School dinners – did you love them or hate them?
From cheese pie to tapioca pudding, school dinners were government subsidised in order to provide nutritious food to hungry post-war children.
Cooked from scratch without the benefit of fridges, freezers or dishwashers, legendary dinner ladies made classic dishes that would keep us going until the end of the day.
The original 40s menus remained largely unchanged for over 50 years, leaving generations of school children with some fond and some not so fond memories of eating at school.
Here we take a look back at some of the school dinner staples of our childhood…
Cheese Pie
Forerunner to the later cheese and bacon flan, usually a firm favourite.
Spam Fritters
Typically served with mashed potato and peas, spam fritters were a savoury staple.
Minced Beef
With boiled potatoes and cabbage, minced beef never looked terribly appetizing and the cabbage was mostly over-cooked but we couldn’t have pudding until we’d finished our plate!
Chocolate Crunch and Custard
Poured from huge metal jugs custard could be lumpy and almost always had a skin on top. It was sometimes chocolate and occasionally pink – or was that just runny blancmange?
Tapioca Pudding
Otherwise known as frogspawn, tapioca was often accompanied by a dollop of strawberry jam in a bid to make it a tad more palatable, although, in fact, it looked far worse than it tasted.
Sultana Steamed Pudding
Served with custard, all manner of steamed puddings regularly featured on the school dinner menu, keeping us feeling full for the rest of the day.
Arctic Roll
A real treat in the summer term and one to look forward to!
Can you add any to our selection? Did you enjoy school dinners? Share your memories in the comments below.
Melina - Assistant Editor
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