News

LACA says the future of school meals and the workforce that delivers them depends on immediate investment. The Great School Lunch event aims to show MPs what a modern day school meals looks and tastes like as well as calling for fairer school meals funding.

Funding the school meal service properly, which provides children with hot, healthy, and nutritious meals, is an investment in children - the future generation - and a vital step towards realising the Government’s vision of creating the healthiest generation yet.

The five school chefs serving the food will all be former winners of LACA’s School Chef of the Year (SCOTY) competition. They are Jennifer Brown (2024 winner); Raheem Morgan (2023 winner); Rob Chambers (2021 winner); Holly Charnock (2020 winner) and Sharon Armstrong (2004 winner).

The main meals served will be souvlaki chicken, feta & broccoli quiche and sweet potato & chickpea curry. It will be accompanied by Greek salad, kachumber salad, savoury rice, mixed seasonal vegetables, basil & cherry tomato and focaccia bread.

The desserts will be chocolate & beetroot cake with hot chocolate sauce, strawberry cheesecake, fruit platter apple & cinnamon crumble with custard.

SCOTY profiles

• Armstrong: “After working for North Yorkshire County Caterers for 33 years in the roles of catering manager/area manager, I decided to take early retirement. I am still very active in the catering industry. In 2004 I won School Chef of the Year and several years ago I was asked to be the LACA judge for the competition which I really enjoy and am still doing.”
• Brown: “I am the current School Chef of the Year and the catering manager at Sarum Academy, a school in Salisbury in Wiltshire. I have worked in my role now for nine years and have a wonderful team to support me, we have a real dedication to providing healthy, balanced, tasty meals for our students along with making meals fun, varied and engaging for them too.”
• Morgan: “I work as a kitchen manager for Chartwells in a large primary school based in south east of London. Catering for up to 450 children daily brings a smile and passion to my work by feeding the next generation a hot, hearty healthy meal each and every day.”
• Charnock: “I am a school chef based just outside of Liverpool. I have been working in the school meals industry for the past 11 years. I have been in my current role as head chef in a primary school for the past seven years. I am passionate about serving fresh home-made food that children enjoy.”
• Chambers: “I am a business support manager overlooking multiple trusts across Cambridgeshire for Impact Food Group. I have been working for IFG for six years; prior to this I was in the wedding and events industry. I was amazed the quality and variety that can be offered within the school industry – such a change from when I was at school.”