The bigger picture.
City Catering, Southampton City Council's professional in-house caterer, is proud of the lunches we serve, which we believe offer excellent value for money and are a healthy option for your child.

Although school meals provide a small proportion of the total food consumption of any pupil in a year, we believe they offer a good nutritional balance which complies with the Government's new statutory standards for School Lunches, they introduce children to dishes they might not otherwise encounter, and enable partnerships with schools to make mealtimes part of the total learning experience.

Nutritional issues.
City Catering is committed to Healthier Eating and work in partnership with schools and the Southampton Healthy Schools Scheme, to promote the health and welfare of pupils.  We pay particular attention to the nutritional quality of school meals and our menus offer a balanced choice.

Making school meals fun.
Studies have shown that children who have regular access to nutritionally balanced meals are not only happier, but are also able to concentrate more.  Proper nutrition enhances children’s learning abilities.  We recognise the part that school lunches have to play in the development of children and our staff work hard to ensure that your child enjoys lunchtime.  We encourage children to try new foods and offer taster sessions in schools.

Our “Max” dolphin character, as featured on our weekly menu boards and parent menu guides, is used to encourage children to eat a balanced diet.

Your guide to healthier packed lunches.
We appreciate that some children prefer to bring a packed lunch, and, although this falls outside of our remit, our commitment to healthier eating is such that we are happy to provide guidelines to parents to aid the provision of healthier, balanced packed lunch choices.

Click here to download the School Food Trust guidance for packed lunches. 

Special Dietary needs.
We are able to support parents whose children require specialised diets.  Although our catering teams are experienced in meeting most dietary requirements, parents are requested to contact the City Catering Development Manager in the first instance on 023 8083 3108.   We will then arrange for you to meet the Development Manager, at a mutually convenient time and location, to discuss your child’s dietary requirements.  This allows us to formulate a diet specifically for your child.  Parents are asked to note that special diets cannot be provided without this procedure being followed.

Is your child entitled to a free meal?
If you require information regarding free school meal entitlement, please contact the Administration Officer at your child’s school, who will be able to guide you through the entitlement process.