The first pic is from last week and the second from today. The pizza in the first pic was alright but I'd have enjoyed more than 1 croquet. I'm a growing kid and I need to concentrate all afternoon and I cant do it on 1 croquette. Do any of you think you could?
Food-o-meter- 6/10
Mouthfuls- forgot to count but not enough!
Courses- main/dessert
Health Rating- 4/10
Price- £2
Pieces of hair- 0!
Today's meal was on the menu as Cheeseburger and ice cream/biscuit but as you can see I got an ice lolly. I prefer ice cream. I wish they had stuck to the menu. I did get 2 croquettes though only 3 pieces of cucumber when I said no thanks to the peas.
Food-o-meter- 7/10
Mouthfuls- eating and counting and chatting to friends is hard!
Courses- main/dessert
Health Rating- 2/10
Price- £2
Pieces of hair- 0!
The good thing about this blog is Dad understands why I am hungry when I get home. Today he made a Banana Loaf, shame I don't like bananas, see I am not perfect!
VEG
Mmm.. I am impressed by your blog but very unimpressed by the quality of your school lunches. One croquet? Outrageous!
ReplyDeleteI'm hungry just looking at this! Well done on your blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I found this blog and I'm really looking forward to reading more, but those lunches are pitiful!
ReplyDeleteI talked to my 9yo. She has packed lunch, but says dinners at her school are bigger and better - and only £1.70 (London). 5yo has packed lunch too. She only gets 10 minutes to eat it, so I don't put much in it - sandwich, fruit and a small cake. They only have a small eating area and have to fit in several sittings.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to say that your school dinners are smaller than mine used to be when I was a child (30 years ago). But there is a pleasing lack of lumpy mashed potato, pink custard and tapioca (or frog spawn, as we called it).
Keep up the blog - it's fantastic - we all enjoyed reading it :)
10 minutes seems pretty short! Is this so she can get to a club, or to get the next sitting in??
DeleteIt's because they have a large school and only a small dining area. They need to fit in two or three sittings. The children sit on a carpet and have to wait for the first sitting to finish before they can get a seat.
DeleteIt's a nightmare for the dinner ladies. They end up getting cross with the children, telling them to 'hurry up' and 'eat your lunch'. This is very confusing for the 5 year olds, as they think they have to eat all their lunch AND finish in less than ten minutes.
For a few weeks my 5 year old didn't want to go to school, because of the 'horrible dinner ladies'. So, I reduced the amount in her lunch pack, and told her she didn't have to eat everything in it if there wasn't time.
My partner (who worked as a primary school teacher in East London) has informed me in the past that schools in London have some of the highest funding levels in the country, especially the schools with poor performance. It's probably one of the reasons for the better quality meals.
DeleteWhat a brilliant blog idea...love it.
ReplyDeleteShame they're not giving you more proteiny hair though huh?
S
This is a great idea. Please keep it up. It could bring down the government. Seriously.
ReplyDeleteAs bad as they look, my school lunches were just like this when I was young, only, I had more sugar and custard.
ReplyDeleteThose were the days, when lunch was prepared for you!
What a pathetic serving. My toddlers eats more than that. No wonder teachers moan about children's lack of concentration.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog btw x
This really concerns me that this is what kids are having dished up to them for lunch. Coming from a country where school dinners don't exist, the whole 'school dinners' concept is a bit foreign to me. Keep going with the blog, it's really good.
ReplyDeleteexcellent blog... keep it up and let's see how dreadful school lunches really are!... http://belleaukitchen.blogspot.co.uk/
ReplyDeleteGood blog, but that's not enough food! And it doesn't look very nutritious. You need lots of calcium at your age, otherwise you'll get brittle bone disease when you're older! Couldn't they give you some cheese or yoghurt or something? (The cheese on the "cheeseburger" doesn't count.) Or an apple? Or a bit of salad?
ReplyDeleteYour meal costs around 30p to produce, so I don't know where they are getting their £2 price from! I recommend taking a packed lunch instead, with a budget of £10 per week you could feast every day!
ReplyDeleteYou need to do an Oliver Twist!
ReplyDeleteWelcome t the world of blogging!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, all you receive is this? I've just asked my 9 yr old to confirm, and she said that about what she used to get. We changed to sandwiches this year. I thought you had to receive 3 of you 5 a day. Blimey!!
Well, I'm a big eater so the servings DO look kind of small. I don't know if you like vegetables, but I'd sure like to see more of them to balance everything out. The pictures are great, thanks for blogging!
ReplyDelete--Al-
A well written blog with good examples and clear photographs which served to make me hungry. When you meet a careers advisor tell them you want to be the next Egon Ronay (Google him if you're not sure)!
ReplyDeletei would still be hungry if i ate both of those in one day. :-( It doesn't look like they spend very long preparing it either. That's a lot of money for not a lot of food or attention!
ReplyDeleteThat's rubbish! I know school dinners aren't usually all that great but this really is a bad effort - barely anything there (especially for £2!) and not very nutritious! Hope you see some change soon, keep up the good work on your blog! x
ReplyDeleteMove to France! Growing kids get a decent 4 course lunch every day. Nice blog, good idea, well done.
ReplyDeleteMyth. Sorry. I live here in France and that simply isn't true. Perhaps the quality of school lunches is better, but four courses? Just no.
DeleteWell-written blog Veg! I almost have difficulty believing it's a primary school student writing it (I'm a secondary school teacher and half of my fourteen-year-olds can't string together a sentence nearly as well as you) but am prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt :) Will be watching with interest!
http://ferretfoodandwines.wordpress.com
Hi, my 4 kids were at a small rural school in SW France for 6 years and they DID get freshly prepared 4 courses(salad/soup, main course with veg, a pudding of some sort or choc dessert and of course cheese or yoghurt). The food was prepared by one lady who grew all the veg in her garden and the school had their own chickens for the eggs! The kids at the nearby town school 13km away did not get this so I think it depends on each school. We were VERY lucky.
DeleteWell done VEG :), really good blog!
Miss Veg, Welcome to the world of words, I'm enjoying reading you in your blog. When are you going to visit us? Remember you can use a dictophone as well as a camera, sometimes recorders tell us undiscovered information. Proud of you. Catalina
ReplyDeleteThat is disgraceful! How do they expect kids to keep up concentration with that food? Back in the late 70s early 80s I had a full meal. Your school authorities should be ashamed of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI can make a simple meal from a supermarket, nachos burgers & rice for less than £2. And it would flood your tray.
Well done you making this blog. Eye opening.
Great blog! I have a son at primary school who has packed lunches - I found the photos really shocking. Not enough food and definitely not enough good stuff - where's the veg??
ReplyDeleteThis is awful, not very healthy or fresh looking. I don't think this is enough food for you in the middle of a day at work (which is what school is). My son is Year 6 (he's 11) and takes 2 wholemeal bread rolls with butter, cheese and lettuce, one Soya pudding, one apple and a carton of orange juice for packed lunch. That doesn't cost £2 and it's more and better food!
ReplyDeleteFantastic blog! I wish somebody had been there to challenge inadequate lunches like this when I was aat school.
ReplyDeleteFantastic posts - you'll make a great teacher! That is a diabolical amount of food, my 4-year-old east more than that. Send your blog to the head, the papers, the LEA.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up.
What a great idea for a blog. Just out of interest, are your meals provided by a company called Edwards and Ward?
ReplyDeleteKeep it up! You're in a unique position to tell us about your experience of school dinners. I wonder what Jamie Oliver will say when he sees this...
ReplyDeleteYou'd get much larger helpings at our school, and a proper plate.
ReplyDeleteGood clear photos.
Is this really the size of the meal BEFORE you begin eating. If so, the serving of sweetcorn is a bit of a joke really.
Great blog! I'm apalled at the standard of your lunches!
ReplyDeleteI'm speechless!!! This makes me think school dinners in my day were not all that bad!!
ReplyDeletePacked lunches are the future ;-)
Who on earth would put a croquet with pizza anyway?! Certainly not the Italians! At the school where I teach the children sometimes get macaroni and roast potatoes, which is just as weird.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow I hope they give you steak, or something you enjoy just as much.
I like how you write. Keep it up you're going to effect some big changes with your blog.
ReplyDeleteThe most attractive part of those meals is the clever plate.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a blog. I like the mouthfuls count (& also the failure to count, which makes me grin).
And my son will definitely be having packed lunches! Well done future journalist!
ReplyDeleteIs that ALL of your lunch? It's appalling. No wonder you're hungry when you get home. I used to hate school lunches, but they weren't as pathetic as this. And £2 is daylight robbery.
ReplyDeleteAt least you get lunch....!
ReplyDelete...in exchange for L2! Not such a great deal.
DeleteBrilliant! Enjoyed reading this. Good on you for doing it. It's a real eye-opener on school dinners in this country, can't wait to see what you post next! Good luck with it :)
ReplyDeleteA great blog, well written. But I was shocked about the quality and the size of the meal! Looking at this I think the school shouldn't provide any more meals. That would be more honest and it would alarm the government. I hope someone of them is reading this and is similarly shocked.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Germany!
I went to school in France and they did manage to give us starter, main (and a proper one - i can't remember pizza ever being on there... Although the pizza they served you is virtually unrecognisable!), salad and cheese (yup!) and then pudding. I can't imagine it having been expensive because my mum never moaned about the cost!
ReplyDeleteMy eldest is about to start school and oh my, i'd be gutted if that was what she'll be served.
Keep the posts coming, Veg... It's an eye opener!
This is especially sad - many families rely on school dinners to give a full meal to their children during the day, and this is just disgustingly pitiful. I certainly remember getting a lot more when I was at school, and on proper crockery no less. That picture shows privatisation of school dinner provision has put the actual product and customers last, whilst providing money to the people who make those expensive, fancy and insulting moulded trays, the companies that provide the dross that you have to eat, and the companies that prepare it all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other comments - your school is failing to provide proper meals and should just stop. Sadly, I know that in the past they probably did, until budgets cuts forced them to outsource.
Please keep on posting the pictures, and hopefully other children around the country will join in too, until the government is forced to fix this sickening situation.
That is an awful excuse for a lunch. If I were you I'd try and get up ten minutes earlier and make a packed lunch. And I'd also get a petition going to urge the kitchen to provide better food.
ReplyDeleteI think what you are doing is brilliant Veg. I used to be a junior school teacher, but now I work from home as a Cake Decorator. I am so shocked and saddened to see what you are served as your dinners...how on earth you can concentrate enough during afternoon lessons beats me. Have you thought about talking to your school governors about this, or your Local Education Authority or MP? My daughter often wrote letters about things she was angry about at your age, and often it works. Lots of my friends are talking about this on twitter tonight, and we all think it's terrible.
ReplyDeleteI expect your family are really proud of you. We're all proud of you for telling us about it. Love from Quirky Cookies
Well done you :) will be following with interest... I'm a primary school cook (in North Yorkshire) and I am quite horrified at the portion size and quality of food! Keep us updated xx
ReplyDeleteWell done you... will be following with interest! I'm a primary school cook (in North Yorkshire) and I am horrified by both the portion size and the quality of food... keep the blog up please! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog, well done!!!
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else on here, I think that the quantity looks pathetic, and it all looks very dry. I remember complaining about my school lunches but, at least they gave us decent quantities and proper plates.
OMG! totally speechless at the paltry servings for your lunches. They are truly appalling and don't look very appetising either :( Great blog shame about the lunches. Fire up the troops and fight for bigger portions and nicer stuff to eat.
ReplyDeleteWell done for starting this blog. I'm a teacher and am often shocked at the rubbish lunches they serve the kids. Great idea, great blog.
ReplyDeleteI thought school dinners were bad when I was at school (in the 1980s) but at least then we had proper plates - that looks like something you'd get in a prison!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the blog, it's a great idea and I hope you get some nicer food to write about soon!
Genius! Although I'm quite jealous of the lollipop!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant blog. Going to follow it closely.
ReplyDeleteWell done for highlighting the issue in your school. For the sake of balance it's not like that everywhere though. This is what our children get for their £2, and there are many other schools where lunches are of much higher quality than yours. http://www.holytrinityhalstead.com/lunch-menu
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
I would like to say this is not typical of all school dinners across the country!
ReplyDeleteThis is a very poor show compared to those I have seen in my neck of the woods (much bigger portions and lots of veg)
It's not just the portions - it's the nutrition. Refined starch + refined starch + sugar, with some tiny little bits with protein and vitamins. Is it any wonder kids get hyperactive and sleepy?
ReplyDeleteGreat blog though, Veg!
Dear god! Why is half the plate empty and the rest taken up with cutlery?! Keep up the blog, other students need to know they're not wrong to expect better, and parents need to know they/you are being ripped off. Good work, hope you get improvement soon! x
ReplyDeleteI work in a school and we asked the catering company if we could go back to proper plates and so we now use melamine plates and bowls and trays.It might be worth asking. Perhaps your school council could do something about your lunches, if your school has one. They could do a survey, perhaps? or set up a meeting with the catering company to discuss the portions and nutrition.
ReplyDeleteCome back Jamie Oliver! All is forgiven.
ReplyDeleteWhat imbeciles think anyone can survive a day in junk like that? The budget holders should be made to eat it and nothing else at lunchtime.
Excellent blog! From all the comments, this is an issue that a lot of people feel strongly about. How do the rest of your classmates feel about the standard of lunches? It would be good to get support if you are planning to speak to the teachers or governors. Keep up the good work!
DeleteGreat blog! Please carry on! I am sorry you have to eat this terrible excuse for a meal!
ReplyDeleteAre you in prison?
ReplyDeleteKeep blogging.
ReplyDeleteI remember my school lunches. They are twice the size yours are but of course this was in America but this was also back in the 80's before our portion sizes really took off.
Back then our schools cooked the food not much was pre-made. Now the food comes in boxes and the cooks just heat it up.
What you posted looks mainly microwaved processed food. Do they allow sack lunches over there, it might be a healthier alternative for you.
Even in Belgium we follow your blog. Good to see you already have a good taste for food! Unfortunately your school has not, imho.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the blog and engage your friends to react as well.
Social pressure will bring the change.
Wow that's poor... and the bit of corn... These amounts are what I usually left over from my school meals ... but that was 15 years ago. Times changed obviously.
ReplyDeleteVile and inadequate. Do keep it up - you can change the world!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. Looking forward to your continued school dinner surveillance.
ReplyDeleteGood for you for blowing the whistle on your disgusting school lunches - can't believe you pay £2 for that rubbish! No wonder your Dad is appalled at the pictures. Can't you take a packed lunch in? It has to be better than this even if just sandwiches, yoghurt and some strawberries/blueberries/apple. I thought Jamie Oliver had helped make FRESH fruit and veg compulsory for school dinners?? All that carbohydrate would send me to sleep for the afternoon. Don't know how you concentrate on lessons... PS: Great blog - keep it up and we're crossing fingers your lunches improve!
ReplyDelete£2 for that??? It's a disgrace. How many pieces of cucumber would you have had if you had taken the peas? And that paltry amount of sweetcorn? Totally disgraceful. At least two croquettes should be dished up. And as for the ice lolly and the cake. Haven't they heard of fruit? Or cheese and biscuits?
ReplyDeleteaw so cute :)
ReplyDeleteWell done "Veg" (great pseudonym)! what a fantastic blog, well written and with brilliant photographs. I'm apalled though that your school thinks they can get away with giving growing children such rubbish food. I hope your blog will make a difference and shame them and other schools across the country to do much better! I'm going to tweet about this right now. All power to you!
ReplyDeleteWhich prison are you in?
ReplyDeleteSomeone asked 'are you in prison?' it would be great to put an image of prison food against what you have here. I imagine they get much more!
ReplyDeleteThey do.. more money is spent on prison food per person than it is at school dinners.
DeleteCertainly people are reading your blog...well done...keep on writing about your bad food , maybe even mention the school name , sort of. You are a brave young lady to stick up for your rights ..your Dad should be well proud of you.....
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Keep it up! This exposure will help change things for hundreds of pupils
ReplyDeleteBrilliant blog 'Veg' - I've submitted an excerpt to Love All Blogs so other people can see your great stuff too. I've tweeted it out and I hope you will make a difference - both to you and your friends at school and to a wider community as well. Keep going x
ReplyDeleteThese look just like the lunches I saw when working in schools 7 years ago - nothing has changed! Brilliant idea for a blog though, will be a fascinating daily check :)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea to blog this. Well done for deciding to take action.
ReplyDeleteWhat delightful prison trays. My daughter has those in her school but at least theirs are bright colours to detract from the revoltingness of the food. Clearly children can't be trusted to eat off plates.
Nutritional guidelines don't seem to mean much in your school at the moment. I'm guessing most people bring packed lunches. I'd urge you not to switch to packed lunches - it's your right to have decent food at school. Use the blog and the reactions you get to it to bring about change. Ask your dad to help you get a slot at a governor's meeting and show them your pictures? Ask the governors or your headteacher specifically if they think at £2 a day you get value for money, if they think that the portion sizes (fruit and veg in particular) and nutritional balance of the food is right, and if they think it's currently an attractive proposition for pupils. If they can't see a problem, then run for the hills. While you're there, ask them if they think that additive-ridden lolly is in any way appropriate in a school lunch.
In the interest of balance, I believe there's a 'choice' of a couple of options at lunchtimes in schools. In the pictures you've shown us what you've chosen but do let us know what the yummy alternatives are!!
Good luck!
Excellent! The food is really unhealthy, and cheap in a bad way (it could be cheap in a good way! Lentil curry and rice? real cheese on good bread with a tomato? Maybe you and your friends can suggest things? or ask why it's not healthier?) Nice photos too ;-)
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Keep doing what you are doing Veg
ReplyDeleteVeg.....you and your 'dinners' have gone global....welldone x
ReplyDeleteThe food is so beige and uninteresting, there is no colour to make you want to eat it, and I bet it smells of nothing too. Processed food is utter rubbish and should not be on school dinner menu's, they have little or no nutritious value, my 2 year old's play food is probably more edible than the stuff on your plate, it certainly looks more appealing.
ReplyDeleteThe Government should be ashamed of themselves for allowing schools to serve this sort of thing to our children.
Excellent blog, keep it up and eat healthily at home, or buy some vitamin supplements lol Take good care and I look forward to reading your blog with interest every day :D
Hi - Is this in the Uk? If it is which area? Really interested to understand where this is from.
ReplyDeleteI have just showed my son the pictures and he said its pretty much the same at his school. I thought the whole Jamie Oliver campaign a few years ago was to make school dinners healthier!! This is a disgrace. Im considering going back to providing a packed lunch for my son, at least I know he'll get a proper cooked dinner when he comes home in the evening instead of this MUCK!! Well done Veg x
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, Great blog Veg!
ReplyDeleteWell done for highlighting the plight of the school dinners!
I was talking to a local (Derbyshire) Caretaker who was explaining to me that the kitchen in the primary school where he worked had to be run like a commercial kitchen with all the meals costed like real resturaunts. The LEA set the price of the meal and the head cook has to make meals using this figure, taking into account not only the cost of the food, but also the cost of the overhead for cooking and the staff. If the numbers of pupils not taking school dinners fall, they have to let staff go, but the same time to prep, cook, serve and clean up is needed so it puts even more stress on the already paltry staff levels.
Something has to give in the end. Fortunately, the cook in that school is devoted to the children and will put in upto twenty hours a week unpaid to serve them good quality food.
Pity it looks like your schools kitchen is putting your meals lower down the priority list. :(
I believe that the kitchens should be subsidised. By whom, I do not know. Maybe the LEA, maybe the councils, certainly not from the already over stretched school budget.
One thing is clear though, the kids shouldn't be eating this muck. Who on earth puts a frozen ice lolly next to a hot burger at the same time?!? Either the child eats really quick to prevent having a bag full of cold sugar solution, or the "hot" food is not.
Keep up the good work Veg, It's about time we heard from those who count...
I just couldn't help but look at your blog after reading about it in the Daily Mail. We live in Sydney Australia and my daughter is now 19 but during her school years we often discussed her school meals and the fact that she didnt find them 'nice'. After going to her shcool to talk to staff I was blown away by the quantity and the selection on offer. When I questioned my daughter what she meant by the meals not being 'nice' she told me that at other schools, (her school was private by the way) kids get burgers and chips. It seems that schools cannot always win, but I have to say that after looking at your school dinners, your school will never be up for any culinary award. keep fighting for decent lunches and maybe Jamie O will help you in your cause.
ReplyDeleteSuspect £2 per meal is a tad generous, when I was at school, dinners were much larger and if you wanted seconds or thirds, then no big deal as mostly the waste went into the bin. Also came via the DM :)
ReplyDeleteHopefully you will get better food and more of it, hard to concentrate on learning when hungry :(
School lunches have definitely got worse!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was your age (20 years ago), we'd have proper vegetables, and pizzas/burgers/chips would only be served on a Friday.
Puddings were always some kind of cake with custard, but then you could choose fruit or a yoghurt as well as the pudding.
Not so long ago, I worked for a charity that provided meals on wheels to the elderly. The cost was £1.75, and every meal was nutritionally balanced and well thought out.
If a charity can do it, then a school certainly should be able to!
Those portions are ridiculous! not to mention the actual food!! When I was at primary school (15 years ago) we had trays like that, but they were always full and always had a side of veg with whatever the main was and the desert was usually fruit salad and occasionally sponge and custard but on those days you were given a piece of fruit. And the dinner ladies actually monitored what you ate and wouldn't let you leave the dining hall unless you had eaten enough of each part of your dinner! As for cost, I couldn't tell you, but when I was at high school the hot dinners only cost £1.25 (10 years ago) so I would assume they cost around that at primary. Well done to you for taking a stand on these unacceptable offerings!
ReplyDeleteFantastic blog - keep it up, Veg! I'm in Australia where schools don't (usually) provide lunches. Looking at this, I'm grateful! And horrified that this is considered by someone somewhere to be acceptable nutrition for children. It's appalling.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we ever had pizza at school, it wasn't that common a food where I lived. We had proper meals with lots of vegetables, and I can't remember ever not enjoying a school dinner. I certainly don't remember being served burgers.
ReplyDeleteThe portions you are getting seem to be very mean indeed. It's no wonder you are hungry!
Well done on setting up this blog, it's a good read. Good luck with it, and I hope you get better dinners soon.
Thats a real shame - Banana Loaf is one of my favourites!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat mingy portions! That is not sufficient for a cat, let alone a growing girl. If you're being charged 2 pounds for that, someone is profiting unduly.
ReplyDeleteIf you ever decide to stop blogging, please be sure to announce it properly - otherwise, we will all suspect you've starved to death. I hope your blog brings about some changes, because changes are most definitely needed.
You're doing great. Keep blogging!
ReplyDeleteTry lithium batteries Specially designed for use in high drain and digital devices.They should keep your camera going for a long long time.:)
ReplyDeleteWow! £2 is expensive!! My son goes to school in West of Scotland too, but his meals are only £1.20 and they get 3 courses plus as much water, veg and bread as they like. They get 2 hot choices and 2 snack choice like pasta salad or a sandwich. Friday's are the "junk food" day when one of the hot choices is a burger or a hot dog or fish and chips.
ReplyDeleteI have to ask, is that the actual amount of corn you were served or had you eaten some before you took the picture? Also, I'd be interested to see how big the pizza slice and the cheeseburger were in relation to your hand. They look very small. All in all I am appalled at the portions. It certainly doesn't look like enough to fuel you for the rest of your day. I hope you eat a good breakfast every morning!
ReplyDeleteGreat work. Congratulations from Spain. Keep working. New generations shows their parents how people can have influence just denouncing injustices.
ReplyDeleteWell done Martha - you have shown great leadership and present a factual and balanced argument. A role model for many adults and you should be very proud of yourself.
ReplyDeleteI'm a student from Finland. We have "free" food in schools for kids (7-15 year old), it's payed from taxes. To older pupils in universities and such, a school meal costs about 2,45 euros now. State also participates to those and that is why it is so cheap. Look what we have: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Finnish_school_lunch.jpg/220px-Finnish_school_lunch.jpg, http://static.iltalehti.fi/perhe/kouluruoka_2150911PP_pr.jpg.
ReplyDeleteIn my school, they also bake fresh bread every morning. I think it's great because then we don't have to eat all those additives which are in store breads. Make a noise and demand better food! :)
Great job!!! keep doing it!!http://www.united-studies.com/index.php
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, congratulations and keep up the great work :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a common meal in University of Granada (Spain). It only costs 3 euros...
ReplyDeletehttp://i48.tinypic.com/118g3a1.jpg
I really don't understand how can they serve the meal you show on your photos... it's shameful.
Simply shocking!
ReplyDeleteQuote: "An Argyll and Bute Council spokesperson said: "Our school meal provision is fully compliant with nationally agreed nutritional standards."
If that is compliant! then what has been set as compliant is simply not good enough. compliant becuase its cheap? of compliant because its satisfactory? I think we all know the answer to that don't we!
Keep up the great work Martha keep blogging, don't give up and stand up for what you think is right for you, your friends and all the other children that like are being fobbed off with this compliant rubbish!
Hi Martha. This really gives an insight into not only the way achild looks at a serious matter in todays world but raises the issues of nutision in day to day life. Not just for children but adults as well. Children will grow up thinking this is acceptable as a proper meal in their adult life. It really is about education, education, education. Well done Keep blogging. I am a blogger myself and simply love it. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteHow can we expect our children to grow up with a healthy respectful attitude to food when we feed them such rubbish. Disgraceful. Keep up the good work Martha.
ReplyDeleteHmm, shocking. This one looks very poor dish.
ReplyDeleteMuy bien Martha!!! Lo he compartido en Twitter con mis seguidores, buen trabajo y espero te mejoren el menú!!! Saludos desde Moscow, Russia!! :-)
ReplyDeleteI,m from spain I follow your blog and that food is littleee
ReplyDeleteI am from Barcelona. If you are hungry we can prepare you a very healthy meal and delicious! Some rice or everything you want. If you come to Barcelona you are invited to our home!
ReplyDeleteEnhorabuena desde Granada (España); ojalá mejoren ese menú gracias a tu blog
ReplyDeleteI wonder do the teachers eat the same meals?whoever thinks that this is adequate type and size of meal for young children really needs to be assigned to another job.
ReplyDeleteWhat's with all the potato croquets? They look awful, processed rubbish. The plastic trays are horrible too, these are school children that are being fed, not prisoners. £2 for one meal should be plenty for something really nice, I paid £2.50 for 500gm of turkey mince the other day, this has made enough spag bol for 2 nights of meals for me, my hubby and 14 month old. Total cost must have been about £3.50 for 4.5 generously portioned meals. If the school had proper cooks on site then money shouldn't be an issue.
ReplyDeletePoor kids, no wonder Jamie wants to revolutionise the school meal in UK.
ReplyDeleteGrowing kids should eat right, and some of these are really not the best.
That cheese burger course omg... it's just fat and carbohydrates.
You're good kid for not complaining much on these in the article.
btw, I'm from Malaysia, currently reside in Taiwan.
ReplyDeleteYour story has reach here in Asia, I just realise I eat like kings! lol
Excellent blog, keep it up. Greetings from Murcia (Spain)
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteHi Veg!
ReplyDeleteI just read about you and the food issues at your school here in Germany...
Great about that message from Jamie Oliver! :-)
I´m so sorry about the meal quality and amount you´re getting...and I really hope something changes...and improves!
I agree with other comments above, that you really should get fresh fruit and a normal yoghurt and no fat/sugar free one...is like at your school nobody ever heard about the "healthy eating pyramid"...
When I was at school in Guatemala, we didn´t have school meals, only what we brought from home, which gave parents the right to decide what their child would eat, and children the right to express some wishes...only there was no way to warm the meals...
Congratulations on your blog and keep the good work!
I really hope you reach a change(improvement)about the issue!
Greetings from a Guatemalan girl living in Germany
I'm shocked at the meals they are serving. The Pizza plate...I'm speechless! They charged two pounds for that! Daylight robbery.
ReplyDeleteWonderful blog. keep up the good work.
Europe is in crisis, we will start eating rice and Chinese will eat meat :) they took all the important production in China :) good for them! New world order is near. At least they will get cholesterol too. :)
ReplyDeleteShocked at the amount on the plate, can't believe my son has this for lunch, no wonder he eats like a horse when he comes home,he takes better snacks for break times. If he will I will go back to the lunch box for him. Keep up the blog good to see this.
ReplyDeleteGood work, Veg
ReplyDeleteHeard you on the radio this morning. Great blog idea, we need more people like you. Shocked by the 3 slices of cucumber and am surprised that schools are still serving up burgers (it didn't look very home-made) and pappy burger buns. But the soup is a great step forward. Really hope this helps schools move forward on school lunches. All the best.
ReplyDeletefor 2 pounds.-..--what do you expect?
ReplyDeleteAn ice-loli? Seriously?
ReplyDeleteI think those amounts of food are not enough for a kid your age, shame on them!!
They should give you meat with rice, a proper cheese sandwich, more fruit or a decent piece of chicken with smashed potatos.
When I went to school, I was very lucky because I lived nearby my school, so I had lunch at home every day. Besides, were I live, they started afternoon classes only when I was in my senior year.
Keep up your blog Veg! Hugs from Chile!
Is it real food or is it plastic? No child must eat this sh... OK, daddy watches :-)
ReplyDeleteTu blog ha llegado a las noticias de España. He llegado a él a través de ver tu reportaje en televisión.
ReplyDeleteMe parece lamentable que en los comedores de un colegio infantil hagan éste tipo de menús. Me he quedado con la boca abierta al ver la primera foto... con 1 croqueta!!!
Espero que con tu reivindicación consigas cambiar éstas comidas.
Saludos!!
www.mibloguicodecocina.blogspot.com
OMG! It looks horrible! The foods is better here in Hungary!
ReplyDeleteDear Martha
ReplyDeleteFabulous work- so happy to see you've bought about a positive change for yourself and your friends, plus got Jamie Oliver in your corner!
http://lunch.hlc.edu.tw/
ReplyDeleteTaiwan School Foods
http://lunch.hlc.edu.tw/
ReplyDeleteTaiwan School Foods
I am really impressed with the work you have put into not only this blog but the documentation of your school lunch system in general. I have run into some of the same issues with my sons lunch. He is not a vegetable eater himself so it's always a struggle to get him to eat any fruits or vegetables at home and he doesn't miss them at school but he was often going hungry all day because the school would run out of food they had put on the menu and the substitutions they gave the students were apalling and he refused to eat them. He would come home from school tired and grumpy and have headaches. I used to try to supplement his school lunches by sending fruit and water and other things like that with him.
ReplyDeleteHis school usually provides at least one fruit or vegetable but some days the menu says their main course will be a couple of fried mozzerella sticks with marinara sauce...how is that a main course? I wish my son was as aware and articulate as this wonderful young lady, but I don't think I could get him to be interested in documenting his lunch selection every day. He is 9 but would rather hurry up and eat whatever he has for lunch and then run out to recess with his friends. I just settle for questioning him when he gets home, sometimes I get a good idea of what he ate, sometimes I get a "um a chicken burger, I think". Most of the food offerings are burgers, pizza, chicken patties with a bun, chicken nuggets, or chicken and rice.
I once wrote a letter to the school principle and for one week the school actually took my concerns seriously and had the children sign up for their lunch choice at the beginning of the week but according to my son that has stopped.
Once again I am really impressed with your work "veg" and I encourage you to continue even with the supposed changes at your school.
I'm from Brazil. Here the school lunch is terrible. Worst than yours.
ReplyDeleteHi. I live in Florianópolis/Brasil. Here there a special program for school snacks. Look: http://www.ndonline.com.br/florianopolis/noticias/28115-florianopolis-ensina-estados-vizinhos-como-fazer-da-merenda-escolar-uma-experiencia-bem-sucedida.html
ReplyDeleteWow. Keep up the good work!! this is nice and I hope something like this happens in the philippines too! :D
ReplyDeletePizza is not a main dish. Least of all when it looks like *this*.
ReplyDeleteWay to go Martha! If the adults can't get the point across about the junk in the conventional food supply being fed to children, then bring in the 9 year olds. You have our support! David Campbell, President of www.organicarmy.com
ReplyDeleteHi Martha! Isabel, Stella, Mery, and Helen here! We are all cousins that live in the USA (Isabel and Stella) and Canada (Mery and Helen.) We read about your blog on time.com, and we found your blog really interesting! :) we now subscribe to it! We have a blog,too; http://haroldthetortoise.blogspot.com/ (Can you zap us a comment! That would be SOO cool! we are big fans!) :) we think that your taking pictures of your school lunches is a really cool and innocative idea! Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteYours Truly,
Isabel, Stella, Mery, and Helen
Miss Veg, I am from Singapore. Love your blog. Keep it up ! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Veg
ReplyDeleteIt's a very poor decision by the council. Good to see your Dad say that the school supported you though. If they don't let you photograph school dinners, you can still go into restaurants and cafes and do that instead (if your Dad says that's all right, of course.)
Good luck with whatever you do -- you could be a great journalist when you get older, if you wanted.
Yours
Jim
looks like you have won!! Decision overturned.. (live on Radio 4)
ReplyDelete"Decision overturned"? So VEG is allowed to continue taking photos of school dinners for her blog? YAY!!!!
ReplyDeleteHi VEG, really brilliant blog and love the work you're doing to raise awareness. Saw the article on the Guardian and came here. Keep up the good work until your school meals and those of other kids in Britain really improve. I can't believe the Council had the cheek to say that the food served is "compliant with national nutritional standards". I hope real change will come to your meals rather than mere lip service to nutrition guidelines.
Well done VEG and Dad. You got lots of people behind you!
Just found your blog.
ReplyDeleteOne the first image : the plate is not even full, and there barely any vegetables on it. Instead of a cupcake, they should have filled the left part with vegetables ( still room for the cupcake in the hole above it , don't worry :-) ).
It's been a long time, but I still remember crappy lunches at my primary school, and it wasn't much better than this.
But then, the principal was a complete cheapskate (not just with regard to food ). I'll spare you the details because they are not pretty.
I applaud your courage : in my day no one would have dared to critize the food. But we didn't have camera's :-)
I hope your blog continues, as I have only just found it :-)
Ha Ha, I just love this blog!! Well done and keep them on their toes, fascinating to see other culinary delights from around the World also, I feel a book coming on!
ReplyDeleteDanny Ashton
Hi VEG -
ReplyDeleteKeep writing the truth as you see it no matter what happens. If you just do that one thing day after day, you are going to learn something more important than anything taught in your classes. Good luck from the USA!
Your blog is really cool but these pics are frightening.
ReplyDeletehttp://orf.at/stories/2125892/
I am quite sure that detainees will get better food.
Take care.
Hi. Oh this has taken me back to my school dinner days. Its amazing I made it to adulthood with what they used to feed us - and looks like it hasn't improved much! I now live in NZ and have three children. They home school so they get the best lunches everyday! Keep up the blogging remember you live in a country where you have the right to free speech!
ReplyDeleteHi Veg,
ReplyDeleteYour blog has reached Australian news & I am viewing it for the first time from Brisbane. We don't have school lunches here, eveyone either takes a packed lunch or can purchase from the school canteen (or tuckshop), which in primary school are generally run by parent volunteers. Unfortunately this is becoming more difficult as most parents work & can't volunteer for tuckshop.
Keep up the good work, I will watch woth interest to see how you go. I have visited the Mary's Meals page too, very interesting & inspiring.
Cheerio
hi martha,
ReplyDeletethat's a disaster. even our food is better here in cologne.
greetings from Germany by cara and ralf
i am a teacher in istanbul, turkey and i can say that your lunch is much better than what we have in school:) most of the students eat hamburgers or hot dogs with french fries and they would be happy to be served your school food....
ReplyDeleteplease let me share your blog in Japan. we in Japan have similar problem about meal in school.
ReplyDeletewe need to do everything we can to tell what the truth is; true health and true FOOD are!
thank you for your bravely action on the web :)
Very good go on mine and put on tv, www.norubbish.org.uk
ReplyDeleteBrilliant blog, Veg and what a pity it has had to end. It's just typical of a council to make this sort of decision and I suggest that your understanding headteacher was merely a pawn in the usual politics game going on among elected Cabinet members and that her compliance to their way of thinking was essential. China Manufacturing
ReplyDeleteHey Martha! love the blog. It's Katie Thies again- I sent you and email.
ReplyDeleteI <3 Scotland...
But, anyway, keep up the good work. Kids will change the world someday... which could be TOMORROW!
Again, keep blogging- i will try to also- tell you about life at the public schools of Urbana, Illinois! (yeah, the one with the University of Illinois...)
TTYL!
Katie
katiethies.wordpress.com