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Original poster

Horrified by school dinners!

427 replies

WillieverlearnQ · 09/10/2025 11:22

I went to my daughter’s school yesterday for dinner with the parents. All they had was two scoops of mash (my daughter did say that it is usually just one scoop) the thinnest slice of turkey I have ever seen and a tablespoon of carrots with a drizzle of watery gravy. With a tiny pot of ice cream. When I was at school it was nothing like this.

She has been asking for packed lunches for a long time but I’ve always refused. But today and going forward I will always make her a proper lunch.

It just make’s you question what on earth is going on? How can that be a sufficient for a child at school for 6 hours. Also why on earth are parents paying £3 for such a terrible meal.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
9
BoredZelda · 09/10/2025 11:27

School dinners were never fine dining. Their role is to get the kids through the afternoon, not provide a gourmet experience. The law says they must meet some standard of nutritional value and they do. If your child wants a packed lunch then do that. School dinners are perfectly fine for those who want/need to use them. They are also free for a whole load of kids which is very welcome.

TheatricalLife · 09/10/2025 11:30

When I went it was chips, pizza, sausages and cakes. I can't even remember seeing a vegetable or fruit.
At secondary we had a tuck shop full of fizz, sweets and crisps which we could buy unlimited amounts of. It's ALWAYS been crap, just in different ways. I sent my two with lunch boxes.

TreeCake · 09/10/2025 11:31

My eldest DD starting complaining about portion sizes when she was around 7. When I found out how small they were we started to send her with a packed lunch instead.
some days the school lunches seem to be more filling than others.

Sugargliderwombat · 09/10/2025 11:56

Is she in London OP? They introduced free school meals for all primary but the problem was that the ks2 paid for meals used to subsidise the ks1 meals in a lot of schools, our school used to also top up the 'free' children's so that the budget / quality was higher. With falling budgets schools don't do this anymore. I know our kitchens company also give them more rewards if they come in under budget which is disgusting, children getting a couple of tablespoons of pasta and some tinned fruit is just unacceptable.

I will be sending my child to my school but will never insist he has the free lunches, they are awful.

PixieandMe · 09/10/2025 11:58

Just another example of an area in which we have gone backwards!

School lunches were all home cooked on the premises and plentiful in the 80’s.

Brickiscool · 09/10/2025 11:59

I work in a dining hall.in a school..so much food gets wasted..Most kids don't need more than the amount you have described. Half of them won't touch the carrots , the other half won't eat the mash.

There is bread and salad to help yourself to in addition to the main plus pudding. So kids that do eat more can get extra.

Sugargliderwombat · 09/10/2025 12:01

BoredZelda · 09/10/2025 11:27

School dinners were never fine dining. Their role is to get the kids through the afternoon, not provide a gourmet experience. The law says they must meet some standard of nutritional value and they do. If your child wants a packed lunch then do that. School dinners are perfectly fine for those who want/need to use them. They are also free for a whole load of kids which is very welcome.

I think the problem is that parents think they might have had better food than they had and just give them a light tea. If they think they've had a big jacket potayo with toppings, a side of veg and access to a salad bar they might only think they need some cheese on toast for dinner. But in reality they've had half a small potato a tablespoon of beans, a teaspoon of cremated peas and a quick glance at a salad bar that only has yesterday's congealed green beans and a bit of wilted lettuce.

SalamiSammich · 09/10/2025 12:02

Because profit.

Arlanymor · 09/10/2025 12:02

PixieandMe · 09/10/2025 11:58

Just another example of an area in which we have gone backwards!

School lunches were all home cooked on the premises and plentiful in the 80’s.

They were not. 1980 was when it all started to go wrong - Margaret Thatcher abolished minimum nutritional standards for school meals, resulting in an increase in the use of processed/mass produced food. I remember the 'Brakes Brothers' truck coming to my primary school once a week...

Original poster
WillieverlearnQ · 09/10/2025 13:02

We’re in Shropshire! It’s not just the portion size though it’s just generally poorly quality food you get better in prison. My daughter said it’s awful only meal she enjoys is pizza day. As soon as she gets in the car she’s crying saying she is hungry and keeps getting headaches.

Some of her meals below.

Horrified by school dinners!
Horrified by school dinners!
Horrified by school dinners!
OP posts:
ithinkilikethislittlelife · 09/10/2025 13:11

@WillieverlearnQ Those meals look ok to me 🤷🏻‍♀️. If they’ve had a good breakfast and have a good dinner when they get home I don’t see what the issue is?

MiddleAgedDread · 09/10/2025 13:16

I agree the quality doesn't look great but I think we've also lost sight of what's a healthy portion size for both children and adults! That looks like a decent amount of rice and roast potatoes for a primary school child.

CaptainMyCaptain · 09/10/2025 13:19

PixieandMe · 09/10/2025 11:58

Just another example of an area in which we have gone backwards!

School lunches were all home cooked on the premises and plentiful in the 80’s.

Not all schools have kitchens so this isn't true.

CaptainMyCaptain · 09/10/2025 13:20

MiddleAgedDread · 09/10/2025 13:16

I agree the quality doesn't look great but I think we've also lost sight of what's a healthy portion size for both children and adults! That looks like a decent amount of rice and roast potatoes for a primary school child.

I agree.

34ransum · 09/10/2025 13:21

This looks like an entirely normal portion size to me. I'd not be happy with ice cream at school though, I'd ask for fruit

ArtTheClownIsNotAMime · 09/10/2025 13:21

Those portions are fine for one meal for a primary aged child.

TheatricalLife · 09/10/2025 13:21

MiddleAgedDread · 09/10/2025 13:16

I agree the quality doesn't look great but I think we've also lost sight of what's a healthy portion size for both children and adults! That looks like a decent amount of rice and roast potatoes for a primary school child.

I was going to say that too. They do look a bit pathetic, but the serving size isn't bad at all.

Starlight1984 · 09/10/2025 13:22

WillieverlearnQ · 09/10/2025 13:02

We’re in Shropshire! It’s not just the portion size though it’s just generally poorly quality food you get better in prison. My daughter said it’s awful only meal she enjoys is pizza day. As soon as she gets in the car she’s crying saying she is hungry and keeps getting headaches.

Some of her meals below.

They all look absolutely fine?!!

GingerBeverage · 09/10/2025 13:22

Are you sure she’s actually eating all the food? Makes sense she’d be hungry if not.

HorseOnBy · 09/10/2025 13:23

I think portion wise that is fine for a 7 year old. The meals have to meet nutritional standards, you can always ask for a copy of it. I know at my son's school they had those portioned trays and they had larger ones for KS2 children.

I used to make packed lunches for Ds2, it is harder in winter because I wanted him to have a hot lunch. That meant experimenting with a wide mouth food thermos and working out how long things stay hot for and how long to cook pasta so it wasn't awful when decanted. I did provide a bowl for him to pour the food into.

Plus other children tend to pull a face at anything different than they had in their lunch boxes. You have to have a strong character to take the criticism of the child who brings in a jam sandwich every day. Ds had quite a variety of lunches but it is relentless thinking about it, having the stuff in and making sure no one else in the family accidentally eats what you had planned. Ds had a drawer in the cupboard and a drawer in the fridge specifically for his lunch ingredients.

manicpixieschemegirl · 09/10/2025 13:24

School dinners are largely cheap, processed, unseasoned slop - as evidenced by your photos. Packed lunches going forward.

Sunshineismyfavourite · 09/10/2025 13:25

They look fine to me too. Does your DDs school have a salad bar with bread that they can help themselves to as well?

If she eats everything on the plate then that should be sufficient for a child. Their stomach is the size of their fist after all so it looks like plenty to me. I'm not sure what you're expecting to be honest!

sunshine244 · 09/10/2025 13:25

Far better than the meals I got in the 80s. Primary school was only things like hotdogs, burgers (both exceptionally low quality), and a horrendously fatty breaded fish and chips.

Our high school literally only served chips and cheese. Plus puddings.

Pepsi4Eva · 09/10/2025 13:25

I think they look okay for a primary school aged child. Waffle faces and sausages are not terribly inspiring but perhaps more likely that most children will eat it.

My Dcs are in an independent school (seniors) and I have had many a lunch in their dining hall as I do some ad hoc work in the school. A hot meal is £5.50 on its own, a pot of ice cream is £1.90 extra and looks alot like the turkey dinner posted but perhaps 2 slices and with most likely a second green vegetable such as peas on the side.

Bearbookagainandagain · 09/10/2025 13:25

Your initial description doesn't really match up with the photos. From your update it looks perfectly fine, it's probably not great quality that's what you get for £3.