To think school could have changed the menu a bit?!

[Fluffyyellowduck]

Spring term lunch menu (primary) and there are zero changes from last term. 😬

There were a number of meals quite a few of us on the group chat were hoping would not still be on the menu as they didn’t seem to be popular with the dc.

It’s an Academy and they do their own catering. The head cook hasn’t changed and usually changes the menu each term.

Has anyone else’s school done this? It’s so frustrating.

AIBU to think they could have made a few changes?!

I couldn’t imagine discussing school lunch options on a group chat.
Is it really that frustrating that they aren’t changing their menu all the time? It’s a school not a restaurant.

You are being unreasonable. Send your children with packed lunch if its a big deal.

YANBU to feel however you feel but there will be reasons they've kept it the same.

I also can't imagine discussing lunches on the group chat behind "is it week one menu this week or week two/week three?"

*beyond

YABU. Why should they change the menu every term?

I would say with the cost of food going up and up and the amount lunch costs being fairly static that there is a chance the cook has come up with a cost efficient menu in terms of ingredients, prep time and cooking time and is sticking with it

It does seem a bit lazy doesnt it? You'd think they would change it termly or something wouldn't you.

How often do they get the same meal, do they at least have a three week rotation of the meals they do have?

Probable too that they've bulk bought a lot of the frozen ingredients when prices were lower.

I agree with @Spendonsend , also it's a school cafeteria not a restaurant

Our caterer tried to have a seasonal menu, making more use of different veg and fruit reflecting the time of year.

Our school change the menu twice in the school year. They have a summer menu that runs from after the Easter holidays until the October half term so a term and a half. And then a winter menu that does from end of October until Easter.

I don't even have the words to express how ridiculous you sound!

Our group chat is always busy, I assumed everyone’s was! School dinners are mentioned atleast 3 times a week if not more!

It's been the same menu since my eldest started primary in 2013.

They've cut a few choices over the years but otherwise same 3 week rotation for at least the last 10 years.

I thought the same - school budgets are so fucked, all staff are overworked, if your kids want a change make a packed lunch.

You could take them to a restaurant if you want more variety.

Probably budgets are super tight and the current menu set up works financially?

YABU they get what £2.20 per meal and have to turn a profit?

I can't imagine discussing it either.

Just send a packed lunch if it's not up to your perceived standard.

You’re clearly not aware of the logistics of changing the menu and the amount of time and cost that does into it. It’s not just thinking of different meals - it’s planning the recipe for each and determining how much of each ingredient is needed, then finding appropriate and good value suppliers for those ingredient, establishing allergens in each dish and ensuring students with allergies/dietary requirements are catered for, then determining how long it cooks to make the food and ensuring that it last well. Then you need to estimate how many students will actually like that option and consider the wastage (and inevitable parent complaints) when they don’t like it. On top of that there’s the inevitable issues with students with certain needs who have issues with change (food issues or ASD or ODD etc). Given all of that, it makes absolutely no sense to change the menu.

Clearly you don’t even have an issue with the menu changing as such, you have an issue with the meals you don’t like being on the menu - if they’d changed the menu but kept the meals you didn’t like then you wouldn’t be happy either.

Can’t decide what’s odder.

You giving a shit about this, or me not only reading but replying to it.

I'm in four group chats spread across three different schools. Two are lovely and chilled out. One is always silent. One is full of overinvested 'parent on the edge' types who are obsessed with every minutiae of their child's school life and do stuff like stand on the pavement outside school to wave the coach off whenever there is a class trip or get together a group complaint because a teacher sent the DC out on the yard when it was drizzling (and these are 11-12 year olds so not small children).

With kindness, that’s a bit sad

It is a shame schools now have to outsource catering but this has been the reality for several years and the reality is that private companies will have to make a profit. Few providers really will care beyond meeting the contract at the lowest possible cost. The hardest hit are children on FSM who really depend on the provision of an filling and nutritional meal. As for the school, most cannot afford their heating, teachers salaries and building maintenance so this will hardly be high on the agenda. An academy trust in a wider chain will be buying in bulk and looking for the cheapest provider- not really their fault when they are expected to run as a business.

As long they have various weekly rotations so it’s not as boring as bolognaise every Monday, roast every single Tuesday etc and the kids mostly likely the food then really who cares! Ours does change termly but there’s definitely some repeat dishes, presumably because the kids enjoy them. I wouldn’t have thought of doing a proper comparison! And our chat is pretty active (daily messages) but no one has ever mentioned the menu.

The school where I work doesn't even have a kitchen, our menu is decided by whatever the kitchen at a nearby high school is making. We follow their menu and the meals are driven over in hot trays to be plated up and dished out at lunch time.

I suspect it's because the menu they have right now is affordable and easy to prepare.

Send a packed lunch if your kids aren't happy.