THEY have been branded disgusting, scandalous, and downright unhealthy.
The standard of packed lunches being dished out to Edinburgh nursery children after hot meals were cut back has caused an outcry among parents.
Now as council leaders vow to improve the lunches, the Evening News challenged three top city chefs to
provide nutritious alternatives on the same strict budget of £1.65.
Chef of the year Tony Singh, Tony Borthwick – who was a Michelin-star chef for six years running – and Edinburgh chef of the year Jason Gallagher all accepted the invitation, and even said they could actually make it cheaper.
The chefs say there is no need for youngsters to be eating processed cheese, fish paste and flavoured milk – which are regularly found in their lunch boxes – when fresh fish, yoghurt with honey and bottled water can be served up for the same price.
As restaurateurs who have a special menu just for children, Jane Walker and Jason Gallagher, owners of The Stockbridge Restaurant, know only too well how important it is to produce food that is both healthy and exciting for kids. With their oldest son Dylan about to start primary, the issue of school meals has been at the forefront of their minds.
The pair have come up with a simple yet healthy alternative – which they estimate would come in at just over £1 per child – to the council's offering.
Head chef Mr Gallagher described a packed lunch given to children at Grassmarket Nursery – which consisted of a roll with cheese, ham and tomato, an apple, a flapjack, a small portion of cheese and a carton of orange juice – as "unappealing" with little nutritional value.
His partner Miss Walker said: "I would chop up fruit and put it in a dish rather than give them the whole fruit because they're more likely to eat it and it's more appealing for them.
"If it looks like it's going to be an effort for them to eat, they won't do it."
The Stockbridge Restaurant's alternative packed lunch does take into account the fact that children need treats. They believe sugar-free jelly, home-made flapjacks or custard could please children.
Fellow restaurateur Tony Singh was last month named chef of the year at the Catering in Scotland Excellence Awards.
As well as owning restaurants Oloroso and Roti in Edinburgh, Mr Singh is a father of four, and is passionate about getting children to eat healthily.
He completely rules out processed foods from the school lunch menu, saying it is just as easy and cheap to provide fresh and healthy options.
He also believes cakes are a strict no-no, saying fruit gives children all the sweetness they need, while water is his preference to fruit juices.
Mr Singh believes you can produce "a fantastic packed lunch" for the £1.65 parents are paying to feed their children in city nurseries per day.
And young children, he says, are more open to trying new things.
Mr Singh suggests allowing them to mix fresh honey into natural yoghurt themselves, and to eat "adventurous" wraps as an alternative to rolls and sandwiches.
He said: "It's about trying to educate children and expanding their taste spectrum. Children at that age love those different tastes.
"It's easier to do it for pre-school kids because they have an open palate.
"A wrap adds adventure to the lunch because kids can interact with it.
"There's no need for fish paste because you can buy cheap fish and mix it with mayo and it's moving away from the processed stuff."
Tony Borthwick, who owns The Plumed Horse restaurant in Leith, said his pasta option would provide children with a lot of carbohydrate, as well as the fibre, fats and proteins needed in any diet.
He added: "You could adjust the seasoning, maybe some curry powder or something interesting."
Since the cutbacks, instead of food such as roast turkey or breaded haddock, young children are now being fed packed lunches containing processed cheese, fish paste, flavoured milk, jelly and cakes.
Education leader Marilyne MacLaren welcomed the healthier suggestions proposed by the three chefs. She said: "Ideas about healthy and attractive options for children are welcome and we are about to embark on a consultation exercise with school communities to help to improve the uptake of school meals."
Shirley Bell, whose four-year-old daughter Thora attends Grassmarket Nursery, added:"These jazzed up packed lunches sound great – it's how packed lunches should be."
DINNER CUTBACKS SAVE JUST £175,000THE recent wave of school dinner cutbacks are only expected to save £175,000 this year, it emerged today.
But Edinburgh Catering Services, which provides the food, has warned that it is facing a £500,000 budget deficit – meaning more savings must be identified over the summer months.
However, council leaders today insisted that any further measures would not affect frontline services.
The decision to axe hot meals in secondary schools on a Friday is expected to save £50,000, with the cutbacks in the meal service at nurseries likely to save £45,000.
A review of staff numbers in primary schools is due to lower costs by £35,000, and the temporary "mothballing" of six primary school kitchen will save £45,000 – leaving a total of £325,000 to find.
It is thought this will mainly come from efficiency savings within Edinburgh Catering Services.
The full article contains 900 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
