A NORTH-East council which dished up a drive for healthier school meals ahead of TV chef Jamie Oliver is succeeding in changing the eating habits of hundreds of children.

Durham County Council became one of the first local education authorities in the country to pledge changes in school meals after it carried out a six month review of school dinners.

The Council probe identified the need to reduce pupils' consumption of fat, salt and sugar and highlighted the need to increase their consumption of fruit, vegetables and other essential nutrients.

And by the time Jamie Oliver's "School Dinners'' television series hit the screens the Council and the Schools Forum - a representative body of head teachers and governors from within the area - were already putting the finishing touches to new healthy menus with school meals provider Scolarest.

The revised contract with Scolarest and the new menus were introduced in September of last year.

Yesterday the authority said that a review of the new system has confirmed that the national move towards healthier food in schools is making more progress in County Durham than in other parts of the country.

Coun Norman Wade, Chairman of the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee said: "It is widely accepted that the Jamie Oliver programmes resulted in a reduction in the take-up of school meals.

"However the position in County Durham seems to have bucked the trend and the number of pupils taking school meals appears to have increased.'' He added: "Our progress review has confirmed that the national move towards healthier food in schools is well underway in County Durham.'' He conceded, however: "There is still evidence of resistance to healthy options from some pupils, but this is a national feature that was anticipated and we will be working to change entrenched attitudes.

"Overall though, we are delighted that our schools seem well placed in relation to healthy school meals.''