Latest News

Hampshire freezes school meals prices for fourth year

3 February 2012 | South West Region

The Hampshire County Council’s Catering Service has announced that the price of its school meals is to be kept the same for the fourth consecutive year.

Councillor Roy Perry, Hampshire County Council's deputy leader and executive lead member for children's services, approved the maintaining of the price of school meals at its current level of £2 per meal.

The council says that around 7 million meals are likely to be served in Hampshire's primary schools by the end of the school year based on the current take-up.

Rob Rees reopens North Somerset school kitchen

16 January 2012 | South West Region

Rob Rees, celebrity chef and chairman of The School Food, has officially reopened a school kitchen in North Somerset.

St Martin's school kitchen in Worle closed last summer following the sudden failure of several key pieces of equipment.

Teachers and cooks invited to attend Real Bread workshop

16 January 2012 | South West Region

Cooks working in schools, care homes, hospitals and prisons are being invited to attend the Square Food Foundation’s one-off workshop next month in support of the Real Bread Campaign’s Lessons in Loaf and On the Menu schemes.

Officially endorsed by Bristol City Council, the session, also aimed at teachers, is being run for the Campaign by Square Food Foundation's experienced team from 2-5pm in their brand-new purpose-built training kitchen at the Park in Knowle West on 21 February.

The workshop will cover basic Real Bread making skills, bread making in the classroom, and worki

Plymouth schools celebrate award of silver Food for Life catering mark

23 November 2011 | South West Region

School meals champion Jeanette Orrey, the Nottinghamshire dinner lady who inspired Jamie Oliver’s school meals campaign, has presented the silver Food for Life catering mark to Plymouth City Council’s Education Catering Service.

The award was earned by the service for the healthy, climate-friendly meals served to 72 schools across the city.

North Somerset schools take part in Harvest Festival celebrations

17 October 2011 | South West Region

More than 250 pupils, parents and staff at Churchill Primary School, Langford, North Somerset, recently tucked into a lunch of home-grown fruit and vegetables as part of the school’s Harvest Festival celebrations.

School catering company Aspens Services and Churchill Primary organised the meal featuring home-grown produce from the gardens of parents and teaching staff, as well as from the school’s own garden.

Bordeaux Quay cooking school in Bristol hosts Real Bread workshop

24 August 2011 | South West Region

The cookery school at Bordeaux Quay in Bristol is hosting a workshop to inspire public sector cooks to put Real Bread on the Menu.

The Cookery School's team will run this one-off session for a limited number of cooks from 3-6pm at their purpose-built training kitchen. The workshop will cover basic Real Bread making skills and working bread making into a kitchen's schedule.

The school is offering workshop places to 12 public sector cooks at a discounted rate of only £25 (inc. VAT) per person, including cake and a cuppa.

Gloucestershire County Council urges parents to apply for free school meals

16 January 2011 | South West Region

Gloucestershire County Council is urging parents to apply for free school meals after the government announced that schools will get an extra £430 for every pupil eligible for free dinners next year.

Parents who have an annual income of less than £16,000 are eligible for free school meals.

Children on free school meals can still choose to have packed lunches brought from home every day, or can choose to have a school meal only on days when they like the menu choices. Signing up for free school meals does not mean children has to have school meals every day.