Mid Cheshire children prepare to celebrate National School Meals week

Lunchtime dishes served at schools across Mid Cheshire have come a long way since spam fritters and lumpy mash served with an ice cream scoop!

Everyone has fond memories of school dinners and the dinner ladies who would serve you every day in the canteen and this week, at schools throughout the area, children will be celebrating National School Meals week.

It’s a whole week dedicated to the canteen food that keeps children well fed at lunchtime while they’re at school.

School dinners are now tasty, nutritious and carefully planned each day by hardworking kitchen staff to appeal to young appetites and hungry tummies.

Youngsters can enjoy meals that are prepared fresh each day with mouth-watering options like Chinese chicken curry and rice, pasta bolognaise with garlic bread and roast dinner with all the trimmings on the menu.

​Sticky toffee puddings, chocolate mudsliders and butterscotch biscuits are offered for dessert.

A typical weekly menu for children in Mid Cheshire (Image: Edsential) They’re prepared by dedicated kitchen and canteen staff across Wirral courtesy of catering company Edsential, which provides thousands of meals a day and millions of meals every year in more than 100 schools across Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East and Wirral.

The menus run on a three-week cycle and support sugar swap and juice free days as well as meat free Fridays and there is always freshly baked bread, seasonal vegetables and salad followed by fresh fruit and organic yogurt available.

They’re a real hit with hungry children taking a break from the classroom with youngsters in Early Years and Key Stage One entitled to free school meals every day.

They even have themed days throughout the year to enable children to try cuisines from around the world or celebrate special events like World Book Day and Remembrance Sunday.

National school meals week, which runs between November 11 and November 15, is an opportunity for school caterers to shout about the fantastic work they do every day of the school year.

It celebrates the tireless efforts of school kitchen and canteen staff who continue to serve up great tasting, nutritious food to school children despite increasing pressures amid the cost-of-living crisis.

As part of National School Meals Week, Edsential Catering will be celebrating its commitment to bringing fresh, seasonal, British-grown food to schools across the north west.

At Edsential, they believe that every child's meal should be both tasty and nutritious, with ingredients chosen for their quality, sustainability and ability to support local farmers.

This year, the campaign showcases the benefits of choosing British produce, from reducing food miles to ensuring the freshest, most flavourful meals for pupils and Wednesday will be British Roast Dinner Day.

Children can look forward to chicken, pork or gammon – chosen by each school – with sage and onion stuffing and apple sauce (if pork), cauliflower mornay, roast potatoes and mash, carrot and swede mash, peas and gravy with cauliflower mornay as the vegetarian option.

Jam sponge and custard will be the dessert.

Mid Cheshire children can celebrate British Roast Dinner Day on Wednesday (Image: Edsential)

Donna Canning, kitchen supervisor at Rudheath Primary School in Northwich, said: “Roast Dinner Day is my favourite.

“I love preparing the meat – it’s all about cooking it just right!

“Some kids hesitate with the vegetables, but we encourage them to try.

“Using local produce makes a big difference; it’s fresher and supports our community.

“Our team makes most of the food from scratch, and seeing those clean plates makes it all worthwhile!”

Catering assistants across Mid Cheshire provide thousands of meals a day and millions of meals every year (Image: Edsential)

Edsential offers pupil and parent surveys and asks schools to involve pupil council at the end of the year to engage with pupils' feedback on the catering service.

Pupils are asked to score a range of simple questions which cover food quality, food service, staff friendliness and food favourites.

One happy parent said: “The children love knowing what is on the menu each day.

“They love the roast dinners and jacket potatoes.”

Another said: “My children like that they get options each day.

“They eat foods they wouldn’t normally eat at home.”

A third said: “The meals are always fresh and delicious and every day is different.

“It’s easy for busy working parents as there are always healthy and varied options available on the menu.

“The school meals are good quality and good portion sizes.”