Back to school: Clever catering

School dinners have come a long way from the days of cheesy pasta and Turkey Twizzlers. While the beige buffet had its place in the 90s and early 00s, today’s pupils deserve to come into school expecting lunches that are exciting, tasty and teach them about the vast variety of foods that are available from all over the world, from chicken makhani to spicy quesadillas.

When it comes to the most sought-after dishes, the Cleverchefs team is seeing a huge rise in demand for street food-style menus and grab-and-go items, particularly in the secondary school market. It's these high street-style meals and Instagram-worthy dishes, such as Yorkshire pudding wraps instead of meat and veg carveries, that are capturing interest.

Most teens want to be able to make their own choices and experiment with different foods and menus. On the flip side, we're seeing far less demand for traditional roast dinners and the British classics that previously bolstered school canteens, although these are still popular in primary school settings.

'Exciting, innovative street food'
To this end, we’re dedicating our time to creating exciting, innovative street food concepts that incorporate seasonal produce, while also considering nutritional value in accordance with the national dietary guides for school-age students. Satisfying appetites alongside guidelines can be challenging but also exhilarating. Thus, we are always working hard behind the scenes to ensure menus are attractive and exciting, and that they appeal to parents and education boards as well as pupils.

When it comes to creating menus for the 2024/25 school year, one of the most important factors we’re taking on board is the necessity for keeping things fresh and offering new options on a regular basis. By focusing on seasonality and frequent menu changes, with three menu cycles per year, we’re able to diversify the range of food on offer. We’re also introducing a monthly ‘theme day’ to incorporate new options and cuisines, such as our margarita madness day or summer barbecue.

The theme days have proven to be incredibly successful with primary and secondary schools alike, each focusing on bringing restaurant-style trends into the education sector. But for all the talk of delicious food and multicultural menus, in the kitchen, it’s never been more important to consider the sustainability, seasonality and nutrition of the dishes being offered to schoolchildren.

'Seasonal produce'
These days, our team focuses solely on seasonal produce, looking towards carbon-neutral products, Maine Stewardship Council- and Red Tractor-approved produce. Our meats are sourced sympathetically, using certified animal welfare-approved agencies, and we’re working hard to ensure that our dishes are at a minimum bronze standard with Food for Life, while we also continue to evolve our menus and offerings to move toward silver.

Similarly, our pizzas and curries are made from scratch without bought-in sauces or pre-made ingredients. This isn’t the norm in the industry, and it isn’t always easy, but it’s important to us to use as little processed fare as possible, and to achieve this by giving our chef managers the required tools, training and support.                

It’s a careful balance, but the coming school year is going to be about producing menus that first and foremost taste great and aren’t repetitive. They also need to offer solid nutrition, come from ethical, sustainable sources and get pupils excited to sit down and eat.

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