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School caterers offering healthy dishes to pupils have been recognised as they compete for The Great ‘Fish & Chip’ School Lunch Award as part of the 2015 National Fish & Chip Awards, organised by Seafish.

Sponsored by Middleton Food Products, supplier of catering and bakery mixes to the food industry, this is a new category introduced to the 2015 awards. Open to all schools or school caterers who service the education sector, it celebrates the importance of offering children fresh and nutritious options as part of their school lunches.

The three finalists putting their ‘frying’ credentials to the test are Holy Trinity Primary School in Halifax, West Yorkshire; Cambridge Regional College in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire and Venerable Edward Morgan School in Deeside, Flintshire.

To get to this stage of the competition, the finalists were judged across a variety of criteria including how they promote fish and chips in their schools through creative marketing and promotional flair.

Peter Hill, chief executive of Middleton Food Products, said: “At Middleton Food Products we believe wholeheartedly in fish and chips being part of a balanced controlled diet so are delighted to sponsor this new award category.

“Fish and chips are a fantastic natural, nutritional meal and an excellent source of protein - far better than most other takeaway foods. A portion of fish and chips provides the body with carbohydrate, vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin C, iron, calcium, phosphorous, as well as the trace elements iodine, fluorine, zinc and some important dietary fibre.

“This award category provides a great opportunity to showcase how fish and chips can be an integral part of the school meals offering in our nation’s schools.” 

Paul Williams, chief executive of Seafish, said: “With concerns rising in the media over the eating habits of our children, there has never been a better time to celebrate everything great about our country’s school catering industry and the hard work they do to ensure our children consume a well-balanced diet.

“Seafood offers a wealth of nutrients essential for our wellbeing and helps to preserve a healthy heart and mind. This makes fish an ideal food source to help keep children’s concentration levels high throughout the school day.

“We hope more school catering services across the UK will follow suit and take a more active role in promoting the importance of a healthy diet to children. I wish the three finalists the best of luck and look forward to seeing who comes out on top at the final.”

The overall winners for all award categories will be announced at a grand awards ceremony at The Lancaster London Hotel on January 20th. The National Fish & Chip Awards recognise the quality, value and choice offered by fish and chip businesses across the UK. Seafish, the authority on seafood, was founded in 1981 by an act of parliament and supports the UK seafood industry for a sustainable, profitable future.