[Food] What was your favourite school dinner?

[Acker79]

I think my main memories of school dinners are:

Lingering around for when everyone had been served and they came out offering seconds
Spam fritters always gave me headaches
My love of aunt bessie's roast potatoes was born
I liked semolina
One time we were so late to the canteen that they'd run out of whatever the dish was meant to be and so the cooks made the last few of us fried egg and chips.
And the buckets for people to poor their scraps into that we were always told went to a farm to feed pigs.

Senior school was mostly sandwiches in a packed lunch rather than the canteen.

 

[Chicken Run]

You really are thoroughly unpleasant, aren't you?

Clearly, you on the other hand are an absolute delight [emoji106]

 

[Danny Wilson Said]

Sounds like you dipped out at your school, my experience was the exact opposite, the school dinners I had at my Infants/Junior school between 1958 to 1964 were fantastic. When I look at what kids are offered these days it makes me realise how good they really were. Mum was an excellent cook and having lived through the War was so good at conjuring up great food with next to nothing, but I never told her I used to eat food at school which I would flatly refuse to eat at home.
We used to get mashed swede but don't ever remember getting turnips or parsnips and we only ever got beetroot cold and with a salad.
Here are some of the things I remember,

Roast dinners (with either Beef, Pork, Lamb, Ham, chicken)
Lancashire Hotpot
Cheese Pie
Steak Pie
Fish & Chips (chips were a treat, we didn't get them often)
Liver & Bacon
Beef Stew with dumplings
Fish Fingers
Cold meat salad in the summer
Steak & Kidney pudding
Toad in the hole
Vegetables included, Roast/boiled/mashed potatoes (chips were a treat), cabbage, peas, carrots, swede, sprouts, cauliflower, tinned tomatoes

Chocolate sponge pudding with Chocolate custard
Treacle sponge pudding with custard
Apple pie
Semolina with Jam
Rice pudding with prunes or Apricots
Tapioca with jam or prunes
Tinned peaches with custard
Coconut & Jam sponge with pink custard
Spotted dick with (you guessed it, custard)

As you can see, custard featured heavily but the puddings were great.
It's making me hungry listing all this!


Senior school wasn't quite as good but still not bad.

Either we went to the same junior school (St Mary Magdalen in Upper North Street) or they got almost the same school dinners. But one omission from your list is cornflake tart - the best pudding we got. Loved the cheese pie.

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

In the ‘60s I was some sort of strange person who liked overcooked watery school cabbage!

 

[Chicken Run]

I'm glad you find that hilarious. Any other Covid victims you want to take the piss out of or is it just me?

I do apologise and am truly sorry if this has upset you, and of course any other I may of offended or cause distress too.

I wasn’t making any connection to Covid though, just the smoking, you have never stated on here or at least that I’ve seen that you have been diagnosed with this awful disease?

 

[pasty]

Good call . . .I still indulge in a fish finger sandwich with salad cream from time to time, a triple decker (10 fish fingers) and a fried egg or two is a culinary treat to behold.

You have just resolved my "what shall I have for lunch today" musings. Fortuitously, there are fish fingers in the freezer

 

[Baker lite]

Spam fritters,chips and beans.
****ing lovely [emoji1305]


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[NooBHA]

I have a major issue with Local Authorities regarding School Dinners

At Primary School we got proper meals - Favourite was typical being Scottish - Potatoes & Mince, with Carrots and peas. Proper Vegetable, not the canned stuff. Favourite Desert was that sponge pudding you used to get topped with Jam and coconut and custard.

Then all of a sudden when we went to secondary School it was obviously contracted out to an External Caterer where you could choose what you wanted and there was Chips every day and everything which is bad in a kids diet.

I know it is difficult now with Multi Faith Schools and there are restricted dietary requirements but all this giving kids major choices is absolutely diabolical. It isn't difficult or expensive to buy good vegetables in bulk and provide proper food. Kids don't need to have massive choices, so long as you don't provide foods which contravene Religious Dietary Restrictions.

Giving all these kids lots of choices is farcical - So long as you provide good healthy food. The choice should be ''Take it or leave it ''

 

[Trufflehound]

Mmmm, me too....you’re probably right about the tooth rot but absolutely LOVED Gypsy tart!
View attachment 126963




Which school? Was it Mick Jagger’s alma mater?

No, I went to the one in Tonbridge that isn't named after the town.

 

[NooBHA]

Sounds like you dipped out at your school, my experience was the exact opposite, the school dinners I had at my Infants/Junior school between 1958 to 1964 were fantastic. When I look at what kids are offered these days it makes me realise how good they really were. Mum was an excellent cook and having lived through the War was so good at conjuring up great food with next to nothing, but I never told her I used to eat food at school which I would flatly refuse to eat at home.
We used to get mashed swede but don't ever remember getting turnips or parsnips and we only ever got beetroot cold and with a salad.
Here are some of the things I remember,

Roast dinners (with either Beef, Pork, Lamb, Ham, chicken)
Lancashire Hotpot
Cheese Pie
Steak Pie
Fish & Chips (chips were a treat, we didn't get them often)
Liver & Bacon
Beef Stew with dumplings
Fish Fingers
Cold meat salad in the summer
Steak & Kidney pudding
Toad in the hole
Vegetables included, Roast/boiled/mashed potatoes (chips were a treat), cabbage, peas, carrots, swede, sprouts, cauliflower, tinned tomatoes

Chocolate sponge pudding with Chocolate custard
Treacle sponge pudding with custard
Apple pie
Semolina with Jam
Rice pudding with prunes or Apricots
Tapioca with jam or prunes
Tinned peaches with custard
Coconut & Jam sponge with pink custard
Spotted dick with (you guessed it, custard)

As you can see, custard featured heavily but the puddings were great.
It's making me hungry listing all this!


Senior school wasn't quite as good but still not bad.

I agree - My Primary School was great as well - Secondary School was awful

 

[rippleman]

I think it was the horror of school dinners that made me veggie!

I used to like the cheese pie though.

The cheese pie was about the only school dinner that I couldn't stomach. Even today the mere thought of it makes me wanna chuck up.

Loved everything else; stew & dumplings, sausages, meat pie, fish fingers, the OP's cornflake pie, the tottenham cake type sponge with custard. Oh my that's made me peckish.

 

[zefarelly]

I have a major issue with Local Authorities regarding School Dinners

At Primary School we got proper meals - Favourite was typical being Scottish - Potatoes & Mince, with Carrots and peas. Proper Vegetable, not the canned stuff. Favourite Desert was that sponge pudding you used to get topped with Jam and coconut and custard.

Then all of a sudden when we went to secondary School it was obviously contracted out to an External Caterer where you could choose what you wanted and there was Chips every day and everything which is bad in a kids diet.

I know it is difficult now with Multi Faith Schools and there are restricted dietary requirements but all this giving kids major choices is absolutely diabolical. It isn't difficult or expensive to buy good vegetables in bulk and provide proper food. Kids don't need to have massive choices, so long as you don't provide foods which contravene Religious Dietary Restrictions.

Giving all these kids lots of choices is farcical - So long as you provide good healthy food. The choice should be ''Take it or leave it ''

When my lad was about 8 he came home upset saying he'd been 'told off' for having a snack bar with nuts in it . . . .as there was a few kids in school with nut allergies. FFS . . . It took me some time to explain to him that it wasn't his fault and TBH not his problem.

the snack bars didn't even have any nuts in them anyway.

Catering for schools must be a bloody nightmare these days

 

[NooBHA]

When my lad was about 8 he came home upset saying he'd been 'told off' for having a snack bar with nuts in it . . . .as there was a few kids in school with nut allergies. FFS . . . It took me some time to explain to him that it wasn't his fault and TBH not his problem.

the snack bars didn't even have any nuts in them anyway.

Catering for schools must be a bloody nightmare these days

Thats just ridiculous. If a child doesn't have a nut allergy there should't be any harm in a kid having a snack with nuts in if their parents sanction it - I am all for giving kids good healthy food. I think it's the right thing to do with school meals.

The thing I don't agree with in relation to snacks is are all these so called healthy snacks with seeds in them - Whatever next ? - ''Worms for desert '' ?

 

[The Merry Prankster]

Spam fritters, chips and beans. Followed by banana and custard with cornflakes sprinkled on top.

Very partial to that meal, my gran made it as well

 

[zefarelly]

Thats just ridiculous. If a child doesn't have a nut allergy there should't be any harm in a kid having a snack with nuts in if their parents sanction it - I am all for giving kids good healthy food. I think it's the right thing to do with school meals.

The thing I don't agree with in relation to snacks is are all these so called healthy snacks with seeds in them - Whatever next ? - ''Worms for desert '' ?

Art always like the bars that were basically fruity flapjack. asides watching the sugar content of some they're pretty good.

Mint/orange clubs, wagon wheels and those silver green mint foil wrapped ones have never been on our or his radar!.

one of his class mates had jam sandwiches . . .every day!

 

[KZNSeagull]

Sounds like you dipped out at your school, my experience was the exact opposite, the school dinners I had at my Infants/Junior school between 1958 to 1964 were fantastic. When I look at what kids are offered these days it makes me realise how good they really were. Mum was an excellent cook and having lived through the War was so good at conjuring up great food with next to nothing, but I never told her I used to eat food at school which I would flatly refuse to eat at home.
We used to get mashed swede but don't ever remember getting turnips or parsnips and we only ever got beetroot cold and with a salad.
Here are some of the things I remember,

Roast dinners (with either Beef, Pork, Lamb, Ham, chicken)
Lancashire Hotpot
Cheese Pie
Steak Pie
Fish & Chips (chips were a treat, we didn't get them often)
Liver & Bacon
Beef Stew with dumplings
Fish Fingers
Cold meat salad in the summer
Steak & Kidney pudding
Toad in the hole
Vegetables included, Roast/boiled/mashed potatoes (chips were a treat), cabbage, peas, carrots, swede, sprouts, cauliflower, tinned tomatoes

Chocolate sponge pudding with Chocolate custard
Treacle sponge pudding with custard
Apple pie
Semolina with Jam
Rice pudding with prunes or Apricots
Tapioca with jam or prunes
Tinned peaches with custard
Coconut & Jam sponge with pink custard
Spotted dick with (you guessed it, custard)

As you can see, custard featured heavily but the puddings were great.
It's making me hungry listing all this!


Senior school wasn't quite as good but still not bad.

If the school I went to had that menu I would remember it too. Sadly all I can remember is the revolting Semolina pudding/Rice pudding with a spot of jam in the middle placed there to make it look appetising.

 

[Blue3]

1960s were pretty good from memory a big slice of Steak pie cooked in a huge tray mash and peas followed by sponge with strawberry jam topping and pink custard all cooked and served from the kitchen all schools had then plus we had milk in little bottles before Thatcher the milk snatcher got her grubby hands on it.

When I was younger I would listern to older folk who would wax lyrical about times gone by and how things are now not the same, I also remember thinking I would not do the same when I was older, well now I am older I can't stop myself school was better then we had Propper home cooked meals, milk, smaller class sizes, every school had a nurse and not a teacher with a first aid certificate, almost no one was excluded and almost no one was expelled but instead schools would have a special class for those children that needed a little extra help, sport was more liberating a cross country run might involve running out the school gate and around the local roads unaccompanied, everyone wore the same uniform and plimsoles no one had better technology flashier cloths instead the options were a football, tennis ball, marballs or a skipping rope for the girls, no one was dropped off in a car most walked a few cycled but nearly always alone meeting friends on route, schools teaching methods were not forever changing teaching when a new minister came to power, boys and girls were taught real practical skills making furnature or cooking a complete meal, we were taught real practical skills for life
Obviously some things were not that good then the cane, bullying.

Today the world is a very diffrent place and subjects need to take account of this, but nothing has improved regarding school life that I can see, so now older as I am doing as they did then now as you will do when your time comes

 

[crodonilson]

Flapjack with mint custard or Key Lime Pie

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

I can only remember ever getting enthusiastic about cornflake tart and custard. I used to do the Oliver Twist routine to the dinner ladies at Balfour Primary back in the 60’s

 

[zefarelly]

Flapjack with mint custard or Key Lime Pie

Key lime pie ? did you join the bullingdon club after prep school ?