Hot School Meals

We will be celebrating Commonwealth Day on Monday 9th March with a special themed lunch menu.

We believe that the meal experience at school should be something that the children enjoy and learn from. It is also a social part of the day and all staff are encouraged to eat with the children at lunchtime in the hall too! 

All our meals are freshly produced on a daily basis using the very best ingredients available.

• Fresh fruit and salad are available every day. 
• Our fruit and vegetables are delivered fresh every day whilst our meat is sourced from a traditional and local butcher and is farm assured as a welfare standard. 
• Over 50% of our food is locally sourced, and 30% of it is organic (subject to availability).
• We use Fairtrade and organic produce and free range eggs.
• In addition, in September 2019 we introduced a "meat-free" Wednesday onto our menu, as well as looking at ways in which we can reduce food waste and plastic use.  See why we have gone "meat-free" for one day per week below. 

In addition, we have special "theme day" menus throughout the year. These introduce the children to different cuisines and cultures.  For example, we have recently visited (via our taste buds) Mexico, China, France, the Caribbean, Italy and the USA!  And, of course, we also have the very popular Christmas Lunch (where the turkey is carved in front of the children). 

Our great team are always available if you have any questions regarding the service we provide or allergens. 

Menus work on a 3 week cycle:

Download a copy of the menus.

Food Education

In addition, our kitchen team support curriculum learning throughout the year - mainly through curriculum workshops linked to the topic for the term.  These include: 

• Touch, taste and smell (introducing the youngest children to a range of fruit and vegetables)
• Great Fire of London (including designing and making bread)
• Indian Spice Workshop (history of the spice trade, exploring spices and making samosas)
• Healthy Diet Workshop (understanding the food groups and food labels)
• Greek Food (trying traditional Greek produce and making pitta breads, hummus and tzatziki)
• World War 2 Rationing (explanation of how it worked and a look at what you actually got!)
• World's Kitchen (information of where food comes from, seasonality and ethical sourcing

However, the education goes further still. Our team also provide: 

• School assembly based around a balanced diet and the lunch menu.
• Healthy living workshops with the parents and children , focusing on sugar content , teeth and super foods
• Packed lunch information for parents.
• Fruit stations during sports day for the children and parents.
• Parents evening tastings and networking.

And from September 2019, we are also developing further educational workshops / information on the impacts of food production and waste on the planet; including introducing a "meat-free" Wednesday and educating the children why!

Looking at the Impact of Meat Production on the Environment

World Food Production

On average, an adult human requires 2350 kcal per day.  This takes into different ages, genders, sizes and lifestyles of the global population. Currently, average consumption is 180 kcal per day above this amount.  (UN Food and Agriculture Organisation).

At a global level, we grow 5940 kcals per person per day of food (2.3 times what is required for the current population). The chart below shows what happens to it (numbers refer to kcals per person per day).

Based on research published in There Is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years by Mike Berners-Lee

Global Population Data

* Projected figures from World Population Prospects, United Nations (2015)

This equates to 2 billion extra people to feed by 2050 (when current Year 4 children celebrate their 40^th birthday).

Carbon Footprints of Different Food Sources

This data is based on a 150g (6oz) serving – which is approximately equivalent to an average chicken breast.  The distance data is based on the assumption that an average passenger vehicle emits about 404 grams of CO₂ per mile (US Environmental Protection Agency).

Globally, human-kinds carbon dioxide footprint is 50 billion tonnes per year; 26% of this is from the food supply chain (Reducing foods environmental impacts through producers and consumers, 2018).  By comparison, 56.6% comes from burning fossil fuels gas, oil and coal (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Synthesis Report, 2007) for energy and transport.

Antibiotics

Two thirds of all antibiotics (61,151 tonnes per year) are used on animals – some of which makes it back to humans through meat and milk. Antibiotics are used to stimulate growth and prevent (rather than cure) disease. The result is that animals are developing resistant strains of diseases and passing those bugs onto us.

The potential impact of the collapse of antibiotics is a significant issue for the global population.