THOUSANDS of children enjoyed a free school Christmas dinner yesterday.
Staff at Taylor Shaw, the main catering contractor for Durham County Council’s free school meals pilot, prepared just under a tonne-and-a-half of turkey, nearly a tonne of sprouts and about 250 litres of gravy.
The team also catered for more than 500 different special diets among the 26,000 pupils.
Jim Lovett, managing director for Taylor Shaw, said: “It’s a massive operation to create a really special Christmas dinner for that many children.
“In addition to ordering and preparing the usual festive fare in massive quantities, we also have to create different, and equally exciting, options for pupils who can’t eat certain foods.
“And like any other day, we also have to ensure that all of the meals meet our strict nutritional guidelines.”
Every primary pupil in County Durham will receive free school meals until August next year, as part of a pilot scheme funded by central Government, Durham County Council and NHS County Durham.
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