By Jon Bautz

Learning runs on lunch. At our age, a healthy, nutritious, filling and tasty lunch is vital to keeping us focused through periods 6, 7, and 8: countless studies have shown that food is the fuel students need to be able to concentrate and maximise the value of their lesson time. Our caterer, Holroyd Howe, promises to be ‘feeding independent minds’. This piece asks if school lunches are living up to their brief: are portions right for older years, what do the macronutrients look like, and does the value feel fair? The 1509 has listened to students and staff on your greatest concerns – and positives – about school lunches at the RGS. 

The greatest concern about school lunches, particularly among the upper school, is undoubtedly portion sizing. Again and again, members of the 6^th form have complained about tiny portion sizes that, according to George Harnden, ‘you need to get two lunches to have enough’. Owen Bryant adds the obvious point that ‘it’s a bit silly that a First Former get the same portion sizes as Upper Sixth. We’re just a bit more peckish’. Teachers have similar concerns about their portion sizes, with Ms Moon, otherwise very complimentary about school lunches, calling the portions received by teachers ‘outrageous… particularly for male teachers, there’s not enough’.

Value for money is the next calculation; as a school lucky enough to be situated in the centre of a town, we have the luxury of a litany of lunch options a short walk away, with the first choice among these being Sainsbury’s. Students aren’t shy about comparing school lunches to high street options that provide better nutrition, taste and value. John Hall points out that ‘we pay a great deal for school lunches… we could really be stepping it up’, adding that the Sainsbury’s meal deal was better value. Cameron Brown, who has recently swapped school lunches for meal deals, explains the rationale behind his decision: ‘most of the time it’s edible, but as a vegetarian who is concerned with the macronutrients of their meals it got to the point where the price value, macronutrient content and taste just weren’t worth it for me’, noting that a meal deal provides him with 60g of protein for just £3.95. Many students are not aware of the true cost of school lunches: the 1509’s analysis found that, spread across a term, the actual price of each lunch is almost £7. With this information, it’s not hard to see why students are increasingly opting for a fresh, filling Fireaway pizza – only £5.99 – or the incredibly high-value meal deal. 

Many students, however, insist that the underlying quality of the food is satisfactory, but want more variation and more of their favourites. ‘I think the cuisine is decent’, says Ralph Moggs, ‘but they could spice up the rotation a bit more’. Ayan Chowdhury makes a similar comment: ‘When they do experimental things it ends up being pretty decent. Their basic stuff is not great: curries or beef and mash are not good’. Among the boring rice and curry, beef and mash type meals that we know far too well are some real crowd pleasers: Lawrence Brooks names katsu as his favourite meal, to nods of agreement from his peers, while Friday lunches also go down well, despite ‘undercooked potatoes [that] aren’t crispy enough’ according to Brendan Clarke. Staff note the Korean chicken burger as a favourite, with Mr Foster offering the controversial take that it is better than a McDonald’s burger. 

After hearing from staff members who rates lunch as 9.5/10 and were consistently positive about their lunch experiences, the 1509 launched an investigation into the differences between staff and student lunches, uncovering stark differences: staff get a soup course with croutons, a much wider array of options for their main, and more dessert options, ranging from healthier choices to the much-loved Korean burger. These revelations have led some students to question why their lunches can’t be similarly varied: Ayaan Baghat remembers a time when soup courses were available to everyone, with baguette on the side. Since COVID soup has vanished without explanation, despite students showing enthusiasm and demand for it. 

While people clearly have concerns about school lunches, the broader picture is a positive one with only minor tweaks necessary to ensure lunch can live up to its full potential. The overall quality of meals and desserts is good, but people want more of their favourite meals and less of the boring, samey, rice or mash with chicken or beef. Students in the upper school want bigger portion sizes, which could be facilitates by shrinking the portion sizes of lower school students: the number of nearly full plates of food that are thrown into the bin each day is shocking at a time when we’re trying to cut food waste. Health-conscious students want better macronutrients so that a school meal can provide them with the protein their bodies need. 

The ingredients for a better school lunch are already here: now we need to put them on the plate.