How many lunch options does your child's primary school offer for lunch?

[belowwdeckk]

Ours is a two week rolling menu with a different main meal every day. Jacket potatoes available everyday for those who don't want the main meal.

Private primary, 1 item, then all the variations of that to make it suitable for your child.

Is it the actual choices themselves? I’m looking at primary schools for my little one and have been surprised how unhealthy the food choices are …. (And I say this as someone who is by no means a super healthy eater…. )

Two. Main one with a veggie version of the same meal.

It’s not my kids school but mine. We are a tiny school and we have our own kitchen and chef. It’s a smaller space than my own kitchen though. We don’t have space even to offer jackets as well as the main meal. It’s a three week rolling menu and if you don’t like it you have to bring in a packed lunch.
The meals are amazing though - he makes everything from scratch (his curries are the best!) and even his pizza is homemade dough and tomato sauce.

Similar to you. One main option a day, plus a veggie option and some pasta or jacket potatoes for anyone who doesn't like the main option. One pudding option or fruit

Generally good feedback from DD, although I feel some of the pudding options are quite sugary (arctic roll for example 🤔)

Two meat based hot meals, vegetarian hot meal, jacket potatoes and sandwiches.

That sounds wonderful!

Ours is a 3 week rolling menu that changes each term - non-veggie or veggie option each day, different veg available each day, with fresh bread and salad also available. Jacket potatoes are also available each day with different fillings. DD sometimes has what's on offer, sometimes has jacket potato - whatever takes her fancy on the day!

I'd be annoyed by there not being an option for a packed lunch. That will be why parents are not happy. We had this at secondary school combined with 'family dining' which was overseen by teachers who didn't let them leave the table til they were all finished. It meant that lactose intolerant SEN DS was always eating lactose and had horrible digestive issues the whole time.

3 choices

• main dish
• vegetarian main dish (sometimes quien version of main meal other times different)
• jacket potatoes or wrap (fillings are grated cheese, cheese spread or tuna mayo)

They also have hot vegetables and salad bar options every day. They have a dessert with fruit or low fat yoghurt available every day

3 week rotating menu and food is cooked in house from locally sourced ingredients where possible.

Two a day, one veggie and one none veggie, today it was taco’s.

Two options. They offer vegetarian twice a week. If you are not into the food you bring a packed lunch.

DD5 at the infants school has a 3 week rotating menu. It is a main meal with a vegetarian option and then alternating jacket potato or pasta with tomato sauce as a 3rd option. Meals are the basic spaghetti, roast chicken, pizza, fish fingers, sausage, cottage pie, lasagne, veg curry etc. Served with vegetables and baked beans mainly and a dessert. Bread is also always available, as well as a fruit and veg salad.

Then DD9 at the juniour's school has a meat option, a veg option, a gluten free option or a jacket potato. As well as a side dish, vegetables and dessert. 2 week rotating menu. Meals are pretty similar - pizza wheel, mac n cheese, fish fingers etc.

@belowwdeckk no issue with the nutrition but it made them incredibly constipated!

3 week rolling menu which changes termly.

Meat and veggie hot meal option, or jacket potatoes with a choice of about 5 different fillings.

They are allowed to bring packed lunches if preferred, and in the juniors (year 3-6) you can also buy a school packed lunch.

The school I work at has one meal each day and no choices. Vegetarian adaptations are made for those whose parents have requested and any allergies catered for on an individual basis. It's a small school and kitchen staff quickly get to know the children. Years ago a jacket potato option was available but this was withdrawn because it created a lot of food waste.

just 2 options which isn’t great veggie and non veggie no jacket potato or sandwich options

4 week rolling menu. One meat and one veggie option per day plus a sandwich option. It states jacket potatoes are also available but DD has never mentioned or seen these y3

Veggie, meat, sandwich or jacket potato. So 4 options and they're on a 3 week rotation with some variation of fish n chips every Friday.

DS’s school have really cut back on the lunch options since last year to save money. Kitchen staff have been let go and the school operates a ‘heat from frozen’ offer prepared by staff like teachers, TAs and office staff on a rota.

Tbh it doesn’t sound particularly appetising- there’s one hot option like a curry or pasta (heated from frozen), one powdered soup choice and pre-packed sandwiches.

I am aware though that schools are in a difficult financial position and teaching and learning has to be prioritised over catering.

Excuse the crosses and circles, that's DDs way of letting us know which days she wants a packed lunch.

Halal meat
non Halal meat
Vegetarian
Potato
Packed lunch

This plus a sandwich option

DD's junior school offers main (normally cottage pie, roast dinner, chilli, chicken curry pizza, full English, fish etc), veg option (normally veg version of main or mac cheese, veg sliders etc), jacket with different topping, sandwich option. 2 different veg choices to go with whatever your having and then dessert. Kids can also bring a packed lunch

I live overseas. Kids eat a sandwich that they bring from home at 10am and fruit at noon, then a cooked lunch at 2pm. Cooked lunch is a 2 week rolling menu with no choices (kids can register as vegetarian or to have a low-allergen meal). There's always a main, a carb, a hot vegetable and a cold vegetable. Today it was bolognese, 50% wholewheat pasta, green beans and raw veg (presumably carrot/cucumber).

3 week rolling menu here with one main and one veggie alternative. Baguettes are available in the warmer months and jackets in the winter but there's a single filling choice per day on those.

We have to order a week on advance to avoid food waste.