National School Meals Week to host 'School Tucker Trial'

LACA’s National Schools Meals Week (NSMW) will be back with a bang from 8-12th November 2021, with even more exciting events and initiatives planned.

For the first time, LACA – The School Food People will be introducing “The School Tucker Trial”, which will aim to get as many children as possible back into the dining room and enjoying school meals together. With the event coinciding with the start of the new series of the popular TV programme ‘I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here’, the campaign aims to make school meals fun, relevant and enjoyable to all students. Children will have the opportunity to discover new flavours, with some caterers planning to trial new menus to coincide with the week, and others planning to introduce new concepts. Students will also be able to collect stars as they stay for meals throughout the week.

Getting children back to eating their hot school lunch is essential in helping them recover from the pandemic. We know that for far too many children their school lunch is their only hot meal of the day. Our campaign will not only encourage children back into the dining room, but also teach them about the importance of eating locally produced, fresh food that provides better nutrition and is more environmentally sustainable. A virtual tour will take place to inspire all those involved with producing healthy and sustainable school meals, with NSMW hitting the road again to showcase the best of school catering during the week.

Commenting on NSMW 2021 Chair of LACA, Jacquie Blake said: “National School Meals week celebrates the best of school meals and school caterers. I encourage everyone to get involved with the ‘The School Tucker Trial’, this is a great initiative that will help get as many children back into the dining room so that they can enjoy their hot, healthy and nutritious meal”.

As well as the ‘School Tucker Trial’, there are five theme days for school caterers adapt and run. The first is Mix It Up Monday where schools can create a fun day with a menu packed with fruit and vegetables. It is a great opportunity to demonstrate that vegetarian dishes are exciting and tasty. You can mix up the menu with plant-based alternatives to children’s favourite products and dishes.

The Food = Fuel theme is asking school caterers to create a menu to showcase all the important food groups, following the disruption to education over the past 18 months and the importance of nutrition and education.

The Great British Roast Dinner highlights local produce and farm-assured meats, plus we look to showcase a vegetarian alternative to keep the day inclusive for all children.

The Plant Based Power Lunch theme aims to show how plant-based days on a school menu can have a huge impact on the environment and the wellbeing of children. This year we want to promote all the benefits to children and school caterers.

The last day of the week is the School Food Challenge, which is a fun day to educate children about where their food comes from and how it is grown. It is a great opportunity for school caterers to create dishes with hidden fruits and vegetables to help children achieve their 5 a day. This event will also teach children about farming.