Eagle wrote:[clip]... Of course one should be careful re meat and fish but things like veggie cottage pie and yogurts, I do not think so.
Well, some additives/preservatives lose their potency in terms of shelf life. Just because something's veggie isn't the be all and end all, since clearly something is preserving the veg - for so long. At home, the plan is to whack cottage pie type things (meat or veg) in the freezer soonest if not intending to eat it that day.
Edit PS: meaning ready meals. Cooked from fresh can stay in the fridge for say two days or three, but still better to freeze soonest.
Last edited by mosy on 27 Aug 2013 14:33, edited 1 time in total.
@Mosy,
I am not suggesting schools have the time, space to teach "adults" how to produce a decent,cheap,healthy meal, However I did work in School catering for 25 years and I know that a lot of today's problems with food and Children not wanting cetain types of food comes from "home"
What I was suggesting was Cooking Schools, ones where it is cheaper to show people how to feed themselves and children in a healthy way, then to pay NHS bills for example in the long term.
@Annie: Couldn't agree more. A person I correspond with runs after school and weekend classes for adults and kids together. He's unpaid and of course has to take account of H&S, so clearly not just any volunteer could set up such a thing. The question with your idea is whether politicians want to put their money where their mouth is or just continue to pontificate... Jamie said he'd given up trying to persuade government officials even after a foot in the door of No.10. Hope you can do better. That's not sarcasm more that a wave of people power common sense ought to register sooner or later...
We have a tray in the fridge with veggies/salad/fruit that need to be used up with a big (beautifully designed of course) sticker on it that says 'use me first'.
We waste virtually zero food and it forces us to get creative with what we have, which means we eat better. We eat a LOT of vegetables.
You know, a lot of children do not eat a hot meal each day,I found that unless it was burger and chips or pizza that many many children rejected school meals, even though the food is not bad these days, I know there is the old jokes about school meals, but even before JO came along children were rejecting decent meals for crap, Forest Hill boys was one of the places I have worked over the 25 yrs,and I used to cook 48 portions of meat pie for example and 1500 burgers! Simply because Children preferred them,now things have changed,many of the burger children no longer have a meal at all, they buy sweets/ cakes on the way to school,the older ones go out at lunch time and get chips,JO did nothing really to change attitudes to food in school,all he did was to shift a lot of custom onto the local chippy.
I used to love school dinners. But all my friends went to the fast food canteen for a cone of chips with red sauce. So after a while, unless I wanted to eat alone, I went to the fast food canteen.
They should NEVER have introduced fast food into schools.
I used to go to FH School in early 60's. School dinners were great. Unless one had a note you could not leave the school lunchtime so could not go to local chippie.
I would think 95% had school dinners , 3% brought their own cold food and about 2% went home.
Are you saying children can just walk out to the chippie at will. How times have changed.
I can remember chips once a week with fish on Fridays. All other days mash or boiled pots.
I know it's going slightly off the 'spending more on junk' subject but what Annie just said made me think it's no different from what I used to eat as a kid 35 years ago. There was nothing that could really be described as 'healthy' either at home or in school - sausages, fish fingers, pies, mash, chips, beans and puddings that could induce a diabetic coma just by looking at them. When I wasn't cramming burgers down my face for school dinner, packed lunch was pork pies, crisps, chocolate and a ham sandwich. Salad was pretty much non-existent. Believe it or not there was actually an ice cream van in the playground of my secondary school from about 1979.
I certainly wasn't overweight then and I'm not now. I'm pretty healthy. I hate to say it but a poor diet 'didn't do me any harm'!!
Maybe it's the lifestyle now rather than just the diet - poor diet AND a sedentary existence are not a good mix.
Im not sure at what age the children are allowed out to go to the chip shop now Eagle,but I do know some buy sweets/ cakes on their way to school and skip lunch,also they used to have break in the morning where they could buy all sorts, in the school "tuck shop" I. Think that has changed now,but not sure.
Eagle, I'm sure some enterprising young people would sell their food ticket ( If they had them) to another for half price or so. ;0)) this used to happen when I was at secondary school years ago, let alone now.
Annie
I am sure if everyone eating a lovely school meal then cannot see anyone paying for two when they are free.
However do appreciate some children have been weaned to expect junk food as normal. Not occasional treat.
Partly goes back to pubs , supermarkets and cafes introducing the infamous children's meals. They are NOT a different species and if they are brought up eating the same as their parents that should continue.
Just for a laugh,
What have you/ will you be eating today?
So far I have had shredded wheat,a ham salad sandwich and this evening savoury mince with a touch of chilli and veg,with new potatoes and corn on the Cobb,
Yes I know its a bit hot to have chilli, but that's what I fancy. :0))
