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School Dinner

Di.Poppitt

Di.Poppitt

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
I am going to say a big hooray for the school dinners I had. We were suffering a real shortage of food after the war and yet the moms who cooked for us did a great job with the food that was supplied. The only thing that was awful was pom which appeared when potaoes were almost impossible to buy.

I was only too happy that meat was in short supply, I hated it. We had lots of mashed potatoes and vegetables, and once a week we had salad. I don't ever remember having fish, and never an egg. There was one rule and that was that what you asked for you had to eat.
 
It was at the time I was at Hawthorn Road Junior Boys (1941 - 44) that schooldinners started, when all women had to register with a view to helping with the war effort. Some of course made good money working in the munitions factories, but it meant that the kids couldn't get a hot meal at home during their 2-hour lunch break, unless there was a relation, friend or nighbour who was willing to look after them.
So in 1942 I think, a little blue and grey van with a high tapered extension to enable someone to stand up inside it used to come ever day at 11.30 - I think the number was JNO 683 - to deliver pre-cooked food, which was served out in the room which served as an assembly hall. My mum didn't start a job until 1943 as a school secretary, to relieve teaching staff of increasing paperwork - at Loxton Street Senior Boys, where my dad taught before and after the war. So from 1943 I sometimes used the canteen, but I remember I often went to Mrs Sarjant opposite us.
I don't think the food was much cop, but I thought the canteen in the basement at Aston Grammar, and we all loved the PEAR PIE, which had loads of suet in it and slid down without touching the bsides.
But WHY did they start to boil the cabbage at 8.00?
Peter
 
A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH SCHOOL DINNERS IS THAT THE VEGETABLES WERE OFTEN BOILED TO EXTINCTION SO THEY WERE HARDLY OF NURITIONAL MERIT.
THE POTENTIAL WAS WONDERFUL BUT IT WAS NOT DONE PROPERLY FOR THE MOST PART. SIMPLE OVERCOOK BY BOILING.
MANY SCHOOLS RECEIVED MEALS COOKED AT A DISTRICT KITCHEN AND DELIVERED IN BIG STEEL INSULATED TUBS.

THIS IS A MATTER OF FRESH VERSUS STALE PRODUCE.

FANTASTICALLY SUGARATED DESSERTS BEING ANOTHER TERRIBLE PROBLEM.

JUST AWFUL.
 
Oh, I dunno, I loved the treacle sponge and custard...never had treacle sponge so nice since...even when I make it...which is about once every 3 years or so  ;D
Of course chocolate concrete I didn't risk, as when you stuck your spoon in there was great danger of your plate flying off the table :eek:
Ater playing hard at break times and dinner times, was very glad of something to eat..
my kids seem to have a lot of bread stuff at school now...good job I cook at night when they come home...
 
Ah Treacle Tart and Choc concrete, Mom used to be dinner lady and she would sometimes bring those home from Cowper St School :D
 
my mom was a dinner lady at Warren Farm school, Kingstanding, for a while, in the early 70's.
 
We had lovely school dinners in junior school but when i went to seniors everything changed and we had to have pizza and burgers etc.Our dinner ladies were lovely and i remember when my tooth fell out and Mrs Sweet gave me a hankie for it, bless em.
 
Mashed swede :argh: , something called 'chicken pie' (where was the chicken?), and semolina  :mad:

Hubby's just chipped in with chocolate concrete and pink custard- wish I'd gone to his school!

Nell x
 
We had concrete and pink custard. Most of the concrete finished up on the floor, you had to be pretty smart to break it with a spoon. :)
 
School Dinner staff are the unsung heroes of all time. I was a teacher for 3 decades and was always astounded at how clever these ladies were at making a small budget into nourishing grub. As he years went by the budget got smaller and school dinners became impoverished and poorer in quality - a losing battle for Dinner Ladies. Boiled bage, pink custrd and the like - did me good. I still cook a sunday dinner every week like I was brought up with. I tried a Macdonalds a few years back - one and never again. God Bless the legion of Dinner ladies of yesteryear - they should be in the honours list - not overblown pop and football stars!
 
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