To think banning fried eggs is a step too far?

[NameChanger2026]

Whilst I agree with most of this, what’s wrong with an egg in decent oil?

The main cost would probably come from setting up proper in house kitchens again. Ongoing, I’m not sure it would actually cost much more. Strip out private companies trying to maximise profit over quality. There’s an instant cost saving there. Secondly, stop so much choice. A previous poster showed the massive (low quality) choice. Offering one meal (with a veggie option) reduces waste. There’s another cost saving. I can’t believe that offering lots of pot noodles/pizza/sausage rolls etc works out much cheaper than, say, everyone being given pasta with a healthy veggie sauce.

ETA : it would also have the benefit of reducing packaging waste. Pre packaged UPFs in schools must be producing a ridiculous amount of rubbish.

I'm fortunate to work in a brilliant food room where we teach proper cookery. Unfortunately most schools just don't have the budget for it. It really should be a national priority in my opinion, students get so much of out it.
But it doesn't help that a significant chunk of kids are coming into year 7 without even the most basic kitchen skills. The first half of year 7 is just drilling into them to remember that knives are sharp and ovens are hot and teaching them how to wash up. So it really does need to start at home.

I’ve worked in schools for 20 years and I’ve never seen a fried egg, let alone a poached one !

Pretty terrible offering there IMO and why so much choice? I’m a bit shocked. Limit the choice and reduce cost as less waste for a starter. I don’t even know what a pasta pot is I’ll be honest!

I may be older and old school but they need to stop this pandering to choice and focus on nutrition but nice to eat dishes. I mean a good restaurant will often often a set menu with 2 or 3 choices which is enjoyable and good value. Good food can be really enjoyable.

Why can't they use butter instead of oil?

Cost. Oil is cheaper - and you can bet they use the cheapest oil that is fit for human consumption.

If anyone is frying eggs en mass they are likely to be cheap eggs cooked in cheap oil. Kids don’t need to be eating fried anything in school. If you must have eggs, scrambled or poached is better.

Also oil would allow a meal to potentially be the vegan option or the allergy friendly option depending on what else is in the food. I can see why they use it. A healthy oil would be best but more expensive, and the likelihood is it's a cheap one.

I use olive oil that actually reduces colestoral.

Only in comparison to saturated fat or other (worse) oils. Whole food fats are better at lowering cholesterol than olive oil. No oil is better.

Unless the child is learning to cook, in which case great as meal planning is part and parcel of it, I don’t know what’s to be gained by asking a child to plan dinner or whatever and I think it’s good to learn that sometimes you are just given food without choice like if you’re a guest. Or if school meals were fewer but better quality choices then the child’s expectations of having choice would be less.

I dont eye roll at you … getting involved in learning how to plan, ingredients, time needed, balance of nutrition is essential especially if it is no longer taught in schools 😊

I think you’ve expressed that very well comparing the asking and telling.

My child isn’t a guest though, he’s part of the family and he can be trusted to make sensible suggestions, so if I’m wondering what to cook and there is a choice and I’m not bothered about his answer then it’s perfectly fine to offer a choice.

I asked him this weekend if he wanted a roast or lamb casserole on Sunday and he chose casserole.

Call the eggs ‘pan fried’ instead of fried and all will be well😅😅

Expensive, requires refrigeration plus low burning point.

I don’t think a lot of parents know how poor school dinners are. Chicken drumsticks served to 4yr olds not cut off the bone, school dinners need to be at least a little child friendly and recognisable. Why can’t they have pizza or fish & chips on a Friday. Even if they do the portions are so small. 1/2 a jacket potato for an 11yr old who is bigger than some of the staff. Fruit cup was 2 slices of apple. But school can say they are having fruit!
The more restrictions put on the meals the more children ( who have to have school dinners as packed lunch has been removed) will just not eat. It’s not the right way forward.

I just spray the bottom of the pan with that one cal spray for fried eggs. I cook scrambled eggs in butter, with a dash of cream. So, what’s better?

Breakfast clubs provide carby crap.

They generally offer long shelf live processed foods. Cheap cereals & bagels. Even when i need the before school childcare i give my DC breakfast at home first rather than the crap at breakfast club.

it would be much better if they offered boiled eggs, porridge. They dont as both involve cooking.

We were brought up on the old traditional meals back in the 50s and 60s. Mum cooked from scratch, cottage pie, steak and kidney pie, chops, chicken roast, lots of casseroles and stews in the winter, rarely did we have anything fried. Vegetables were only ever seasonal nothing fancy and hardly any choice of what was available. I remember the first time mum bought a tin of Jolly Green Giant sweetcorn to try, we didn't like it so she never bought it again. I do eat it now though.

Our school dinners were on the same lines and vegetables were usually carrots, cabbage, butter beans (hated them at school) and brussels sprouts.

I quite liked school dinners as an infant and junior school kid but stopped having them when I was about 14 and went home for lunch instead.

Mine says school pizzas are disgusting.

But i do agree portions need to be appropriate, its daft giving tiny 4 year olds the same portions as an adult sized 12 year old.

I don’t need a policy change as my DD has a reasonably healthy lunch.
Sadly many others don’t.

But they have to try.

Why? Schools aren’t the social care of last resort. Agree with minimum standards but this is ridiculous.

The worst thing about a fried egg is likely the forever chemicals in the non-stick pan that will likely be used.

But otherwise, eggs are phenomenal and I eat almost two dozen of them every week.