This is why your children get frozen school meals on a Monday and Yorkshire puddings are off the menu
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Rumours have been swirling around the playground that school children can’t get Yorkshire puddings on their roasts anymore, and that meals aren’t made fresh on a Monday.
So, is it true?
We spoke to Lancashire County Council, and after some to-ing and fro-ing, the answer is yes.
Frozen food
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Hide AdLCC say they remain “fully committed to ensuring that all children and young people have access to healthy and nutritious meals”, but there are some logistical issues, which mean that deliveries of fresh foods to schools are not available in time on Mondays, and food is cooked from frozen.
A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: "The majority of primary schools we supply to use our Fresher Plus menu, which contains more than 75 per cent of menu items that are made from fresh raw ingredients.
"Any frozen items that are used are suitable to be cooked from frozen and are purchased to the same standards as fresh ingredients. Menus change twice per year to ensure there is variety and it is in line with seasonal changes to ingredient availability.”


Yorkshire puddings?
Children have complained that roasts no longer have Yorkshire puddings included - and it seems that it’s down to the school involved and whether they now want to pay extra.
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Hide AdLCC bosses say that all school kitchens operate to approved buying lists, and these have changed over the past year. While the published menu structure has remained the same, i.e. three main course choices, multiple dessert choices, salad bar, freshly baked bread and milk or water, and the number of products remains the same, the scope of the menu has changed - with some items no longer available to school cooks.
This includes roast beef and associated products - including Yorkshire puddings.
A spokesman said: “In the case of roast beef, due to post Covid/Brexit inflationary impacts, roast beef and beef products in general have remained significantly higher in price and as such, roast beef has not been included as a roast lunch option over the last two menu periods (spring/summer and autumn/winter).”
As Yorkshire puddings are an accompaniment to roast beef, these have not been available to purchase due to not being listed on approved buying lists. Schools can instead purchase Yorkshire puddings as an additional item to accompany other roast lunch choices i.e., chicken or pork.
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Hide AdThe spokesman said: “There has not been any reduction in the volume of products which are available, although items can be removed from the approved buying list when they are not required for a new menu."


Sugarwise
Sugarwise -a standard which ensures the consumption of free sugars are limited to World Health Organisation recommendations for children and young people - has also been a consideration for Lancashire County Council, and menus have been adapted to offer healthier choices.
The spokesman added: “As such, dessert choices, which contain the highest amount of free sugars throughout menu choices, are designed to offer a range of sweet through to savoury dessert choices. Cakes are still available as choices, albeit limited by virtue of sugar content and the need for an accompaniment i.e., custard.”
Primary and secondary school menus, as well as Older Peoples residential catering menus, also comply with Food for Life Served Here standards. This ensures at least 75 per cent menu items are produced from fresh ingredients which are sustainably sources and which support local growers and producers.
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