Local Plans

National School Meals Week 2011 at S. Anselm’s

Last week saw S. Anselm’s boys and girls from the Nursery, Pre Prep and Prep School put a pause on their four week rotating menu and aimed to broaden their knowledge about foods from around the world.

Five countries were pulled out of a hat, which would provide focus for each day of the week; Italian, French, Scottish, Chinese and Caribbean. S. Anselm’s were celebrating National Schools Meals Week once again.

The aim of National School Meals Week is to promote healthy eating and engage with pupils about food. This year the theme has included foods from different countries and cultures. S. Anselm’s aims to create an interest in healthy food as well as encouraging a whole school approach to healthy lifestyles. Throughout the week healthy eating messages were portrayed.

Monday, Italian Day, hosted a selection of breads with olives, sundried tomatoes and humus, some of the facial expressions were marvellous but quickly tamed when it came to lunch where the pupils enjoyed a delicious Spaghetti Bolognaise and cheesy garlic pizza bread with a generous helping of profiteroles. After each food tasting the boys and girls were asked to vote either yes or no, which allowed the catering team to decide which successful dishes or deserts could be included in future menu’s at S. Anselm’s.

Tuesday, French Day, saw a variety of soups accompanied by French bread with Beef Bourguignonne for Lunch. Afternoon break brought an ‘Escargot Surprise’ to the pupils and staff when an invitation to try snails arrived in front of them. 113 brave pupils and 7 courageous staff volunteered to try the snails, there were certainly a few interesting faces from both the participants and also the spectators. All of the pupils who tried snails achieved the very important ‘I am a star in National School Meals Week’.

Wednesday, Great British Sausage Day, sausages with haggis, Lincolnshire sausages and Traditional Pork 6 Nations sausages were tried and tested. There was Cumberland sausage and mash for lunch and traditional scones, jam and cream for dessert.

The much awaited Chinese food day finally came. Spring rolls with a series of dips enlightened the taste buds headed by the school prefects. Chicken Chow Mein was the lunch time dish served under the wonderfully presented Chinese Dragons floating from the ceiling followed by lychees with lemon sorbet accompanied with a fruit smoothie.

On Friday, the final theme for National School Meals Week was Caribbean Day with Jerk Chicken with fresh pineapple, rice and peas. For dessert it was pineapple upside down cake and at afternoon break the children were invited into the dining room that looked more like a Barbados Beach with Caribbean music playing, bright decorations and dishes of watermelon, papaya fruit, starfruit and pineapple with yoghurt dip and Caribbean fruit puree. A number of pupils commented that this has been “The best afternoon tea ever!!” \

The week’s food themes were a hit with the children and staff alike, the atmosphere that surrounded the school was electric with children guessing the next day’s surprises. Mrs Northcott, the Headmaster’s wife had, at one stage, the whole school dancing to the music wearing flower garlands from the fruit cocktails. The food was absolutely delicious, great credit to the S. Anselm’s catering staff and to the children who dared to taste some foods completely that, prior to now, were completely alien to them.

Tuesday - doing meals around the world including Mexicon, Italy, India, Hong Kong 

Wednesday - having two children helping in school kitchen

Thursday - Making oat bisc

Friday - WW1 theme

Monday - Schools across the City are inviting parents to have lunch with children. Tuesday - Celebrating cuisine from around the World. Children are being offered special theme day menus. Wednesday - Children are being creative at lunchtimes and are adding thier own pizza toppings and decorating thier own biscuits. Thursday - Schools across the City are educating children on the importance of 5-a-day with special fruit and vegetable based dishes. Friday - Children are having a 'War time' menu on Remembrance Day.

We are inviting parents to one of our usual 'Dine With Your Child' days on the Thursday: this week it's an Indian Theme. Our Healthy School Committee (reps from years 1, 3, 5) are designing t-shirts for the 5-a-day promotion and we are selling seasonal fruit and vegetables on our Healthy Fruit Cart. We are promoting the week during assemblies, through the posters and on the school newsletter to parents. We are a school of 850 children and many have hot school meals daily. We are part of Sefton and work closely, meeting regularly, with Sefton Catering and our cook, Lisa to ensure good standards all the time. Other plans will follow...

We are encouraging our Secondary schools to take an active part in this years' National School Meals Week and we feel the themes, particularly Tuesday to Friday fit in well in North Yorkshire especially Friday as we are home to many armed forces personnel. We have had much discussion about serving porridge on the Thursday - will our students buy porridge? but we will probably have a big pot of porridge at Morning Break for students to have a free sample so that they can appreciate what the children in poorer countries receive as their only meal of the day.