Government proposals are expected to be announced in September, requiring more whole foods, like seeds, pulses, and beans, to be incorporated into school menus.
Potential new dishes have already had the thumbs up from these pupils. The Year 1 and Year 4 children from St John’s CE Primary School, on Church Street, took part in a tasting event to try out some new options – including a vegan curry and lentil bake – and offer the feedback on the dishes.
Blackpool Council’s Catering Services (BCS) has been working with government advisors and local professional chefs to prepare for the changes and start planning new meal options.
From September 2027, new school food standards will come into force nationally. This mandates for more produce like seeds, pulses, and beans to be used in dishes, and for fewer processed, deep-fried, or high-fat items to be served. The changes are intended to ensure children have the energy and nutrition they need throughout the school day.
The tasting event was led by local chef Seema Dalvi, of Dalvee, an award-winning Indian restaurant in Poulton. She worked with BCS’s team at its Highfield Road development kitchen to create two dishes to showcase the potential for future school meals - a chickpea and sweet potato curry, and a chicken, red lentil and spinach pasta bake.
The food tasted “like it was from a five-star restaurant” one child said, while another asked for the recipe so they could make it at home.
Cllr Jo Farrell, cabinet member for communities and wellbeing, said:
BCS is recognised nationally for its work creating healthy meals for schoolchildren, already producing all its sauces from scratch and offering fruit and salad bars for children. It provides meals for 28 primary and secondary schools across the town, serving around 135,000 meals every month in the last school year.
BCS is now transferring to merge with Lancashire County Council’s (LCC) School Catering Service (SCS) from September, to protect and strengthen its offering locally.
LCC’s SCS currently provides meals to around 65,000 pupils each day across more than 500 schools.
BCS’s work to prepare for the new national standards, creating new recipe options for its teams to cook and serve, will be carried over to its existing schools.