We are very lucky to have beautiful, well-equipped kitchens with a dedicated team of Shire Services kitchen staff who look after the nutritional needs of the children.
Menus are sent home to allow you to discuss choices with your child, and these can also be read online on the Shire Services webpage.
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Our school meals are freshly cooked each day and are carefully prepared with ingredients selected from strict guidelines. Expand the text below to find out more about the standards of the meals:
All dishes produced by Shire Services meet the government’s ‘Nutritional Standards’ and are analysed using the ‘SAFFRON Nutritional Analysis System’
The menus adhere to the daily allowance guidelines for all 14 nutrients. Statistical information is available on the Shropshire School Meals website.
www.shropshire.gov.uk/schoolmeals.nsf
Shire Services is committed to the Soil Association’s ‘Food for life’ initiative and menus are designed to meet the ‘Silver Chartermark’ standard, which has been retained for the fourth year running.
Meals are prepared using fresh local ingredients including organic items. Fish products meet the ‘Marine Stewardship Council’ standards (MSI), and the ingredients used do not contain any of the 22 additives prohibited by Shropshire Council in school meals (see the ‘Food for Life’ website for further information).
www.foodforlife.org.uk
Therefore, you can be confident that your child will receive a quality, nutritionally balanced school meal.
Grow Your Own!
Occasionally we are able to grow some of our very own food in our wildlife garden from salad stuffs to a range of fruits on our mini fruit trees.
Where our food comes from:
We actively source local suppliers and products, including free range eggs and farm assured produce.
All meat and poultry products used in the menu are sourced from within the U.K., from Shropshire and the West Midlands, using local butchers and the U.K. Foodhall in Welshpool.
Yoghurts are supplied by Muller of Market Drayton and cheese by Belton Farm of Whitchurch.
Fruit and vegetables are supplied from both Shropshire and the West Midlands, when in season.
Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM)
The universal infant free school meals (UIFSM) grant enables schools to provide free school meals to all pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
Free School Meals
You may qualify for free school meals. Telephone: 0345 678 9000 for more information.
Special Diet Requests
We can cater for pupils with food intolerance. Please contact us on 01743 250 250 for further details.
Cost
The price of a primary school meal is £2.50 per day (from September 2023) which is payable in advance. The children also have the option of buying a milkshake, fruit juice or flavoured water to accompany their school meal or packed lunch at 50p each.
Packed Lunch
As an alternative to school meals, children are able to bring in packed lunches which they can eat in our school hall alongside children having a cooked meal. We ask parents to consider health and nutrition in the preparation of the packed lunches and nothing containing nuts must be brought into school.
Open Lunches for Parents
We often hold open lunches for parents and guardians, where they are invited to join us in the school hall to try our school meals and to dine with us. These are very enjoyable occasions for both adults and children.
Snacks
Children in Nursery, Reception and Key Stage 1 receive a free healthy snack every day, as part of the ‘School fruit and vegetable scheme.’ This could be an apple, easy-peel orange, banana, tomato or carrot. In summer months this may also include sugar-snap peas, strawberries or baby sweet peppers. Parents are welcome to send their children in with their own healthy snacks too which they could have as an alternative.