Thank you to those of you who returned the menu leaflet evaluation form, which was enclosed in the Autumn/Winter 2009/10 menu leaflet. We had a fantastic response and were very interested to read all your comments about the service.

You might be interested to know that:

97% of respondents said they found it helpful to receive the menu leaflet

85% of respondents thought the photographs enhance the leaflet

52% of respondents said they felt the leaflet influenced their decision to opt for a school lunch

67% of respondents said their schools offered the pay online facility

49% of respondents said their school used parent mail

As you might expect their were a few comments or questions which appeared frequently on the evaluation forms, so we would like to take this opportunity to respond to them.

My children say the photos on the leaflet do not look like the meals on the plate

The photos illustrate the same portions that are served in Primary schools, however the presentation across the schools varies greatly. In addition your child may be served their meal on a coloured plate or indeed a tray, which will affect how the meal appears.

There's not always a choice of meals when my child goes in for lunch

We cook sufficient food to ensure all pupils booked in for a school lunch have a full portion, however without overproducing or a pre-ordering system, choice cannot be guaranteed until the end of service. We do encourage schools to rotate the order in which children go for dinner, however ultimately this decision lies with the school.

My children always say the portions are too small.

The portion sizes served in Primary schools are in line with recognised guidelines; Caroline Walker Guidelines and Hungry for Success. All our menus meet the government nutritional standards in full.

I would prefer the money was spent on the meal and not on a menu leaflet

The cost of a leaflet is less than 1p per child for the two menu leaflets that we produce each year, and as our evaluation shows, 97% of people responding found it useful to receive it.