Why can’t they have basic fish?

[PleasePassTheCoffeeThanks]

School dinners. My DC never seem to have fish that is not deep fried, battered or hidden in a dish (covered in mash and/or sauce, broken down in small pieces).
Why can’t it be simply pan fried or steamed?
It is almost as if we don’t want DC to «see» the fish.
AIBU?

Hospitals serve plain fish as part of a mass catered meals. The smell is absolutely rancid, it permeates everything.
Apparently the fish is bland and tasteless.

Steamed fish is only edible when cooked to order. It actually is at some private schools but costs add up

Because cooking it in batter/breadcrumbs protects the fish and means it looks appealing even after its been sat on the warmer for a bit.

Cooking it in a sauce does the same thing.

The methods you suggest all require cooking to order, and not having things sat around waiting.

Suggest you pop down to school each lunchtime to stand and pan fry or steam fish to order for the kiddiewinks.

I wouldn't mind if DS had some breadcrumbed fish every now and then.

He has mackarel on toast a lot for tea at nursery and then smells fishy until bath time.

(I'm obviously happy he gets healthy teas but I have hyperemisis at the moment )

Beacauseisaidso that's what I was thinking- the smell!

A lot of schools don’t have kitchens on site so the food has to be able to travel.

Cos you cant cook it very well en mass. I would imagine they use large gastronom trays to cook and serve everything and doing big portions in fish would need to be steamed and it would dry out in no time under the hot lamps. No way would they be pan frying each fillet to order. Additionally, it would probably cost too much per portion. It's a school canteen with cooks not chefs.

I think the reasons have been well covered.
I feed mine fish at home.

I like my fish properly seasoned if its grilled and I doubt darling Doris is going to be marinating fish for 643466 children every week.

Let's be realistic shall we.

Ikea seem to manage serving up fresh fish (salmon and mash) from a mass catered cafeteria counter, and keep it delicious. It’s an indictment of how crap the food culture is in this country compared to similar economic status countries like France.

It’s mass catering, steamed fish also would go dry and flaky.

Haha are you serious?! Pan fried fish for school dinners? Do you have any idea of the volume they have to make each day and how tight the budget is for each meal!
Wow, just wow...

School meals accounts for a third of a childs food intake during the week and 0% of their food intake during the weekend. Plenty of other times to feed them fish that looks like fish.

I know its a popular combination but I've never thought baked beans and fish went together, anyone else?

I do peas, or if I can be bothered brocolli.

Stop them having dinners and do a packed lunch. You can send them with a tuna sandwich and sushi

Ok I have to admit, I didn’t really think about practicalities
Maybe some sort of stew but with chunks of fish? Or fish soup?
I just feel like fish has a delicate taste and it is a shame that it is too often hidden when served to children. When I say plain I mean with olive oil and herbs for example.

Beacauseisaidso: ^Hospitals serve plain fish as part of a mass catered meals. The smell is absolutely rancid, it permeates everything.
Apparently the fish is bland and tasteless.^

Why does it smell rancid yet have no taste? I thought smell and taste were linked?!

Fish pie works well for big groups and has chunks, or salmon in parsley sauce...

(We're currently applying for primary schools and I was being nosy at the menus online yesterday!)

It’s disgusting, expensive, and ITS A SCHOOL LUNCH... not a restaurant. Most important thing is getting the kids fed

I don’t think children would eat fish stew or soup OP... I myself at 25 wouldn’t

@PleasePassTheCoffeeThanks my four year DS would not eat fish soup or stew 🙈🙈🙈🙈 I wouldn’t either!

“Maybe some sort of stew but with chunks of fish? Or fish soup?”
Have you met the average British school child? Or, indeed, the average British adult!

@PleasePassTheCoffeeThanks however at nursery he did eat Salmon (fresh) and potatoes, tuna (fresh ) however they had 10 pre schoolers to cater for and they cooked fresh on site..... far cry to primary school!