Primary school dinners question. How many fish fingers does your child get given?

[Pernickety]

Our county is supposed to have a different menu every 3 weeks. My children only have school dinners on Fridays because most children do, being the day they get chips! Even though other fish is advertised on the menu 2 out of the 3 weeks, my DDs (Y2 & Y5) always get fish fingers. And they get two fish fingers. Is this typical nationwide? Or is my county council, or school even, being cheap?

My class wax lyrically about the day that the kitchen cooked too many fish fingers and they were last sitting. One boy is legendary among his peers for having polished off 11.

17mo DS eats 4 at home.

Given that my packet of fish fingers describes a "portion" as three fish fingers, two does not seem totally unreasonable for a child-size portion, provided there is plenty of veg and carb to go with it. Unfortunately I guess that may not be the case (DD1 has given up school dinners as always hungry).

I'd be nervous of children routinely having 4 or 5. That's how much my cycle-commuting husband would have!

My skinny 7 year old always has 4 fish fingers at home. Can't believe they only get two at school

DS1 (nearly 9) has eaten 4 at home for about 3 years. He had 2 at school and I still need to give him a main meal which is adult-sized portions. He is like a rake. When he had his weight checked in reception the nurse wanted to refer him to the hospital as his weight didn't correlate with his height (tall and skinny ). I just laughed. I knew what he ate! He had always eaten a lot and I really don't know where he puts it. I am the same. Some kids just burn it off quickly.

Mine get two and have three or four at home and are skinny little things but very active. It's not enough.

It all depends how active your dc is.

I stand by my ds's 4/5 fish finger portion!! He is skinny.
I on the other hand have 2 or 3 and am fat!

My 5ft 10in, 15 year old DS1 only has 3 fishfingers at home - I'm a bit shocked at 7 year olds needing 5 TBH!

11 year old DS2 gets 2 fishfingers at school (and also has 3 at home).

Y5-Y6 don't seem officially to get more than reception. I think the cook swings it a bit. Honestly you ought to be able to pay a bit more and get a decent lunch.

And be warned secondary food is way way worse. Bacon butties, pizza and pasta seems to be all my lot have.

No idea about fish fingers, DD2 bursts into tears if you eat fish.

She says they should be swimming free and as we have tropical fish adds you can't eat your pets.

Happily eats all forms of meat

To those who are shocked at children eating more than three, that is much less food than a portion of fish.

No it's not Buskers...a portion of protein should be as big as your palm.

It also depends on the fish finger - some budget brands have very little fish in them - and the ones they get at school from the ship-it-in and keep it luke warm brigade sure as hell aren't lovingly homemade from prime fish fillet!! They are skinny, greasy, insipid orange things - not premium brands....

I wouldn't feed my kids this crap at home, so mine get packed lunch... yet today we will get 260 kids coming through and having "hot" food, for £2.30 - 2 fish fingers, 10 chips and a spoon of something resembling vegetables - followed by some pink yoghurt with digestive biscuit crumbs in it..... or fruit salad (mainly chopped apple) their parents haven't seen it, nor do they know how little they actually eat of it, and they wonder why the kids are still hungry, or tired after school.

For £2.30 each, my kids could eat packed lunch like kings - a lot of those kids will go home and have another hot meal later too... it must be costing parents a fortune....

Waitforit - I can just imagine the children talking about that legendary day. primary school children are so funny about things like that.

Startailoforangeandgold -

I have twice attended the 'parents join their child for a school dinner'. I had to pay £3.25 and was astounded to be served the same amount of food as my 5 year old daughter, who paid £2, but at the same time relieved since the roast potatoes were too hard (reheated?) to cut into and the brocolli cooked to death. I go on about this whenever there is a school dinner thread, but, why, oh why, can they not serve one pot type meals where the vegetables are part of the main course? Most children I know will eat more vegetables this way, and at least they retain some nutritional value and don't taste rank.

The size of school dinners is a big issue in my house at the moment. All years get the same amount. My DS's (both a healthy, normal weight for their heights btw) used to finish the plate in YR.

Which is saying something, as DS2 has the appetite of a sparrow, and is under a dietician because he has trouble maintaining a healthy weight and not becoming underweight.

Now they are in Y4 & Y6, they are ready to chew their own arms off by the end of school. The healthy snack thing makes it difficult, because anything that is 'allowed' by the school ends up being something that DS2 won't eat, and DS1 would need 6 of to satisfy him.

What I want to do us send them in with some protein and slow release carbs for break. But all they are allowed is a few prescribed brands of cereal bars (partly due to Healthy eating food police, partly due to the no nut rule), and ONE small piece of fruit.

I end up hiding things in DS1's bags, and he eats his chicken pasta salad in the wooded bit of the playground.

If a portion of protein should be as big as your palm, my DS1 with hands like shovels (he's 10yo and his palms are bigger than mine, and I don't have particularly small hands...) should be eating 1/4 of a chicken as a portion of protein.

He really DOES have huge hands and feet. He takes a size 5 shoe and wears adult size M goalie gloves...

And very active DC's SHOULD actually eat a larger portion of protein than their palm, according to my dietician.

Because DS1 does a LOT of sport, he gets through almost twice as much protein and veg as other 10yo's. And he has about 1.5 times the amount of carbs, yet stays at the same healthy weight.

A very sporty, active DC will need far more food as they are burning more calories! As long as it is good, healthy, balanced meals, sporty active DC's shouldn't get overweight if you tailor their food intake to their activity levels.

Obviously a very sedentary DC will need less food to maintain a healthy weight.

When I cook fish fingers, my DS1 will eat 5/6. At school they get 2. Or if they are unlucky and are in last sitting they might only get one and an extra scoop of watery insipid veg.

My DS1 wrote an eloquent letter to the School Council asking for the veg to be steamed rather than boiled as they retain more nutrients that way.

They didn't listen.

Oh, and the salad bar - they aren't allowed more than two scoops that are dessert spoon sized. DS1 would love to be able to have 3/4/5 scoops.

He says the main reason he can't wait for Secondary is because at least he has the choice of how much food he can eat.

My DC's have been brought up to think of portion sizes in relation to their activity levels, and that everything is ok in moderation. I just wish the schools would catch on to that message.

It makes me mad that Jamie Oliver has earnt the title of the person who has revolusionised school dinners. All that happened was he got rid of chips and turkey twizzlers. It doesn't mean school dinners are healthy just because they are no longer unhealthy.

Completely agree pernickety I have been paying £80 a month for my 2 dc to have school dinners. Prior to breaking up for summer term I had to go for lunch with ds as part of his transfer to juniors. I was so appalled at the food they put in front of me that I have stopped it and they now have sandwiches. Apparently it was meat but I couldn't distinguish what type, full of fat and gristle. I feel sick just thinking about it. Ds ate a Yorkshire pudding and the desert. No wonder they come home starving. It's a myth that they serve good quality healthy food. Well it is in my dc school anyway!!

couthy well yes...if he's a big 10 year old then he's going to need more than 2 fish fingers because his palms ARE bigger than that. BUt not many 7 year olds have big hands like that!

My DH for instance...he has MASSIVE hands and now and then when I have made a crappy supper of fish fingers and chips...I gve him 4 fish fingers and he'll eat it nd say "Right...what's for supper then...I've had my starter!"

They get 2. I'm seriously unimpressed with school dinners. I thought it was the best option to make sure my DS1 got a hot meal every day, but now he gets packed lunch 3 times a week, because the school dinners arent great. The portions for mains are piddly - they bulk it out with massive sugary puddings, which is great if you're 5 - but then they have the cheek to say 'no chocolate or cakes with packed lunches'.

dikkertjedap, Nooooo! They do not get fried? What kind of boll&cks is that? Some "healthy eating" paranoia?

DD is in Y6 and they get 2. They can sometimes have seconds of a third one.

Mind we only have 3 at home, sometimes 2 - that's me and DD. DH will have 4.

They are accompanied with potatoes and plenty of veg though, and there is extra veg for those that want it (they can have a big or small portion at their choice) and there is always bread and butter on the table too. Plus a dessert.