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Koray Ulgerli and Emirkan Onal ready for lunch |
More children choosing healthier school dinners
Pupils get a taste for nutritious meals after TV chef’s campaign
CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign to get children eating healthier school meals has proved a resounding success in Islington’s schools.
More youngsters are enjoying hot school dinners after the borough appointed a specialist catering company to produce more nutritious meals.
Since the new contract with Caterlink began in September, the number of children choosing school lunches has gone up from 106,760 to 112,341 – a 5 per cent increase over the same period last year.
And there has been an even bigger increase among teachers, with 32 per cent more choosing their lunches from the new menu. Rachel Parkinson, whose children Alex and Hannah attend Hanover School in Angel, said: “My two always had packed lunches, because a lot of the school food was processed. I don’t give them processed food at home, so I definitely don’t want them having it at school.
“Now things have changed. It’s all fresh and there’s a good choice with a lovely selection of fruit and vegetables.
“There is always the option of bread and butter, jacket potatoes and cheese, so the basics are always available.”
Caterlink was awarded the contract following a review of the borough’s school meals provision, when suppliers were invited to submit their proposals. Caterlink was appointed after meeting a strict list of requirements covering taste, nutritional value, hygienic production, good value for money and overall quality control.
Councillor Ursula Woolley, Islington’s executive member for Children and young people, said: “Things have moved on a lot since Jamie Oliver complained on TV about school lunches, but in our case it was the schoolchildren who we needed to listen to most of all.
“If the children are enjoying their lunchtimes and the food is good, then that will benefit not just their physical health, but their overall wellbeing and education.”
The lunchtime menu will still include many favourites such as pasta and pizza, filled jacket potatoes and vegetable pie, but international dishes have been added too. These include fruity lamb tagine with cous cous and mixed salad, mild Thai sweet potato and pumpkin curry, spicy beef wrap, salsa and Mexican potatoes. The dessert menu includes pear and fruit crumble.
Hanover headteacher Amanda Reese said: “I’m very impressed. The food is always nutritious and what the children want to eat.”
But Cllr Richard Watts, Islington Labour’s spokesperson on children, said: “It is great news that Islington kids are eating more school meals.
“But the council is only beginning to undo the damage caused when the Lib Dems brought in Scholarest to run our meals.
“The Lib Dems only took this issue seriously after years of campaigning from parents and from Islington Labour. Until then they were happy to feed junk to our kids to cut costs.” |
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