Food and nutrition

Children look forward to their meals because eating is treated as a social activity; mid-morning break and lunchtime are busy times for children and staff alike.

We do not use outside caterers, because we think that our cooks are an intrinsic part of the school. Trying different tastes is a challenge for young children and they need to trust and like the people offering them food.

Our main suppliers are Crescent Fruiterers in Belsize Village and Bob Barrett’s Butchers in England’s Lane, whose meat is sourced from suppliers with high animal-welfare standards.

Many of the meals are vegetarian and there is always a non-meat option. Individual likes and dislikes are catered for to an extent, but it is also important for the children, as they grow older, to realise that a meal has been prepared for them and this should elicit a positive response on their part.

A favourite on Burns Night in the Senior Department is haggis.