Fresh approach to school food in Orkney
Congratulations to the 19 members of catering staff from schools across Orkney who attended training with Food for Life Scotland at Kirkwall Grammar School on 29th October!
At Food for Life Scotland, we support local authorities who are working towards a Food for Life Served Here award for their school meals with dedicated training sessions – introducing staff to the standards required for the award and taking the Food for Life ethos to the frontline.
Good food is even better when it’s shared
Making good food the easy choice for everyone is at the heart of our mission at the Soil Association. Attendees at the session in Orkney began by discussing what they felt made food into ‘good food’, with suggestions ranging from “tastes good” and “looks appetising” to “makes you happy!”.
Catering staff at the training session discussed their favourite recipes and brainstormed ideas for including more vegetables in school menus – from adding carrots and courgette to bolognaise sauce, to making green spinach buns for Hallowe’en.
A selection of fresh fruit and vegetables was procured for the session from local wholesaler J. W. Gray + Co, and staff worked together to prepare a range of delicious dishes, including a seasonal coleslaw, broccoli and cheese filled potatoes, and roasted carrot houmous.
An introduction to the FFLSH Standards
School menus that hold the Bronze FFLSH award are certified to be at least 75% freshly prepared from scratch using unprocessed ingredients. They use only free-range eggs, sustainable fish, and UK farm-assured meat, and contain no genetically modified ingredients, undesirable additives or artificial trans-fats.
The Food for Life Scotland training takes catering staff through the 13 standards that make up the Bronze FFLSH award, with hands-on activities giving a more in-depth understanding. Staff learned to spot unwanted additives in ingredients lists, distinguish between caged and free-range eggs, and identify seasonal produce using the Food for Life seasonality calendar.
Following the training:
- 100% of participants agreed that they understood the FFLSH Bronze award standards
- 100% of participants felt more confident about using seasonal ingredients in their school kitchen
- 95% of participants enjoyed cooking and eating together
A huge well done from the Food for Life Scotland team to everyone who took part in the training session. We’ll continue to work with Orkney Islands Council as they work towards achieving their first Food for Life Served Here award!
Are you interested in having Food for Life training in your local authority? Get in touch with us to find out more.