school, so clearly I won't be selecting that option again. Besides that, the poor girl was ravenous.

What would you think? Would you bother giving them feedback and risking being labelled as "that mother" or just muse at how totally crap that lunch was and leave it? I'm inclined to the second option but then part of me thinks how will things ever change if they don't know how parents feel about it, and, I'm paying for that bloody lunch so why should I have to pack one?

So I will let the collective wisdom of mumsnet decide and prepare to be flamed

It doesn't sound a lot - any snacks? I suppose there was water/juice? DS is the same age and would be starving as they have quite a big luclnch at school usually.

A packed lunch for him from school would be sandwich (2 slices of bread), crisps, fruit and a bun/scone.

But then if I asked him what he'd had, he'd probably say 'I forget...'.

No, that's not sufficient to keep a (sorry, in Scotland, so different school year system, so guessing...) 10 year old sustained for the day.

It's pretty crap, I'd not be happy with my DC receiving that.

I worked at a state school and the standard packed lunch provided was a sandwich, crisps, fruit, yoghurt and drink.

I'd think it was crap and not go for it again.
In fact it's so crap I'd assume something went wrong and this was an absolute last minute panic. But it sounds like it's normal for your school
I'd also feel smug and superior when I packed the (normal and easu) ham on seedy bread, crisps, apple and water as its a hundred times better :)

It doesn't sound a lot, for the whole day.

As a private school I would give feedback on the lunch, you pay the school fees and they could of done a little better

School lunches are mixed where DC goes sarnie could be anything cheese ham jam with any flavour crisps - so kids would pick at it -

I always take them shopping to buy a few treats for school trips - little sausages crisps nice bread etc

If it was a big sausage roll it would have been ok with a slab of cake too.

For comparison at my kid's school when they provide packed lunches for the 4-7 year olds on trips it is a packet sandwich (2 slices of bread, ham/cheese/tuna/egg), a piece of fruit and a biscuit or flapjack.

I'd give more than that to my 5 and 6 year olds, maybe a babybel and another fruit or veg and a small cake, unless it was a very large sausage roll!

In the RAF, a typical 'packed lunch' provided by the mess for grown adults who were doing a very physically active day was:

Sandwich
Sausage roll
Crisps
Apple
Chocolate bar
Drink

If it's good enough for government work, it's good enough for a 10 yr old.

That sounds a bit much for a 10yo to me Bunny! Maybe something between the OP's and your suggestion is ideal.

I've no problem with the sausage roll being cold (in fact I prefer them), but it's not enough food, is it, for the whole day?

Presumably she had breakfast and tea so it wasn't food for the whole day, but it is a little on the small side for lunch and if I was the OP I would give the school some feedback on it.

Not great. I'd accept the poor nutritional quality as apparently it's a one off, but unless it's a large sausage roll it may not be enough to keep them going. I can't imagine it would be logistically any more difficult to provide a banana too, for example. If they're set up to provide fruit, they can offer two pieces as easily as one. Cold sausage roll as opposed to hot is fine though.

That's a rubbish packed lunch,for our DD8 we send in a sandwich,wrap or roll,a piece of fruit,a cake or a muffin,a drink and a cheesy snack or a packet of crisps.

I'd imagine she'd still be hungry, that's not much food, I love cold sausage rolls though.

Now to me sausage roll (assuming it was a largish sausage roll), crisps and apple sounds the same a Stealth's ' ham on seedy bread, crisps, apple and water'.
One carbohydrate and protein based thing, one fruit and crisps.

I would expects something else for a whole day though, flapjack, cake, biscuit or the like.

That's awful!

Very unhealthy and not enough for a full day.

I think it needed another item, say a yoghurt or fruit tub (and maybe a cake thing too, for a whole day out).

Not enough at all for a growing child! I would have included a sandwich, yoghurt and a flapjack or something, as well as what they already had. I wouldn't have minded a cold sausage roll, I prefer them like that!

I think that wasn't quite enough, but I wouldn't bother complaining about it either! Just pack her lunch next time.

Packed lunch in year 6 was. Cheese roll, yogurt, Apple and carton of juice. I think your dd's packed lunch was poor nutritionally wth both crisps and sausage roll.

That's a pretty shit lunch.

OP I don't think that's a good enough lunch at all. Not very healthy / balanced and also not enough food.

I know what you mean about hesitating to give negative feedback for worry obout about being labelled.

If it was me I'd let it go for now, provide the lunch myself for future trips, and give feedback another time when the opportunity arises naturally, e.g. If you have feedback forms handed out at parent evenings etc.

It does depend what she had for breakfast, my y7 Ds rarely bothers with lunch (I didn't as a teen) too busy playing rugby, But he goes to school on either 3 weetabix, a bacon sandwich or a an egg.