The Great School Lunch event aims to showcase what a modern day school meals looks and tastes like. The event will be an opportunity for LACA to highlight how important it is for children to receive a hot, healthy and nutritious meal in the middle of the school day.
Speaking about the event, LACA chair Judith Gregory said: “School food is an emotive subject – LACA has been the voice of the industry for more than 36 years. MPs please come along and meet the experts in school food.
“Operators, hauliers, suppliers, industry experts and the best school chefs in the country, will be able to chat to you openly about what is ‘actually’ happening in the industry on a day-to-day basis and, importantly, the challenges the industry is facing.
“This is your opportunity to speak to school caterers about their experiences and, even in the midst of the cost of living crisis, how they ensure that children get fed hot, healthy and nutritious meals - and of course you will be able to enjoy a modern day school lunch before leaving with a goody bag of tasty items and great school lunch recipes to try at home. We hope you are free to attend and join in the conversation.”
Last year over 20 MPs attended the event to talk with LACA representatives and school caterers about the importance and challenges of providing school meals. Amongst the attendees last year was Sharon Hodgson, MP for Washington and Sunderland West, who has supported LACA for many years and its campaign for fairer school meals funding.
The five school chefs serving the food will all be former winners of LACA’s School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) competition. They are Jennifer Brown (2024 winner); Raheem Morgan (2023 winner); Rob Chambers (2021 winner); Holly Charnock (2020 winner) and Sharon Armstrong (2004 winner).