Helping with the right choices

The biggest part of being at a boarding school isn't just the level of education its making it a home for the students that go there and a big part of that is the food. Sounds a bit silly but you get out what you put in. If the students aren't happy with the food provided it can have an affect on how they perform in lessons so we try to get them involved as much as possible, we hold a food council every term to try and fathom out what they really like and what's not a winner! It also gives us a chance to explain that even though I'd love to give them deep fried chips every day and chocolate its not what's best for them. With that in mind we hold a dish of the week competition where one of the boys gets to pick a meal of his choice for the entire boarding house admittedly it normally involves fries but it gives us as chefs chance to take that bacon cheese burger to a new level. And since we changed the standards from school canteen to restaurant and the way we take pride in how we plate the food I'm seeing more and more ask for chicken Caesar salad and duck chow mein. I'd much rather give seconds or thirds on a quality salad than frozen burger and chips and when you get some of the younger ones coming up and saying it was amazing you know you've done a good job. I wonder how many of them would have even entertained the idea of a healthy lunch before the improvements we have made??