School where all children eat school dinners

by Hammersmith and Fulham Press Office
13/05/2008

There were plenty of cries of 'Please Sir, can I have some more?’ when top chef Prue Leith joined Fulham children for lunch.

The BBC2 Great British Menu judge tucked into a liver and onion dish at Langford Primary, in Gilstead Road, to celebrate its culinary milestone of becoming the first borough community school to have all its pupils eating school meals.

All 240 children have a main course and dessert, which are devised in consultation with a nutritionalist, every day. And, judging by the empty plates, it is proving a big hit.

“I just love to come to schools where children love their food,” said Prue, who joined pupils for lunch in April under 
her role as chairwoman of the School Food Trust. The Department of Education and Skills set up the group in September 2005 to transform school food.

“We never go on enough about what a pleasure good food is and when children learn to eat healthy food, they love it just as much as junk,” added Prue. “These children are so eager for the lunch and rush down and eat their carrot, salad, mash potato, flan and quiche.  If children eat properly, they will concentrate better, behave better and achieve more. If children are badly fed, we condemn them to a less than wonderful life. They don’t grow properly, they can’t run up stairs. They don’t enjoy sport. We know overweight children get teased more. For these children this 45 minutes is the highlight of their day.”

Headteacher Anne-Louise De Buriane made the decision to adopt 100 per cent meal take-up at the school, which has 58 per cent of its pupils on free lunches, to ensure children were eating healthily. The school invited parents to taste the food, which is prepared on-site by Direct Services Catering, to ensure their support.

The community primary follows in the footsteps of four borough Catholic schools – Pope John, St Augustin’s, St Mary’s and Larmenier and Sacred Heart – which already operate the same system. As an extended school, Langford also serves breakfast from 8-9am. Sponsored by the community service arm of Chelsea FC, the scheme provides children with toast, cereal, yoghurt, fruit and fruit juice.

Seven-year-old Moeen said: “I drink milk every day in school at breakfast and it makes me stronger. It’s got calcium.”

Mrs De Buriane said the project was targeted at children whose parents wanted to go into full-time work, pupils on the children protection register and the school’s 68 ‘vulnerable’ youngsters. “There are certain children who are vulnerable because of issues of nutrition or attendance,” she added. “I get them to school on time because we give them breakfast.”

Midday meals supervisor Dina Breen knows all the children’s dietary needs and dislikes, and checks they are all properly catered for. “The children are having a nourishing meal in the middle of the day,” she added. “The parents must be delighted.”

PRUE ON THE COOKING CULT

“PEOPLE often refer to me as some kind of celebrity chef, but I think I am a celebrity greedy guts,” Prue said. “I just eat all the time. I like the Great British Menu because I think it’s about serious skills.It shows how talented you have to be to cook good food. But I do think there’s a bit too much telly about the culture of celebrity and an awful lot of cooking on telly, which is a bit mindless. It’s too fast for the audience to watch the recipe and write it down.”

Eight-year-old Courtney-Lee Bray gave the food a big thumbs-up. "I think all the meals are really, really good," she said. "The roast is my favourite. I think the school meals are the best thing I have ever had, better than fancy restaurants. It’s healthy and it tastes nice."

Saskia Dakin-Chery, eight, loves the roast as well. "On Pancake Day we also have pancakes with lemon and it’s really nice," she added. "One of the things we always have is fruit, milk and bread."

Daniel Bynon, nine, was busy tucking into the quiche. "I changed my school when I arrived in year three," he said. "In my old school they had junk food like sausages and chocolate sauce so it’s been quite a change but it’s actually better. My favourite meal is the cheese flan."