Calling all veterans of school dinners.....................I need the court of Mumsnet.

[LadySherlockofLGJ]

DS is going to school full time in January.He has just brought home the menu until Easter.It is on a three week rotation.Here is this weeks.

Over to the court of Mumsnet

Monday
Organic Meatballs in Gravy
or
Vegetarian Stir-Fry
Rice
Green Beans
Sweetcorn

Peaches & Custard

Tuesday

Oven Baked Fish Fingers
Cheesy Egg Flan
Fresh Mashed Potato
Baked Tomato
Homemade Coleslaw
Homemade Lemon Drizzle Sponge & Custard

Wednesday

Mediterranean Chicken Pasta
Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta
Homemade Garlic Bread
Winter Salad
Fresh Broccoli
Homemade Currant Bun with Hot Chocolate

Thursday

Roast Loin of Pork served with Gravy & Apple Sauce.
Vegetarian Ravioli
Fresh Roast Potatoes
Fresh Cabbage
Carrot Batons
Homemade Apple Pie & Custard

Friday

Jacket Potato filled with Baked Beans & Cheese or Tuna and Sweetcorn.
Baked Beans
Peas
Frozen Fruit Yoghurt

Think it sounds fine, v similar to ds1. He loves the food!

Sounds great!

What's not to like?

Looks fine to me. Are the meals made on the premises LGJ?

No yoghurt or sandwiches and they get fruit at break time.

I don't know who the caterers are it comes under the auspices of Surrey County Council.

looks fine to me although someone told me that going to school would solve DS1's poor eating habits - he wouldn't eat anything from that menu

No, they are made at a school literally just down the road and whizzed up at 11.30 ish for 12.

Enid

I think it looks great, but being a school meals virgin, I wanted to make sure that I wasn't being easily impressed.

it sounds great but as always with these things what they say and what they are actually like are 2 different things...

Tommy

Peer pressure has worked a treat on my neighbours DD, so don't give up hope just yet.

I think it sounds perfect to me

Dh is a school cook, looks similar to the sort of things he cooks.

He makes them pizzas from scratch too - they love him

I have a year to work on him

I'm just having to decide whether DS will have school dinners. I had been prejudiced towards a packed lunch, but if it was that menu, I would be v happy.

that sounds fine to me, quite fancy it myself in fact....

Lucky you! Good for Surrey CC - organic meatballs....

Main courses sound good...but personally I think puddings that are high in fat and sugar should be an occasional treat

I can see I'm out of step with the rest of you however. I am so not a lentil weaver (dd gets the odd sip of diet coke and does eat crisps sometimes ) but really would baulk at all those puds!

Nobody else?

Kids need stodge, I think. DD1 has just bounced back from her first day ever of school dinners looking a lot perkier than when she toyed with a virtuous home made organic sandwich.

The desserts look a bit much to me, but most (all?) of them have some element of worthiness (apples in apple pie etc). I think it would depend on the portion size, and whether they're given only if kids have eaten mains? (But can school lunch ladies supervise eating that thoroughly?)

I am a bit of a lentil-weaver, though, DS1 has not yet had coke, and generally only gets home-made bits of worthy cake.

I think it looks like an excellent menu providing the food arrives fresh/hot etc.

As an 'oldie' with children of 10 and 6 I can tell you that they will get extremely hungry at school so will need the puddings to keep them going. They'll probably be hungry when they get home from school too so if you're watching their sugar intake be ready with either an early tea or some healthy snacks......

I agree hmc (although my DS wouldn't eat the pudding either!)We never have puddings here except on special occasions - usually just fruit and yogurt. Maybe it's because school dinners are traditionally more traditional IYKWIM!

I think those puddings are fine. I'm with MI on the 'stodge' factor, I don't think children should have low-fat diets, and think fruit sponge and custard is better than 'sweets' etc, because there is some real nutrition there. And the puds are balanced with proper main courses.

My one worry would be whether there is a lot of margarine - i.e hydrogenated fat - in them.

Personally, if it was occasional, I would give DS ordinary coke rather than diet because I think sugar is more healthy than the chemical sweetners.

Same here the main courses sound good but the puds are a bit too high in sugar and fat for my liking - yoghurt and fruit as puds and occsionally a 'proper' pud would be my preference.