Parents put school meals to the test

Carmarthenshire County Council's catering services team invited parents to sample the food children are served as part of their efforts to raise the profile of the school meals service. The taste-testing took place during the school's annual parents evening. On the menu was home-made beef bolognaise and beef burgers, with home-made sticky toffee cake and chocolate muffins. Seasonal menus are produced using locally sourced produce wherever possible, with emphasis on traditionally cooked, fresh food, with reduced additives, salt and sugar. In addition to advice from dieticians, the catering team also uses a Saffron computer system to assist in the development of menus. The system ensures that meals are nutritionally balanced, even down to their mineral content. Catering Services manager Sandra Weigel said: "We had a great response from parents, they said the food was tasty and nutritious, looked good and was value for money. Many also commented how pleased they were that so many of our meals are home-made. "Our menus are designed to be nutritionally balanced whilst providing a tasty variety of dishes that children will enjoy. "We are continually trying to introduce new appealing dishes for children. We aim to make the food not only appealing to the eye but tasty to eat while maintaining a healthy balance. "We've kept a lot of the old favourites that our schools were serving 15 years ago, but over the years the menu has certainly become a lot healthier - levels of salt and fat have been dramatically reduced." Education Executive Board Member Cllr Gwynne Wooldridge said: "Carmarthenshire County Council provides one of the best school meals services in the UK and our cooks work very hard to provide a first class service for pupils and staff alike." Carmarthenshire's catering services serves up 19,000 school meals to children in 139 schools every day.