Good Morning Lovelies, 

Recently, I was watching a show that made a huge impact on mine and many school children's lives when it first came out. Having been too young to watch Jamie Oliver’s School Dinners upon its original release, I spotted that it had been added to Netflix and so I decided to delve in and find out what everyone watched back then and then hated him for. 

Going in, I was completely unaware of what he had shown before. Upon finishing the series, I found that I had actually judged him a lot more than I should have for what he did. Don’t get me wrong, I will always have a little grudge against him for the Turkey Twizzlers demise, yet, I can appreciate the work he put into it. 

One thing that it really did make me think about though was the school dinners that I used to love when I was little. I didn’t really have them in secondary school, however, I was always eager to have them when I was in primary school, until I got to the later years when I wanted my mum’s special lunchboxes. 

Therefore, I thought I would spend today taking a trip down memory lane and share with you all dishes that I loved back then. In fact, I still appreciate and love many of these still now…

Sweet & Sour Chicken Curry With Rice: This did have a bit of an odd taste and looked a real mess but I secretly loved this. It would remind me of the kind that you would get in a tin in the 90s and I still think about it at times. 

Apple Crumble & Custard: A staple in my life even now, there is no better dessert than an apple crumble with ladled custard. The crisp crumble was always the best bit and I would always hope that they gave me more of that than fruit.

Rice Pudding With Jam: Another British classic, rice pudding with a big blob of strawberry jam mixed in was unmatched at school. Even now, I will get a huge hit of nostalgia when presented with it. 

Turkey Dinosaurs/Chicken Drummers/Turkey Twizzlers With Potato Smiley Faces: I couldn’t pick which one of these I liked best, so I had to include them all. Turkey Twizzlers probably reigned at the top for a long time, but those dinosaurs are still a hit for many children around the world. 

Macaroni Cheese: The extra long macaroni pasta with the whitest and gooey cheese was amazing. If I saw this sitting under those heaters at the school canteen, I would eagerly jump up and down with happiness. 

Square Pizza OR Battered Fish With Chips & Beans: Friday’s were not just a day that marked Golden Time in the afternoon. It also marked fish and chip or pizza and chip Friday. When I go into a Greggs and see those squared pizza slices, I think back to the excitement that Friday lunchtimes would bring. 

Arctic Roll OR Jelly & Ice Cream: As soon as that Christmas dinner day came around, I knew that we would be getting a big bowl of arctic roll or jelly and ice cream. I would pray it was the former, as the mixture of sponge and extra ice cream will forever be the ultimate festive school pudding. 

Roast/Christmas Dinner: The middle of the week would always mark roast dinner day at school, which I would always love. However, the best time of the year for a roast would be when they would make the turkey version at Christmas. The addition of a little stuffing ball and pigs in blankets was a delicious treat every year. Even when I had packed lunches, I would always sign up for the Christmas dinner. 

Jam & Coconut Sponge/School Sponge Cake With Custard: If you ask any Brit, they will always think about this pudding. The mixture of jam or icing with coconut or sprinkles on top, with a big dollop of ladled thick yellow custard is something many of us still have to this day. Though it will never be as good as the kind you would get at school.

Tricoloured Pasta With Baked Beans: Okay, don’t hate it until you have tried it! The mixture of baked beans with the rich tomato sauce on plain tricoloured pasta was so basic but so good. Up until a few years ago, I would still have it on the odd occasion. 

Chocolate Concrete With Pink Custard: You couldn’t actually bite this biscuit unless it had been soaked for a while in pink custard. Rich and chocolatey, it was a pudding that you wouldn’t get away with now in schools, which makes me so sad that a whole generation is missing out on it. 

Ice Cream Scooped Mash Potatoes: When I was in hospital a few years ago, I was hit with a real sense of happiness when they gave me the mashed potato I ordered. Seeing something that brought me back to being little, whilst also having that beautiful creamy taste, made it so much easier to eat. I think these ice cream scoops made potatoes less scary for me. 

School Spaghetti Bolognaise: The spaghetti you would get at school always seemed to be extra long but I never complained. The chunky meat sauce with pieces of tomato and other vegetables mixed in made these half Italian very happy on pasta day. Especially when they put garlic bread with it too.

Jam Roly Poly With Custard: Seeing this in the freezer aisles in shops, I instantly get transported back in time to when we would get these at school. You sort of knew that there may have been a bit of extra funding if this was served up, as it was a real treat to be given.

Cheese & Ham Paninis: When I would have school dinners at secondary school, I would always head to the cafe area to get a fresh cheese and ham panini. The crispy ends mixed with the gooey cheesy centres are still something I wish I could try again. I may have to break into the school for some. 

Iced Buns/Powdered Sugar Jam Doughnuts: Having picked out a meal from secondary school, I thought I would share a pudding I would get too. Made from what I am sure was just a hot dog roll with plain icing and sprinkles, I could get through tons of these. Plus, the jam doughnuts were so soft and bouncy that I think they were what made me a huge doughnut lover. 

What meals do you remember from your school days lovelies? Was it the classic Christmas dinner? Maybe the pasta dishes? Or even the ultimate cheese pie, which I can’t remember having but that I think sounds amazing! Leave a comment and let me know what you loved best, as I would love to hear about it lovelies! 

Joey X