What did you dislike about school dinners?

[Shandan35]

I think my only complaint was that the sweetcorn was tasteless

Over cooked vegetables, lumpy mashed potatoes, dry sponge puddings, lumpy custard with skin on top, portions far too big, marrowfat peas, lumpy gravy, angry aggressive dinner ladies, dirty cutlery and greasy, smelly plastic cups made it all the more off putting. Apart from school dinners, I would say I’m obsessed with food and there’s nothing I don’t like to eat.

I liked school dinners.

I occasionally have school dinner type meals if I’m at a big scout camp or PGL (pre pandemic, obviously) and I love it. A huge part of the attraction now is being fed food I don’t have to cook and clean up after myself though

@DenisetheMenace

WednesdayWoohan

Disliked a lot of it. Especially as we were made to eat it all.
My dad was damaged for life. He didn’t like peas, but the nuns made him eat them. One forced his mouth open whilst another rammed the fork in!

That was abuse.

Nothing! I loved my school dinners.
I even loved the skin on the semolina! Trifle, suet puds, doughnuts with milkshake, chocolate concrete with pink custard, manchester tart, cornflake tart, lovely thick really white rice pudding & jam. I loved those days...the 70s

This. Although in the 60s. Really lovely casseroles, roasts, fish etc. My views might be skewed however by the fact that it was the only time we got a hot meal, and sometimes any meal at all.

There was a rule that you could refuse a food you disliked but once it was on your plate you had to eat it all.
The dinner lady misheard me say "no peas, please", & I had a miserable lunchtime trying to swallow peas without chewing or touching them with my tongue (which is impossible). What's worse was the headmaster used to sit with the children to eat his lunch & he'd sat on our table so there was no escape.

Smash mash and luncheon meat with “cheese”

Serving them.

I've realised as an adult that my mum is a great cook, but for some reason as a child I absolutely loved school dinners! The only thing I remember disliking were savaloys, but we could have normal sausages instead if we wanted.

The only time I wasn’t a fan of school diners was when cook dabbled in in an ethnically diverse menu, which on paper was admirable but in reality, fell short. Thankfully, sanity prevailed and fish and chips made a welcome return to the menu. School mash was the worst.

Oh my goodness, the mashed potato with black and gritty bits! That was the worst.

I hated the stews and casseroles, brown and looked like diarrhoea. My mum made stew at home and it was gorgeous, full of flavour and smelled nice. What a contrast. Everything in school dinners seemed brown then.

As for boiled cabbage - the smell permeated the whole school.

Friday was OK, fish and chips.