A chance to eat well and socialise
Lunch is an essential part of the school day, and we believe in instilling a love and awareness of healthy eating and the benefits of a balanced diet from a very young age. Eating is also a social occasion and throughout the school it is a chance for teachers and pupils to sit down together and enjoy good food.
Catering at St Mary's Preparatory School
At the Preparatory School all of our menus are derived wherever possible from local growers and suppliers, delivered daily and prepared, cooked and served to our own exacting standards. The Environmental Health Office has awarded us a five-star rating for our high standards of hygiene practices, training and management skills, a recognition of which we feel justly proud.
To make it easier for the children to understand the concept of a 'healthy eating plate', Gill Eyre, Catering Manager, has introduced colour-coded bowls: red for protein, white for carbohydrates, green for vitamins. The children understand that they should have a balance of these things on their plate and very quickly begin to ask for a nutritious, healthy lunch.
But we also believe that 'a little of what you fancy does you good', so we do serve chips on a Friday and make the occasional chocolate sponge with pink custard!
Our very young children have their own mini-sized cutlery and fun-coloured plates and bowls. They are served individually at the table, the food is cut up just right for them and they always see the same faces there in the dining room to reassure them. Older pupils can come into lunch when they are ready, make their choices from the wide selection of foods on offer and then sit with their friends to chat and take their time before going to play in the garden.
Senior School catering
Eurest provides catering services to all schools in the UCST group, including Lincoln Minster Senior School.
Catering Manager Caron Harrison and her team work hard to provide balanced, nutritional meals throughout the year, sourced locally and in season wherever possible. They have been delighted to receive the City of Lincoln Council's maximum five-star rating in Environmental Health spot checks.
The importance of a balanced lunch at school is well documented and we endeavour to offer a range of choices which are attractive and wholesome. A number of staff and students have special dietary requirements and we cater for these wherever possible.