Packham celebrates UK’s most climate-friendly school menus

The conservationist and TV presenter Chris Packham has revealed the school caterers that are officially serving the most climate-friendly menus in the UK. Waltham Forest Catering and Plant-based School Kitchens were the inaugural winners of the ProVeg School Plates Awards, which celebrate excellence in healthy and sustainable school food.

Waltham Forest Catering was revealed as the National Champion serving the state sector. The caterer has developed a range of healthy, plant-based recipes that have proven extremely popular with children thanks to its ‘taster-sessions’, where they are invited to sample meals before they make it onto the menu.

Plant-based School Kitchens, meanwhile, took the National Champion title for private school catering for its entirely plant-powered menu at Our Lady of Sion School in Worthing. Private schools are exempt from government guidelines, which require meat and dairy products to be served regularly (Waltham Forest has a 23% plant-based menu).

“Congratulations to both of those winners, but it's not just about those two,” said Packham, who is an ambassador for ProVeg. “It's about those children that have seen the potential of plant-based foods and have had their eyes and their tastebuds tickled by that potential – improving the environment and sustainable thinking about our and their future.”

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