What do you do if your child's school dinners are really unappetising but...

[Snaf]

...you don't want him to be left out by being the only one having packed lunches?

Have just been to ds's school for a 'trial' school lunch before he starts reception in a couple of weeks. I was really, and I mean really, disappointed by the food. Not so much from a 'health' p.o.v. - in fact a plate of chips would have been quite welcome - but it was revolting. Grey, sludgy, tasteless. I could only manage a couple of forkfuls and I'll eat anything.

Thing is, I think school dinners are a good idea in principle and certainly don't want ds to be the only reception kid not having them. And I know it's school dinners and not Gordon Ramsay, but honestly, it was vile.

What would you do? I don't know any of the other mums to ask what anyone else is doing/thinking re: school meals. Am I being too precious and PFB about this? Should I just fork out for the grey veg and thank my lucky stars I don't have to make sandwiches?

do you want your child to eat tasteless crap every day? do you want to pay for it??

if he takes packed lunch others will follow suite

How do you know the others wond be having packed lunches?

May be other parents are thinking the same as you, they must have tasted them too when the visited.

Give him a packed lunch

I'm just wondering if I'm being a bit of a snob. Everyone else seemed to clear their plates

There will be other children having packed lunches. Send him in with nice food rather than forcing him to eat grey sludge.

I'd still stick to a packed lunch. Your post made me smile though - 'grey sludge' just as I remember good old school dinners over 30yrs ago. They were terrible then.

Go for packed lunches if you think your DC will do better out of them.

Longer term, do what I did. Stand for the board of governors, and once elected, work out with the school how to make them better.

Gah, I was really looking forward to not making any more sandwiches

TG, you're right. My school dinners always were awful, iirc. But I thought we'd moved on from overcooked lumps of broccoli stalk and grey, waterlogged noodles posing as 'vegetable chow mein'...