Spaghetti bolognese, salmon and broccoli crumble and roast beef…These are some of the tasty dishes served up by Cambridgeshire Catering Services (CCS) for the county’s school children.

CCS has the mammoth job of providing healthy school meals for over 200 schools In Cambridgeshire. The service, which is part of the County Council, prides itself on providing delicious nutritious meals for children all over the County that would be the envy of most people’s dinner plate.

The varied meals are designed to include a high proportion of traditionally made dishes, fish, freshly baked bread and hot desserts. In many schools CCS has introduced salad bars, where children can help themselves to fresh salad and raw vegetables helping the children achieve their target of five portions of fruit and vegetables every day.

Locally sourced food is used where possible, for example, apple juice produced in Cambridgeshire, meat from Norfolk and Suffolk and fruit and vegetables when in season from Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.

CCS’s mouth-watering menus are developed centrally to meet the stringent government food standards for school dinners that became statutory from September 2006. Hilary Witt, Head of Catering and Cleaning Services, said: ‘We were already focussed on health and are already prepared for further government requirements in September 2008.

‘We use a nutritional programme to enable all our menus to be nutritionally analysed and are able to give this information to schools to assist with OfSTED inspections. It is important to work with schools to develop an overall food policy and to seek a whole school approach to the health and well-being of young people.’

CCS has been working hard to tell parents about the high quality and great value that the meals represent. Leaflets are regularly sent home to explain how the meals are produced, and the range and choice of dishes on the menus. In addition the website has been upgraded, with a link to the Cambridgeshire My School Lunch website.

The service has recently taken on a Health Promotion Manager to encourage school meal take up and to help schools support the Government’s healthy schools standard.  Jenny Weston, the new manager said: ’Children can be reluctant to try new foods and repeated exposure to foods can help broaden their diet.  We also work with the schools to organise taster sessions for children to try new dishes.’

The service is also keen to engage with parents on healthy eating.  Parents are being given the opportunity to view the summer menu in advance. Jenny said: ‘ the menu plans are a good way for parents to see what food their children would be eating’.  Some schools also arrange a special day for parents and carers to come and eat with their children giving them the chance to taste the meals for themselves.

If you want more information on school meals contact Hilary Witt, 01223 717948, or Jenny Weston, 01223 7177968.