Why can't school lunches be simple

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My kids school changes the lunch menu after the summer and they now only offer 2 hot meal options for lunch many of which my children (one fussy one not ) do not like. There used to always be an option of either sandwiches or baked potatoes with a small choice of fillings but this has been taken away.

I would very really every have a main meal lunch followed by a pudding for lunch so I don't understand why they don't have simple options like sandwiches, baked potatoes, soup and bread for lunch and maybe one option for a hot lunch.

There is always so much chat about healthy lunches for kids etc but surely these would be healthy choices and then instead of pudding give them choices of yoghurt, crisps, fruit, cheese to go with them ?

I know that school dinners are the only hot meal some children get so an option should be kept but I'm guessing most children go home and have a main meal for their dinner so don't need a roast turkey dinner with pudding for lunch ?!

They are heavily regulated. Those puddings won't be full of the usual crap

The simple answer is that for some children this is the only meal they eat a day.

Perhaps the sandwiches and baked potatoes were not being chosen and therefore going to waste, so they decided to stop having them. You could always do packed lunches if you would prefer they didn't have a hot lunch.

Send your children a packed lunch on the day when they don’t like the school option. That’s what I do.

I reckon it's more the opposite @Beanbag7. My infant school children come home and say they've either had a jacket or sandwich every day no matter how often I beg and plead with them to have the decent hot meal. The options at my school are fantastic but they always go for the same. Unfortunately most of the mums at school say the same so they must be wasting so much hot food. I'd welcome them getting rid of the sandwiches and potatoes at my school

Yes for some children but not all and although I don't know the figures I'm guessing not for most.

As an adult I wouldn't have those main meal options for lunch myself. I don't understand what is wrong with having simple sandwiches etc on offer alongside a hot meal option ?

Whether they are made with healthier options or not it's still fish fingers, chips and peas followed by cake and custard that has to be unhealthier than a baked potato with cheese surely ? And it's sets kids up thinking that is what they should be eating at lunchtime.

Yes from what I can tell from my kids and friends kids most kids go for the simple options. When my kids have gone for school lunches they tell me of how much they leftover and often say their friends did do so they much throw away a lot of food.

I send them packed lunches most days now but I would prefer to be able to send them school lunches some of the time for various reasons.

A baked potato and cheese isn't nutritionally balanced though.

I agree that school lunches should be a hot heavy meal.

Any children who prefer a lighter lunch, like my DSD, have the option to take in a packed lunch. Just do that 🤷‍♀️

I wish they'd take the sandwich option away at my DS's school. Would much rather he had a proper, balanced, hot lunch with veg, rather than the rather sad-looking "blue sandwich platter " option.

So send your children in with a packed lunch? I'm afraid you can't demand that they supply a menu that specifically suits your child's needs. Why don't you encourage them to have a hot meal at lunchtime and then give them sandwiches/soup/JP for dinner? You say that it sets children up for thinking that's what they should eat at lunchtime like it's a bad thing? There is a phrase along the lines of, ' eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a Lord and dinner like a pauper'.

The food you have listed - yoghurt, crisps, fruit, cheese, sandwiches - can all be easily brought as packed lunch. If you want your child to have these foods then simply pack them a lunch. The hot meal is meant to be just that - a hot meal. If the school did it your way then the children would have two options if they didn’t like the one hot meal on offer - bring a packed lunch, or buy packed lunch food at school. Having two hot meal options is much better and like you said, this might be the only hot meal some children get each day. I think you should just pack your kid the goods you mentioned.

What sort of meals are they doing? In my experience roasts are usually one of the most popular school dinners in Primary. Also most schools have fish on Friday and as many children have never had fish in any other form than fish fingers (and they are cheap and easy to cook) they go with that option. I assume one of the options each day is a veggie option.

DS’s Primary School dropped the sandwich option as the whole point of the universal free school meals was for children to have a hot meal

Under the 'sandwich' option one of my children was having a buttered wrap and cucumber for lunch most days.

Children are not known for being able to make nutritious choices! I see the advantages of just having 2 hot options, for the families who really need the free school meals it's going to be much more filling and nutritious for the kids.

I was inclined to disagree at first but actually I think you’re right - our school offers a choice of a hot and cold option, so like you say either a roast or a wrap/baguette. Obviously many children will need that hot meal if not much else will be offered at home later - but similarly I wouldn’t want a big hot meal for tea if I already had a Sunday lunch for dinner. I agree it makes sense to offer that choice.

I don't see why they have to a cake for dessert. Surely yogurt and fruit would be fine?
My dd has school dinners everyday apart from Friday when they have their chips day. Her choice! Luckily the rest of the time there the food is pretty good, and she eats well without complaints.

@howlovely
So are you saying most people dont sit and have an evening meal as a family ? I have always eaten a main meal at dinner time all of my life and sit down with my kids and we eat together. Everyone I know does this ?

People who have fussy eater I am much more likely to get my fussy eating child to eat a balanced meal at dinner time as I can present it as he likes (not having wet foods touching etc) and encourage him to finish his veg etc which there is no way he would do at school and I am sure this is the same for many young kids. I would rather he ate sometime at school to keep him from being hungry through the day.

What about the kids on free school meals who don't like turkey dinner etc I can't believe kids all kids on free school meals aren't fussy eaters .

I do send them pack lunches most days.

The truth is most adults have simple lunches and usually only a few different options throughout the week and are happy.

I agree. I think it should be free lunch for all children. Sandwich or soup/stew followed by yoghurt and fruit.

I think your point about two hot meals (so one for lunch and one for dinner/tea) is also interesting because in many other countries where these universal hot meals are served, having a smaller evening meal is the norm. In the country where my DM comes from it’s normal to have a large hot lunch and then just a spread of bread, cheese, meats etc for your evening meal.

School dinners have always been controversial; I know I'm old but for the brief period of time that I had school lunches/dinners, they generally consisted of stewed beef, liver and bacon, steak and kidney, minced beef and very lumpy mash, with stuff like swede (Fridays were ok because we had fish and chips). What's more we were supposed to eat the stuff, I remember girls being in tears because of being forced.

I have to say that school dinners are now better, even if there isn't a great variety, generally children will eat them.

The important thing is the evening meal when all sit around the table, chat and eat.

Because then a lot of kids would have sandwiches every day, which isn't very healthy and doesn't do anything to encourage them to try new foods. We had a letter from our DD's school asking for any food allergies but saying otherwise children "would be strongly encouraged to try all foods." Sometimes she doesn't enjoy the lunch that much. I'm ok with that.

I don't understand why they don't have simple options like sandwiches, baked potatoes, soup and bread

Because they are trying to do it all on a budget of something like 2p per child and are not running a restaurant. More choice = more cost and more waste.

In my experience school lunch is designed to be child friendly. The menu for our school this week is things like spaghetti and meatballs, roast chicken and veg, chicken curry, fish fingers, macaroni cheese.

If your child is fussy that is not their problem.

I don't see why they have to a cake for dessert. Surely yogurt and fruit would be fine?

I work in a school and this really confuses me too. I remember sitting in an assembly where they were talking to children about healthy choices and at the end asked them to consider choosing the fruit instead of the cake at lunch - if you don’t think it’s something they should have don’t offer it, you can’t just make it the five years old’s responsibility to make the ‘right choice’ if the temptation is there Also ridiculous in my opinion to ban chocolate and crisps for packed lunches but then have cake on the school meal menu (whether or not it’s ‘reduced sugar’).

Give them a packed lunch then.

Make a pack lunch or have a light dinner.