Hertfordshire children have an appetite for school meals

Over the past year, 43% of Hertfordshire primary children tucked into school meals, compared with the national average of 39.3% for 2008-9. In 141 schools there has been a 48% take-up, and at 38 schools 60% of pupils sit down to school meals. Even between April and June, a time of year when numbers traditionally dip, the take-up across the county was above 43%, with Hertfordshire Catering serving up an average of 38,425 meals per day - 1,513 up on the same period last year. Lin O'Brien, head of Hertfordshire Catering said: "This is a great achievement for the whole Hertfordshire Catering team - in providing good quality school food that children enjoy and parents see as value for money. " It's been a week of celebrations for Hertfordshire Catering - as Lin O'Brien received a special award at the Local Authority Caterers Association (LACA) annual conference in Birmingham. "I'm very proud to have accepted this award on behalf of Hertfordshire Catering and Hertfordshire County Council," she said on winning the Chairman's Award. Richard Thake, Executive Member for Education and Skills, said: "It's great news that Hertfordshire Catering is continuing to attract new young customers, especially when you look at how well our figures compare with the rest of the country. "Children benefit from eating a healthy meal at lunchtime and the food they are served is not only nutritionally balanced but is also tasty and appealing. All credit must go to our team of catering staff and to Lin O'Brien for her commitment to spreading the healthy food message in schools." Parents can log on to www.hertsdirect.org/catering to see the latest menus.