Am I being a food snob?

[Haventaclue2]

Hi,

DD is starting school in September and I have been sent the menus to chose her first months worth of lunches.

There are two jacket potato options, a meat dish and a veggie dish. There seems to be the same 6-7 meals: burger & potato cubes, pizza & potato cubes, lasagna, fish and chips, tomato pasta & garlic bread etc. Desserts are a cookie, ice-cream, yoghurt, chocolate mouse...

The veggie options sometimes include some veg but I was expecting more fruit and veg in general, some days there is no fruit or veg at all and mainly carbs? I expected some peas on the side or an apple for example?

I always planned for her to have a hot meal at lunch as mum friends have always said how expensive and a faff packed lunches are and most of it can left anyway where as at least she'll probably eat all of the hot meal?

Am I being a terrible snob? 😳

Obviously its only one meal a day so its not going to do her any harm but the food at her nursery is so different it just came as a surprise?

@Ponderingwindow, not to derail the thread, but as a fellow 'food snob' to OP, could you give me perhaps some idea on how you do packed lunches? What do you prep Sundays?

I saw some people up-thread mentioning stews and soups, but don't really see that work out with very young kids (and surely they are less nice cold). Are there any kids bringing (luke)warm stuff in?

Our child is a brilliant eater now (olives, mushrooms, the works), but I am dreading when socialisation sets in and beige school food becomes the norm of the peer group. Our nephew suddenly started refusing food he had eaten his entire life, as all of a sudden it was 'yuck'.

I don’t think they’re too bad , always veg on the side. The school pack lunches look ok too , choice of filling in a roll popcorn or tortilla crisps fruit and veg sticks and a small piece of cake or yoghurt ? But then again I have a a child with food sensory issues so I’m not feeding him home made curry’s & salads everyday. I do think you’re being snobby sorry.

one day I saw pasta bake with vegetables in and cheese on the top , how is that unhealthy? Kids do need carbs?

People saying, 'Oh, there will be veg' - I wouldn't guarantee it. Our school dinners (where I work) are a sea of beige. The only decent meal with plenty of veg is the roast on a Wednesday.

@simiisme my DD reported two thin carrot sticks (my toddler eats more than that) and 7 peas recently.
mostly the veg is baked beans or peas and the salad is cucumbers. No salad bar or veg bar.

Exactly that

First world problem though isn't it...

I pack lunches for all my kids. Our school used to have homemade healthy food but it’s now all reheated processed stuff which isn’t healthy. Plus, teeny tiny portions followed by triple chocolate cookies, cake and custard. My kids were full of sugar and obviously still hungry. If they asked for seconds of the main they weren’t allowed but they could be given a piece of cake ?!?!
I’m all for packed lunches. Way cheaper than what school charges as well.

My daughter had school meals every day since reception. She’s just leaving year two now so no more free school dinners. To be honest, most of the time she has jacket potato with either tuna cheese or beans. I keep telling her she can have anything else on the menu, although she does enjoy her fishfingers on a Friday. Occasionally I let her have packed lunch, but from September, we’re going to have to decide what we want to do whether she continues to have school dinners and I pay for them or purchase packed lunch stuff for her to eat every day.

@pornyshroudofturin Mine is allergic to parsnips and beetroot. I had to check every single item each time they had a new menu.

Parsnip in a cookie would've resulted in a scene like the contamination one in Monsters Inc (and my poor kid would've been off school for days).

It highly depends on the school. I've worked in schools with a massive salad bar and lots of fruit and veg but mine ended up with one where it was frequently overlooked and was just s bit of cucumber and carrot

Sorry @Mumtobabyhavoc is this a joke? Pack a soup / curry / stew for a 4yo 😆. To eat cold? can you imagine what steamed veg would be like by lunch time 🙈

https://thermos.com/
These and other brands work great!
To each her own, though. 😊

When my daughter was an infants they did a roast 2 times a week, veg everyday.
lentil curry, and she loved it.
that was 8 years ago though so must’ve changed.
she’s at seniors now and won’t touch the junk on offer there. It’s terribly overpriced and all burgers and chips etc. a free school meal child can’t even get both a meal and a drink as it’s so pricey

Sounds limited. Our menu is more exciting. There is a full help yourself salad bar as well as fruit and yoghurt available. They also have fruit available for a morning snack!

Never heard of a thermos or similar? My son has taken hot pack up to school since day one. Whats unusual about a four year old eating soup, curry, stew or vegetables?

Before you criticise the puddings and apparent lack of fruit and veg, look at the recipes (our school dinner provider puts them online). Puddings are likely to have 1/3 of the sugar you'd imagine, and there's hidden veg in everything!! Eg: grated carrot in pizza base, fruit purées in puddings, parsnip/courgette/carrot/beetroot cake. Schools dinners are produced on a tiny budget and cannot accommodate much wastage, so whilst some children will happily eat quinoa and kale stir fry, others will only reliably eat pizza.

My DC's primary school provided a fruit snack at break time too (I think we paid 20p). My youngest child left primary a year ago, so I can't be certain they still do this.

It's also likely to be a 2-3 week menu rotation.

Are they offering the free fruit scheme? They usually get a piece of fruit in the mornings if that helps.

1. Yes you are a bit
2. Veg may not be mentioned
3. Most schools kids get fruit in their break.

👍 Packed lunches are an expensive faff.

DCs school lunches are listed like this but they also have an unlimited salad bar with fruit and veg that they can choose from with their dinner. They are always the same so they don’t list it.

I was surprised at the amount of processed food they offer the veggies though (we are veggie) eg quorn sausages, quorn mince etc

Sorry @Mumtobabyhavoc is this a joke? Pack a soup / curry / stew for a 4yo 😆. To eat cold? can you imagine what steamed veg would be like by lunch time 🙈

Reception aged DD has a Thermos food flask, and has happily been eating warm tomato/veggie/pesto pasta, soup, sausages and beans etc all year. Chicken souvlaki (wrapped in foil) also worked really well - stays warm for ages. 🙂

Michael Moore's documentary film, "Where to invade next" 2015, explores among other issues, the food that French schoolchildren receive as a matter of course.

One reviewer's quote: "Gourmet school lunches in France at the same cost as mac and cheese, dogs and fries, in the US."

“What country has best school lunch?

France is leading the way when it comes to nutrition and healthy school lunches! Instead of processed foods that are loaded with preservatives, French schools offer gourmet meals full of fresh, flavorful ingredients.”

*
I recommend viewing. Maybe we could start a campaign showing this information, and (shame) and pressure parliament and our MPs to increase funding for better quality food and proper culinary training for kitchen catering staff. Get Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver onboard, too.

In Japan schoolchildren also receive nutritious meals.

"Why are Japanese school lunches so good?

Everything is fresh and well-balanced.

“Each meal is designed to have around 600-700 calories balanced between carbohydrates, meat or fish and vegetables.”

School lunches in Japan are made fresh, using whole foods instead of frozen or processed food, to preserve the original nutritional value of the food."

See individual articles and videos in this search:

https://www.google.com/search?q=japanese+schoolchildren%27s+meals&rlz=1C1GCEA_enGB1049GB1050&sxsrf=AB5stBiRQET-OD8sDCBdia0UR9YGvsy2TQ%3A1689934099824&ei=E1m6ZMfwMdKEhbIP1ciB-Aw&ved=0ahUKEwiHxtqNx5-AAxVSQkEAHVVkAM8Q4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=japanese+schoolchildren%27s+meals&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiH2phcGFuZXNlIHNjaG9vbGNoaWxkcmVuJ3MgbWVhbHMyBxAjGLACGCdI5RxQkARYkARwAXgBkAEAmAFIoAFIqgEBMbgBA8gBAPgBAcICChAAGEcY1gQYsAPiAwQYACBBiAYBkAYI&sclient=gws-wiz-serp

As others have pointed out, a thermos flask works perfectly.
With the advantage that it’s nit so hot they risk burning themselves when they are little. But still hot enough to eat and be enjoyable iyswim.

And yes we found one with a wide neck to it was easy to open for the dcs too.
Curry, chili, stews, all go really well in a flask. And are appreciated by dcs.

Brocoli and kale aren't expensive, especially for the amount each child would be served as a portion - but sugar snaps? I can only afford them once in a blue moon at home. It's not realistic to hope the school will offer them.

I have to say though, although my 6 y/o granddaughter's school meals are pretty good nutritionally, the portions they're given are tiny. Like ONE very small sausage or slice of chicken, a small (ice cream scoop sized) portion of potatoes, rice or pasta, and whatever veg they've got. My granddaughter is tall for her age, very, very active, not overweight. She is always completely starving after school, so we try to make sure her meal is pretty much ready when she gets in. They eat at 11.45 at school, so no way she could wait until after 6pm when all adults are home/ready to eat.

It means she also needs a 'supper' before bedtime. Bananas and milk are a great evening snack as easily digestible and help with sleep.