School meals in Enfield

We know that here in Enfield we are successful in providing a good service that is improving in line with the needs of pupils, parents and schools all the time.

We give children and young people a real choice with our menus but as well as this we give a guarantee to parents that whatever meal is chosen it will be nutritionally balanced. We make sure that all children have access to fresh fruit, vegetables, salad and water every day, served in a way that is attractive to them, and that will make them want to make healthy meal choices.

School dinners can often be a child's main meal of the day. Obviously, the nutrition gained from that meal will have a huge impact on that child's health and well-being, and as eating habits are developed early in life, can greatly affect them in the long-term. With concerns about childhood obesity and related diseases at an all time high, the quality of school dinners has been put in the spotlight. If attempts to educate children about healthy eating in the classroom are to have any effect, then it is necessary to reflect those lessons in the dining hall. The menus in Enfield are nutritionally balanced and comply with the Government's nutritional standards. For further information on the standards please visit the school food trust website.

In addition, we try to ensure much of the produce we use is seasonal, as well as locally sourced. Examples of locally sourced produce include salad items, onions and potatoes that are sourced from the Lea Valley. Much of our fruit and vegetable such as our apples, pears, leeks and sweetcorn and many others are UK sourced when available. We also use free range eggs, and recently won the 'Good Egg' award from Compassion in World Farming.

The catering team are aware that parents are increasingly concerned about what their children eat, so are we, and that's why we invite parents, governors and other key people into schools regularly to sample the food on offer for themselves. We want to know what they think about our meals.

We have long since recognised that the School Meals Service can play an important part in shaping the eating habits for future generations. We know that, given the choice, some youngsters would eat pizza or chips every day, so we want to encourage them to have an open mind about food. This is why our menus are designed to encourage children of all ages to try new dishes they may not normally consider trying.

Above all we believe food should not only be nutritious but delicious too!