FRESH, healthy and full of nutrition – school dinners in 2024.

Packaged, processed and full of nostalgia – school dinners in the 1970s and 1980s!

Things have changed when it comes to eating at school.

This week is national school meals week – a whole week dedicated to the canteen food on offer to children at lunchtimes across the UK.

Gone are the days of turkey twizzlers and lumpy mash followed by sponge pudding and custard every day.

Sometimes the custard was pink and tasted of strawberry or it was green and tasted of mint!

Youngsters can now enjoy tasty and nutritious meals that are prepared fresh each day with mouth-watering options like chicken korma, spaghetti bolognaise and roast dinner on the menu.


READ MORE:

Warrington children get ready to celebrate national school meals week


The menus run on a three-week cycle and there is always freshly baked bread, seasonal vegetables and salad followed by fresh fruit and organic yogurt available.

They’re a real hit with hungry children taking a break from the classroom with youngsters in Early Years and Key Stage One entitled to free school meals every day.

But what were school dinners like in days gone by? What do you remember about midday meals when you were growing up?
We asked and you told us.

Turkey twizzlers and dinosaurs with smiley faces and spaghetti in tomato sauceTurkey twizzlers and dinosaurs with smiley faces and spaghetti in tomato sauce (Image: Facebook)

Here are some of the meals – good and bad - that you remember from your childhood:

 

Duncan Thorpe Chips and gravy, buttered bread, dandelion and burdock with a rice krispie cake followed by a game of 20 a side football.

Christine Sharps Cheese pie

Ste Welsby Turkey drummers don't taste the same anymore but remember us all queuing when it was turkey drummer day

Andrew Dean Mixing jam and semolina together

Lesley Jolley Pink custard with chocolate cake yum!!

Alex Bailey The dollops of mash potato that was just pure buttery. Turkey twizzlers. Chocolate brownies

Mark Tynan Sponge pudding and custard

Colin Meikle Chocolate sponge topped with chocolate icing covered in warm chocolate sauce. Did I mention the chocolate?

Louise Matthews Melted moments!

Clare Regan Chocolate crunch

LA Cruse Most of it ended up in my gymslip pocket!! My mum had to check the pockets before putting it in the wash

Graham Barker Chocolate concrete with pink custard

Sally M Stano Cheese pie and chips, Manchester tart

Diane Warburton Turkey Twizzlers we're even a thing, when I was at school!  The puddings were lush. We had one called rainbow sponge and custard. The sponge was three different flavours - lemon, chocolate and raspberry

Gaille Funnell I loved the braised steak with mash and cabbage 

Nigel Catlow Jam roly poly with custard (traditionally yellow). But more likely to give a list of horror foods starting with semolina

Dave Kelsall Mystery meat. Over-cooked, thinly sliced, covered in gravy. It was gristly - no-one knew what animal it came from!

Rebecca Keeling Cornflake tart

Andy Holbrook Eating 32 fish fingers on a second sitting at Beamont school circa 75. My friend’s mum was s dinner lady and she fed me well

Tra Brads Chocolate pudding and green custard

Joe O Tiarnaigh Cutlets with mashed potatoes and gravy

Leanne Jones Hotpot in the little dish with the crust and gravy