Get ready for back to school
The upcoming September term is a great chance to reset and refresh. With the demands this year brings, it could also feel stressful. We’ve got tips from school catering experts to help you feel prepared
As you start building next year’s menus, there is a lot to consider. Thinking about what your children will find appealing and enjoy eating is always front of mind. Now, you also need to balance this with nutritional compliance, tighter costs and the practical needs of your kitchen. Here’s some advice and recipes to get you started.
Reinvent, don't remove
Louise Wagstaffe, Senior Culinary Adviser at Premier Foods, says that although the changes to School Food Standards may feel daunting, you don’t need to reinvent your whole menu or remove items to meet them.
She explains: “The principle is simple: keep the dishes students love, just make them work harder nutritionally. Take a classic like cottage pie. By moving to a 50/50 blend of beef and lentils, enriching the sauce with vegetables, and using Bisto gravy, you maintain flavour, improve fibre, and reduce costs all without changing the dish identity.”
Louise’s top tips
- Plant-based isn’t just a trend, it’s practical. Pulses, grains and vegetables can help save on cost and boost fibre in dishes like lentil bolognese, chickpea curry or veg fried rice. Don’t label them ‘vegan alternatives’ just ‘good food’
- Sugar reduction is high on the agenda but removing desserts risks cutting meal uptake. Work with fruit to create a treat that feels familiar but meets new nutritional standards
- Flavour drives uptake. This needs to be bold but controlled enough to meet standards. This is where products like a Sharwood’s Katsu Cooking Sauce and Bisto Vegetable Boullion Paste or Powder come into their own
“New school food standards What’s changing? Deep-fried foods will no longer be served High-fat items like pizza and sausage rolls won’t be available every day Most days, fruit will replace sugar desserts”
Work hard to tackle waste
Kath Breckon, Knorr Professional Education Ambassador, says that, especially while costs are tight, making the most of all your stock should be a priority for school kitchens. It can also help boost the nutrition in your dishes.
She says: “Having worked in school catering for over 30 years, I have seen first-hand how much food can go to waste. Because of this, throughout my career, I have been working to create flavoursome, healthy and enjoyable dishes while actively maximising ingredients and reducing food waste.”
Kath’s top tips
- Make more from your peelings. Vegetable peelings can be finely chopped and added to cake mixes or stir-fries. Potato peelings make great homestyle crisps, baked with a drizzle of oil and seasoned with Knorr Professional Powder Bouillon
- If you have veggies left over that haven’t been served, turn them into flavoursome chutneys, marmalades or salsas. They can also be pickled, blended into a pasta sauce or used to bulk out dishes
- Get your staple ingredients working harder. Freeze any leftover eggs or bread (clearly labelled) ready to use later. Bread can then be blended with Knorr Professional Powder Bouillons to make breadcrumb toppings for pasta dishes
Encourage uptake with excitement
Erin Ward, Executive Chef at Holmer Green School, believes that although seasonality and sustainability are very important, to really engage children, you need to give your dishes a ‘hype’.
She says: “I’m always thinking of ways to encourage students to try stuff they’re fearful of. This starts with bringing the team onboard to get the kids excited about what they’re eating. We don’t want them to think ‘ugh spag bol again’, we want them to shout ‘yay, it’s pasta day!’”
ERIN’s top tips
- We do a lot around theme days, similar to what you’d do in a restaurant but child-friendly. When we had fish and chip day for British Food Fortnight, I put an inflatable seagull in the canteen. The kids went mad!
- We promote special menus around the school. We put up posters in and around the canteen and advertise them across the school through the TV screens. That way, the students can look forward to what’s coming
- We want the kids to learn about what they’re eating too. We sometimes sacrifice a couple of portions to make tasters, or put seasonal vegetables out the front with a sheet to encourage them to try something new
