Caterer Cucina wins three new school contracts

Teddington School in Middlesex, The Hazeley School in Milton Keynes and Queensbury School in Bedfordshire are receiving "restaurant quality food" delivered by catering expert Cucina, which now has 32 contracts up and down the country. At Teddington School, which has 1,130 students and more than 100 staff, Cucina has seen sales rise from £400 a day to £1,850 a day. Typical daily spends are £4 per person. Cucina's new autumn menus offer homemade sausage rolls, empanadas, samosas and pasties as well as hot wraps and focaccia in addition to the paninis and pizzas. New flavours have also been sourced to complement the recently introduced SUSO fruit drinks. These include revamped salads, sandwich and tray bakes range, with items such as shaker salads, flat breads and 'posh' cup cakes. In addition, a daily pizza 'to go' with designer toppings has been added for 'take homes', where the pizza is reheated with home chefs adding healthy finishing touches, such as rocket lettuce. Steve Quinn, managing director of Cucina, said: "We are delighted with our new openings and pleased that our fresh food approach continues to be so well received. We are keen to try new ideas, providing more opportunities for pupils to learn about food nutrition. Jeremy Law, deputy head teacher at Teddington School, added: "Cucina's focus on quality of food, on presentation and on a decent 'dining experience' makes them stand out for us; you can't spend long with Cucina staff before the conversation turns to food! We have just moved into a state-of-the-art school facility and it had to be matched with the best food service that we can provide, while also providing good value for our students."