FRESH, healthy and full of nutrition – school dinners in 2024.

Packaged, processed and full of nostalgia – school dinners in the 1970s and 1980s!

Things have changed when it comes to eating at school.

This week is national school meals week – a whole week dedicated to the canteen food on offer to children at lunchtimes across the UK.

Gone are the days of turkey twizzlers and lumpy mash followed by sponge pudding and custard every day.

Sometimes the custard was pink and tasted of strawberry or it was green and tasted of mint!

Youngsters can now enjoy tasty and nutritious meals that are prepared fresh each day with mouth-watering options like chicken korma, spaghetti bolognaise and roast dinner on the menu.

READ MORE:

Wirral children get ready to celebrate national school meals week

The menus run on a three-week cycle and there is always freshly baked bread, seasonal vegetables and salad followed by fresh fruit and organic yogurt available.

They’re a real hit with hungry children taking a break from the classroom with youngsters in Early Years and Key Stage One entitled to free school meals every day.

But what were school dinners like in days gone by? What do you remember about midday meals when you were growing up?
We asked and you told us.

Here are some of the meals – good and bad - that you remember from your childhood:

Chris Young Manchester tart 

Carol Gillard Cheese pie late 1960's - 1970's

Marianne Ashcroft The cabbage that had been boiled for hours ,the lumpy mash potato and the custard with the horrible skin on it

Tracey Pleavin Skin on custard is lovely

Mandy Coombes Chocolate cake and mint custard! 

Andy Upton Cornflake tart 

Jaime Fenna Choc cake and green mint custard

Jill Evans Pink custard

Ruth Clampitt Cheese pie and beans, sponge cake and pink custard.

Susan Oshea Loved ALL the puddings with custard AND there was always extra custard if you wanted some

Maureen Lacey Cheese pie, and mashed potato with salad!

Linda Baker Jam roly poly and custard

Simone Irving Chicken supreme and rice

Alan Smith The desserts apart from semolina and tapioca

Julie Palmer Chocolate pudding with mint custard

Hugh Sandy Cameron Double portions of cake and custard

Rob Dilworth The chicken pie at Rocky high

Allison Armstrong Chocolate cake with mint custard