Pupils get an appetite for healthy eating

Vitamin rich . . . some of the members of the school council at St Anne's in Lydgate, from left, Sophie Laing, Erin Connaghan, Isobel Hallam, Emily Seville and Eleanna Damianou

All over Oldham, schools are making strides towards nutritional menus. JENNIFER HOLLAMBY visited two of them to see how the youngsters are swallowing the healthy eating message.

WHEN chef Jamie Oliver first declared war on turkey twizzlers, we knew he had a battle on his hands.

And sure enough, no sooner had he banished the E-numbers and fat-loaded stodge to the dustbin, than misguided Yorkshire mums were pictured shovelling takeaways through the school fences.

But, if the figures are to be believed, healthy eating in school might just be catching on, with the take up of healthy school meals climbing steadily.

In May this year, the take up rate for healthy school lunches in Oldham was 54.4 per cent, compared with 53.3 per cent in September, 2007.

The schools are becoming increasingly inventive to encourage children to eat healthily.

Casting an eye over the rows of patisserie-perfect dusted buns, cakes and flapjacks, healthy eating in school is not the first thing that springs to mind.

But at St Anne’s primary school in Lydgate, such gourmet delights deceive the eye and head chef Karen Jones tells me that each and every cake on offer has some form of fruit in it, including blueberries and strawberries.

They’ve even managed to sneak raspberry coulis into the flapjacks.

And if you thought healthy food didn’t go down well with children these days then meatballs, salads, vegetables, potato wedges, fruit and yoghurt (to name just some of the foods on offer) are clearly ticking all the right boxes.

Isobel Hallam (9) said: “The dinners we eat now are a real improvement on what we had before, so I’ve swapped over from packed lunches.”

Emily Seville (10) said: “We used to eat hotdogs and burgers before, but now we only have chips once a week as a treat.

And as well as binning the burgers, there is not a hint of chocolate on the colourful spread and no food is fried.

Sophie Laing (11) added: “I feel a lot more energetic after my lunch now. If you have a chocolate brownie at lunch you get tired afterwards.”

And there is no sneaking out of vitamin-packed power lunches for the pupils bringing in their own food.

Healthy schools coordinator Corinne Hendry said: “We want to apply healthy eating across the board, so we check packed lunches to make sure they’re following the same rules.”

“We’re not draconian about it, but we offer a few hints, and most of the pupils choose healthy food.”

Eleanna Damianou (9) said: “If you don’t eat healthily, you get fat and unhealthy and you don’t live for very long.”

Erin Connaghan (10) added: “We still have treats. We have a bit of chocolate at Easter and on special occasions, but we enjoy it a lot more now because it’s not something we have very often.”

At the Radclyffe secondary school in Chadderton, the students are proving that not all teenagers are addicted to junk food.

With the opening of their brand new school in February this year came a new outlook on healthy eating, with the launch of Cafe Mojo.

The pizzas and chips went out with the crumbling building of old and the pupils have taken to the healthy lifestyle like ducks to water with an 80 per cent average take up of school meals.

Deputy head boy Chris Duerden, who is on the school council, counts himself among Cafe Mojo’s fans.

He said: “Before, pretty much everything was fried, but now we have a salad bar and meal choices like spaghetti bolognese and quiche and fresh fruit and rice puddings for dessert.

“There is always a rush for the cafe at lunchtimes now.”

Fellow pupil Tia Miller, of year eight, is also on the school council which has helped to shape the menus found in Cafe Mojo.

She said: "You can get all types of pasta, salads and sandwiches and you can even choose whether you want your sandwich on white or brown bread.

"I think eating healthily at lunchtime makes you feel more motivated for your next lesson."

Year seven manager, Susan Longley, said: "You can have a three course meal in Cafe Mojo if you fancy it, there's so much on offer.

"We have five healthy hot meals to choose from each day and cater for all sorts of different dietary and religious requirements, so everyone can benefit from the healthy foods we have on offer here.”