INDEX education Andrew Saunders. Food Theo Hutchings (below, for thought Discerning critic Theo Hutchings
to increase uptake of school dinners, and his company does this by offering four meal choices a day to primary school children, comprising a main meal and pudding, for a maximum of £2. Secondary school pupils have an even wider variety of choices, including homemade soups and pasta dishes, salads, wraps and baguettes, all made using locally-sourced produce. “We’ve also introduced new
software that allows parents to log onto our website to see exactly what their children are eating every day,” explains
left) from The Judd School in Tonbridge is probably typical of a teenager at secondary school: he is not enamored with the idea of making a packed lunch in the morning and having to lug it to school. He’s recently started using the school cafeteria much more, and is impressed with the variety of meal options available, including hot food, filled panini breads, and salads (which he suspects are more popular with the sixth-form girls at school...). “I particularly likes the soup, because we can buy it at breaks as well as at lunchtime, plus we can take-out hot food – handy as the canteen can get crowded.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, he is also a big fan of the homemade cakes. Older children can pay for meals themselves using the Independent Catering’s cashless payment system: “It makes it quicker to pay for your meal and my parents like it as there is a limit on the amount you can spend each day – this means the money lasts longer and you can’t buy food for your friends,” Theo explains. At Fordcombe Primary School, near Tunbridge Wells, hot lunches and desserts are also prepared daily to ensure quality and freshness. Zebedee’s Lunch Box, a privately-owned contract catering company, ensures that its meals are nutritionally analysed, with menus being approved by a pediatric dietician in addition to trading standards and local council. Food is transported
Andrew Saunders of Independent Catering
in temperature-controlled containers that stay hot until ready to serve, and the company successfully caters for over 150 establishments in the home counties and London. And at St James’ Junior
School in Tunbridge Wells, the importance of good nutrition is also considered to be paramount to children’s learning. Head teacher Andrea McGlew explains, “We use a company called The Contract Dining Company for our school meals. Our cook, Suzanne Stevens, is really creative and ensures our children have healthy, balanced meals. It is so important to feed young brains as well as bodies. Treats are inevitable – but they should be enjoyed in moderation”. Finally, if you own child
is not inspired to eat school dinners, you might like to approach his or her school with a more imaginative solution. A Kent school chef roused tremendous interest from children once he started serving meals with a difference. Chef Thierry Leory, who works at the New Line Learning Academy in Maidstone, launched a weekly exotic lunch project that saw dishes such as crocodile, zebra stew and frogs’ legs being served to bemused children. The idea was a great success, with children eager to sample the unusual delights and curious to know what was coming the following week. Parents, however, were less enthusiastic, as they were concerned that their meals at home might seem boring in comparison!
Star pupil: Dulwich Preparatory School, Cranbrook: Wilf Andrews
Wilf Andrews has been nominated as Dulwich Preparatory School’s Star Pupil for many reasons. Firstly, he is a popular pupil – an ‘all-rounder’ who is involved in many aspects of school life. He plays the piano and oboe, is a talented sportsman who shows particular promise on the cricket field, and he names his favourite subjects as Maths and English. Headmaster at Dulwich Prep in Cranbrook, Paul David, describes Wilf as a sensible, intelligent and engaging young man with many talents. When asked what he will be doing in 10 years’ time, Wilf says he hoped to be playing professional cricket. He also enjoys his music and is a member of the school jazz band. Wilf lives in the village of Benenden with his parents and younger sister, Constance. Out of school he enjoys playing hockey at Marden Hockey Club, playing cricket (he hopes to break into the county squad this year) and tennis. One thing he says he does NOT enjoy doing, however, is, “getting up in the morning”!
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Wilf (right) chats to friend Cameron
57
The INDEX magazine February 2012
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