• Home
• »School
• »Facilities
• »Dining
• »Eating Well at Spratton Hall

We start the day by offering our friendly breakfast service for pupils and parents. We offer cereals, a selection of cooked sausage, bacon, eggs, beans, tomatoes and mushrooms, porridge, croissants, white and brown toast, apple and orange juice, tea and fresh coffee with fresh fruit and a selection of jams. The Breakfast Club is a relaxed time of the day and has a lovely ambiance. 

 

For many pupils the school lunch is the main meal of the day.  We offer a balanced, varied selection of fresh, home cooked food that is appetising and healthy.  The presentation of the food is important as we all ‘eat with our eyes’.  Catering staff are well presented in clean clothes and portray a professional service, ‘we aim to serve’.  With our friendly manner, support from the Head Master, passion for food and with the importance of our children’s healthy eating in mind, we always do our utmost to make sure they are well fed and eating at lunch time is a social time of their busy day.

 

We offer a five week menu cycle with no repetition of dishes and use fresh vegetables, meat, fish and fruit.  We purchase from local suppliers and support other local areas where they all comply with HACCP and all hygiene requirements.

 

When creating our menus we consider foods in season and the children’s dietary needs.

 

BREAD - white and brown (delivered fresh daily from a local bakery)

PASTA – shells, spaghetti, lasagne (at least once a week main course we also use pasta in the salad selection). We aim that the children select about a third of their total food intake from this food group.

CEREALS, RICE AND POTATOES - (offered at least once a week but also used to make a salad), baked potatoes are offered every day with any option chosen. Boiled, new, roast, and creamed potatoes are used in the menus and thick cut fresh chips are only on the menu on Fridays and are the only fried food served.  All other food is oven baked, boiled or steamed.  All the above provide energy, vitamins, minerals and fibre.  Oats and wholemeal can be added to foods in disguise such as crumbles and pastry.

 

Fresh, frozen, (only petit pois), canned or fruit juices provide vitamins, minerals and fibre.  At least five portions a day are recommended.  We offer varied fresh vegetables every day including carrots, broccoli, cabbage, French beans, beetroot, peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, radishes, courgettes, mushrooms, bean sprouts, celery and many more salad items which make up our wide variety of composite salads we offer daily.  Incorporating vegetables into dishes such as casseroles helps to add vitamins but are disguised.  We offer a self-service salad bar every day comprising at least ten salads using the above ingredients.

Fruit, apples, pears, bananas and oranges are offered daily as snacks with orange and apple juice and milk, together with a selection of healthy biscuits.  We offer the same selection of fruit every day as a dessert option as well as offering seasonal fruits as a treat such as strawberries, melon or pineapple. Fruit jellies are also popular. 

 

We consider that dairy products are a valuable source of calcium and use semi-skimmed milk and a mature cheese which helps to reduce the intake of fat and saturates, while still providing plenty of calcium.  Children should aim to take about a sixth of their total food intake.  We use milk in sauces, rice puddings, milkshakes (as a treat occasionally) and quiches.

 

Our main protein dishes consist of fresh meat every day using quality cuts from our well known village butcher, Saul’s.  They also provide us with all our cooked and sliced meats, pork pies,   quality cheeses and pickles etc.  We offer fish dishes of salmon, cod, tuna, prawns, tinned salmon and smoked haddock as an additional option at least twice a week. We also offer fish and cooked sliced meats as a main course protein option. The children then select from our wide range of composite salads, from our self service bar, to complete their meal.  Our salad bar has an excellent selection and encourages the children to try and know what the ingredients are from an early age.

We do use sugar in the cooking of all our home baked desserts, cakes and puddings although this is kept to a minimum.

 

The Head of Catering and the Catering Deputy have regular meetings with the School Food Council to discuss food issues and to hear their comments on the foods which they would like to see on the menu. This is a valuable time between the children and the catering team and they can confide their thoughts and chat in a relaxed atmosphere. This gives the catering team the opportunity to advise on healthy eating and take their comments onboard which can then be put into action on the next menu cycle.