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Ian's recipe for success
LAST year Jamie Oliver did the unthinkable.
He took old-fashioned school dinners – spotted dick and custard, lumpy mash potato and tapioca – and replaced them with healthy meals kids.
Gone was the Turkey Twizzler and in its place was curry, pasta with tomato sauce and pizza, all made with fresh, nutritious ingredients.
It wasn't easy. Some kids turned up their noses at Jamie's food and some parents ditched school dinners when chips were banned, opting to give their kids a packed lunch instead.
But slowly both parents and pupils are coming round. Now the majority of schools offer healthy meals in their canteens, many have banned vending machines selling junk food and some are even monitoring pupils' packed lunch boxes.
The campaign has gone right to the top, with Tony Blair pledging more money for school dinners to pay for fresh ingredients, kitchen equipment and training for canteen staff.
A chef from Desborough is now 'doing a Jamie Oliver' with school meals in Sheffield.
Ian Southwell has been appointed to work the same magic for school dinners as the TV chef by introducing pupils and school cooks to healthier options.
Ian began his career as a trainee chef in Northamptonshire before becoming head chef at The Red Lion in Great Bowden, near Market Harborough. He then joined Scolarest, the company responsible for providing meals to almost 2,500 schools, colleges and universities, initially doing cookery workshops across the country for companies, organisations and individuals.
His latest role – executive development chef – sees him working with pupils and canteen staff at 90 primary and 20 secondary schools in the Sheffield area.
He said: "There is so much on the TV and in the papers about school dinners. Jamie Oliver has certainly put the issue on the map and we needed that. We work on a four-week menu cycle for the kids – and there are no Turkey Twizzlers.
"You just have to get them to try things. They might see something on a menu and not know what it is. I was the same at that age. The
underlying message is to try to explain in a very basic way why certain foods are good for them and some aren't.
"We've been giving them stickers for trying something new and if they clear their plate they get another one for that. It seems to be working well.
"I'm doing taste sessions and workshops with the cooks. I've also been along to parents' evenings. I suppose I'm the face of school dinners – Great Britain has got Jamie Oliver and Scolarest have got me!
"The reaction from parents has been mixed. It's Yorkshire, where they're very traditional with their food, so we're trying to educate the parents as well and explain why we're doing what we're doing.
"We are trying to listen to the kids too. If it's something they won't eat there's no point, but it has to be healthy. That's the reason we do the taste sessions."
Ian, 32, is well-equipped for the job. As a father to Liam, 12, and three-year-old Ellie-May, he has his own food critics who are happy to try his healthy meal options.
Ian said: "Liam is great with food. In fact his favourite food is brussels sprouts so if you gave him a plate of brussels and turkey he'd be happy. And Ellie-May will try anything."
Jamie's School Dinners proved to be a TV phenomenon, but there's a very serious side to the campaign to make school dinners healthy.
One in 10 children is overweight, with one in 20 classed as clinically obese.
Children on a good diet perform much better in class than those who eat a lot of junk food and too many sweets and fizzy drinks can have a knock-on effect on children's concentration levels.
This is something Ian has become well aware of through his new job.
He said: "I was at a school the other day and the headteacher said he wanted to get a hot meal into his pupils.
"That has a knock-on effect in the classroom – if they eat rubbish they won't do well. For some it's their only proper meal of the day but at least now they're getting good food."
Ian's next mission is to take on packed lunches.
He wants to begin offering packed lunches through school canteens, particularly at secondary schools.
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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